Title: Technology and its CRM implications in the shipping industry

Authors: Srinivas Durvasula, Steven Lysonski, Subhash C. Mehta

Addresses: College of Business Administration, 606 N 13 Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233, USA. ' Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA. ' School of Business, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME, USA

Abstract: This paper investigates the relative importance of service factors such as technology and facilities, how service providers are rated on those factors, and their relationship to customer satisfaction in a B2B environment. The results show that in the ocean freight shipping industry, customers placed more importance on factors such as efficiency in complaint handling, prompt availability of delivery information as compared to the use of latest equipment and technology. Most importantly, customers who had a more favourable evaluation of shipping companies on these factors also experienced a higher level of service satisfaction. Implications of these results for the use of technology in managing customer relationships are then presented.

Keywords: CRM; shipping industry; technology; service encounters; customer satisfaction; customer relationship management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2004.005054

International Journal of Technology Management, 2004 Vol.28 No.1, pp.88 - 102

Published online: 24 Aug 2004 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article