Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing

Customer loyalty approach based on CRM for SMEs

Marcella Brito Galvão, Raíssa Corrêa de Carvalho, Lucas Ambrósio Bezerra de Oliveira, Denise Dumke de Medeiros,
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Marcella Brito Galvão, Raíssa Corrêa de Carvalho, Lucas Ambrósio Bezerra de Oliveira, Denise Dumke de Medeiros, (2018)
"Customer loyalty approach based on CRM for SMEs", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 33 Issue: 5, pp.706-716,
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 Customer loyalty approach based on
CRM for SMEs
Marcella Brito Galvão
Department of Production Engineering,
Instituto Federal de Educacao Ciencia e Tecnologia de Pernambuco – Campus Ipojuca, Recife, Brazil
Raíssa Corrêa de Carvalho
Department of Production Engineering, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
Lucas Ambr�osio Bezerra de Oliveira
Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Arido, Angicos, Brazil and
Postgraduate Program in Production Engineering, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil, and
Denise Dumke de Medeiros
Department of Production Engineering, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

Abstract
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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore marketing analysis by developing a customer loyalty approach for small- and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) in the service sector, based on customer relationship management (CRM) in the context of an emerging economy.
Design/methodology/approach – This study analyzes different models of CRM in the literature and defines a loyalty approach for SMEs in the
service sector. It is characterized as exploratory research, with a qualitative approach. A systematic review of the literature is undertaken as the
starting point for achieving the main objective of the study.
Findings – The need to develop a framework for an approach to customer loyalty for SMEs based on CRM and to make it operational.
Research limitations/implications – It is a qualitative and exploratory study, applied only to a company’s two main clients.
Practical implications – The contribution of this study is that it offers SMEs consistent guidelines on how best to conduct relationship management
with their customers by using a systemic methodology that can be adapted to the requirements of more effective interaction between a company
and its customers. It also provides coherence to the purpose of meeting customers’ needs. This is an action strategy that focuses especially on the
use of tools, such as SERVQUAL, Kano and SWOT analysis, and thereby increases the competitive profile of organizations in this sector.
Originality/value – This study is a new approach to customer loyalty for SMEs in the service sector, which integrates elements of CRM strategy and
implementation.
Keywords Relationship management, Customer relationship management, Small- and medium-sized enterprises
Paper type Case study

1. Introduction However, SMEs have less access to formal sources of

external financing despite these contributions (Rostamkalaei
The current and competitive market is characterized by
and Freel, 2016), and their resources are limited, which hinders
changes in technology and consumer preferences that occur their ability to grow and to draw up and implement strategies
quickly (Amalnick and Zadeh, 2017). This makes it that can quickly take advantage of rapid technological changes
increasingly important for companies to provide their (Wong et al., 2016; Eriksson et al., 2017).
customers with a personalized service and has led to small- and Thus, it is relevant to study the relationship of SMEs with
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) investing in customer their customers and to find new ways of establishing and
relationship management (CRM) (Reicher and Szeghegyi, maintaining this relationship (Soltani and Navimipour, 2016).
2015). SMEs, despite it being difficult for them to survive in the Such studies first of all seek to understand the essential
market, are important to the economy of several countries, as characteristics of SMEs and then to use this information with a
they create jobs, and their presence and impact add to social view to contributing toward helping them to develop and to
cohesion and this ensures that economic activity is diversified improve the quality of their products and services and how best
(Lussier et al., 2016).

The authors are grateful for the support received to carry out this study
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development
Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/0885-8624.htm (CNPq), the Brazilian governmental entity which promotes scientific and
technological development.

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing

Received 12 July 2017
33/5 (2018) 706–716 Revised 24 January 2018
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 0885-8624] 26 March 2018
[DOI 10.1108/JBIM-07-2017-0166] Accepted 27 March 2018

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 Customer loyalty approach Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
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to manage them. Customers’ behavior has changed. They have approaches being brought together under the concept that
become more engaged in ensuring they receive what they want came to be called as CRM (Triznova et al., 2015).
and this means that they have become more demanding about CRM unites the potential of relationship marketing and
receiving services of a high standard (Lipiäinen, 2015). information technology strategies to understand customers
This requires more transparency and authenticity in better and to create value with them, with a view to developing
company–customer relationships (Greenberg, 2010). It is profitable and lasting relationships (Wongsansukcharoen et al.,
noteworthy that, despite limitations and challenges, there has 2015; Soltani and Navimipour, 2016). It is important to
been a marked increase in the number and range of initiatives emphasize the formation of value for customers, as well as the
that SMEs have taken in the areas of technology and marketing, favorable aspects linked to those involved when a long-term
especially in CRM and in relation to engaging on more efficient relationship is sought (Payne and Frow, 2005; Khatoon, 2017).
relationship management with their customers. Their aim has The focus of CRM is on a niche of customers rather than on
been to reach and maintain competitive differentials the market segment as a whole. Companies use new technologies
(Kafetzopoulos and Psomas, 2016; Morgan-Thomas, 2016; extensively so as to keep track of and communicate with their
Gonzalez-Benito et al., 2017). customers. This requires bilaterality when customers acquire
Practices of placing the focus on the customer and on quality products and/or services to overcome obstacles or to minimize
management, for example, contribute to improving SMEs’ failures in implementing new practices (Reicher et al., 2015;
organizational performance, as they tend to be more flexible Chen et al., 2016). It is important to highlight the need for an
than large organizations (Chuang and Lin, 2013; Basu and appropriate organizational structure and incentives to both
Bhola, 2016). Traditional CRM models are proposed for large support CRM processes and produce the desired effects for the
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companies. This is because they, unlike SMEs, do not need to organization (Amalnick and Zadeh, 2017).
consider peculiarities. The need to pay attention to their Some authors regard CRM as a customer-centric business
individual peculiarities is a major limitation for SMEs because, strategy whenever customers’ needs must be fully understood
owing to their specific characteristics, they require a non- and anticipated (Reicher and Szeghegyi, 2015). The aim is to
general methodology, adapted to their reality, to attend to their enhance customers’ experience and satisfaction by customizing
stakeholders’ needs (Jorge et al., 2016; Zhou, 2016). The need products and services to their needs (Ata and Toker, 2012;
to address and investigate this is what has prompted this Krishna and Ravi, 2016). For others, it is a tool to implement a
research study. relationship and loyalty program (Swift, 2001; Bose, 2002).
Therefore, this paper puts forward a CRM approach to Although customer loyalty is influenced by the quality of
customer loyalty, adapted to the needs of SMEs, which service, customers’ satisfaction with this and their perception of
considers their peculiarities and characteristics. It offers an the value received are enhanced when customers perceive that
alternative to generic CRM solutions, such as generic IT CRM offers them a higher quality of service (Nyadzayo and
solutions (Morgan-Thomas, 2016), does not require large Khajehzadeh, 2016). However, this may be, the basis of these
investments and adopts known and workable tools. A concepts is to change the focus from the product to the
systematic review of the literature on the themes dealt with in relationship with the customer.
this article is undertaken. Models proposed and applied in
generic situations are analyzed. In addition, a new approach is 2.2 Customer relationship management as a strategic
proposed that considers the characteristics of SMEs. factor for small- and medium-sized enterprises
Despite the current dynamics in business relationships, long- In practice, perhaps the only area of management in which
term customer relationships cannot be established from SMEs can compete on equal terms with, or even have an
ephemeral actions. Therefore, having a good understanding of advantage over, large organizations in the market is that SMEs
the profile, needs and desires of customers has become even tend to be more flexible. This can occur providing that SMEs
more critical to the success and survival of SMEs. By doing so, it have a well-defined customer relationship framework or, for
is hoped to help SMEs improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. example, a CRM that supports such a differential strategically
These are factors that are relevant to developing and maintaining (Lambert, 2009; Ojiako et al., 2015; Lussier et al., 2016;
Arbussa et al., 2017).
their competitiveness and, consequently, improving their
Therefore, CRM strategies should be used in accordance
financial results (Jones, 1996; Oliver, 1999; Erjavec et al., 2016),
with an organization’s characteristics and the environment
and thereby this brings benefits to the economy and society, as
involved, and technological tools should always consider the
economic activity is diversified, more jobs are created and more
dimensions of these (Nguyen et al., 2015). In the case of SMEs,
services are offered in local communities.
these are (Caldeira and Ward, 2002):
� Their financial resources are limited and their capacity for
2. Theoretical background
innovation is low (Rostamkalaei and Freel, 2016; Kumar
2.1 Relationship marketing and customer relationship and Singh, 2017), besides which they are not in a favorable
management situation, in terms of managing human, technical and
Interest in relationship marketing has grown over the past few technological resources (Wynn et al., 2016), which entails
decades, during which companies of all sizes have been that their administrative capacities tend to be weak.
experimenting with different ways of tackling the relationship Therefore, they can only seek to overcome these weaknesses
with their customers (Soltani and Navimipour, 2016). Several by using CRM to obtain good results (Tzokas et al., 2015).
companies in different sectors have adopted the most successful � SME managers are involved in all processes, and the Chief
of these, and the spread of these led, over time, to these Executive Officer (CEO) plays a dominant role, enjoys a

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high degree of visibility and can easily emphasize the SMEs should target their business on areas in which they have
importance of quality (Ghobadian and Gallear, 1997). the greatest competitive advantage (Soltani and Navimipour,
� Often, strategic planning is given little importance; 2016; Triznova et al., 2015; Reicher and Szeghegyi, 2015;
deadlines and future investments are usually not set, and Venturini and Benito, 2015; Chen et al., 2016).
when they are, only the CEO is aware of them (Wagner
and Paton, 2014). 2.3 Discussion of existing methodologies
� Knowledge management, where it exists, tends to be Although there are differences in the constructs of the
confined to managers and, similarly, training tends to be methodologies, similarities between them can be identified.
directly given and led by management to collaborators Some authors highlight steps which they consider are essential
under a top-down approach. Such training is carried out which, however, are not addressed by other authors. This is the
infrequently and there are barriers to offering more case of the Winer (2001) model, which is the only one to
because of SMEs’ resource constraints and their strategic address the importance of ensuring privacy when collecting data
orientation (O’Connor and Kelly, 2017). Thus, it is from customers so that customers feel this information will be
important to emphasize the need to create an environment held securely. Therefore, they will be willing to continue to
to support relevant knowledge management activities provide information, which will enable the company in question
(Ojiako et al., 2015; Wang and Yang, 2016). to offer them an increasingly efficient and higher quality service.
� An SME’s internal processes are simpler and more flexible Most of the models in the literature start from the planning
than those of a large organization (Hudson et al., 2001). stage, which is used to both evaluate the company’s situation
� SMEs often fail because they establish relationships that and define the company’s strategy, vision, goals and objectives
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are too informal (Sutter et al., 2017). (Winer, 2001; Bose, 2002; Urbanskiene et al., 2008; Erdil and
� An SME’s main competitive advantage is that it can offer Öztürk, 2016). Thus, Table I summarizes each author’s
products or services that are highly specialized, which the position in relation to the different phases of implementing
largest companies have difficulty doing (Arbussa et al., 2017). CRM methodologies. However, because of the diversity of the
� SMEs typically have a mostly family structure, with family characteristics of the authors’ views, we sought to group phases
members occupying top management positions (Segaro so that different phases can be compared more easily.
et al., 2014), which may lead to information sharing within The phases are subdivided into three categories: planning,
the company being restricted to family members only
execution and control. This division is because of the fact that
(O’Connor and Kelly, 2017).
these categories refer to the generic phases of implementing any
SMEs have limited human and financial resources, which CRM model. First, there is a need to define a plan of action
implies that they should concentrate on solving everyday (planning), and this is followed by conducting all the tasks that
problems (Henrique and Catarino, 2016) and that their relate to implementing the previously defined model
management perspective should be limited to the short rather (execution) and, finally, to verify that the whole process has
than the long term (Ghobadian and Gallear, 1997). Therefore, occurred as planned (control). All these generic phases can be
it is important to develop a type of culture in SMEs that enables identified in the approaches of the authors, thereby justifying
negative aspects of their characteristics to be eliminated and this subdivision as this greatly helps the reader to have an
which, at the same time, maximizes their strengths. Thus, overview of the similarities and differences of the approaches.

Table I Comparison of different approaches to CRM

Chen and Sin Erdil and
Winer Bose Popovich et al. Payne Urbanskiene Rababah Öztürk
Phases of implementing CRM methodologies (2001) (2002) (2003) (2005) (2006) et al. (2008) et al. (2011) (2016)
Planning
Defining the vision X X X
Situation analysis X X X
Defining the strategy and customer segmentation X X X X X X X
Defining the investment X X
Execution
Database development X X X X X X
Database analysis X X X X X
Development of a relationship program X X X X X X X
Establishing contact points X X X
Organization of Processes X X X X X
Human resources management X X X
Choosing technologies X X X X X X X
Control
Monitoring and learning X X X X
Loyalty analysis X X X

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On examining these approaches, it was found that while CRM sets the strategic objectives intended in each phase of the
was being undertaken, several factors should be considered to customer loyalty approach in the service sector.
achieve the expected benefits. In summary, the main ones are
people, processes and information technology. These factors 3.1 Step 1: identification
are observed as determining points for positive results in CRM This step was conducted by asking customers to complete
strategies.
forms. The need to know what customers want and how they
Therefore, an approach was developed that met these needs,
perceive the service being offered is of great importance for
namely, integrating managerial support tools into the CRM.
companies’ survival (Parasuraman et al., 1988), as is their
These evaluate the three main phases (planning, execution and
positioning vis-à-vis the competition (Gummesson, 2002). To
control) of the CRM and its peculiarities. However, care was
do so, the following were used: the Kano model (to identify the
taken to avoid introducing complexity into the steps, thus
enabling SMEs to use CRM without great difficulty. main attributes of satisfaction), the SERVQUAL model (to
evaluate customers’ perception and expectations as to the
services offered) and the SWOT analysis (to conduct an
3. Loyalty approach for small- and medium-sized
internal and external audit of the company’s performance vis-à-
enterprises in the services sector vis its competitors). It should be noted that other tools can also
This approach is based on analyzing the state of the art on the be used in this step, as long as they assist in diagnosing and
particularities of SMEs in the service sector, relationship identifying customers’ profiles, such as Servperf (Cronin and
marketing and CRM. We were guided by their concepts, Taylor, 1992) and quality function deployment (Akao, 1990).
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structures, difficulties and observed whether SMEs had the

appropriate conditions to use each approach to determine if
3.2 Step 2: differentiation
they could develop a loyalty approach, which requires the
Based on perceptions and expectations, customers will have
relationship to be continuous.
their data stored and made available at SMEs’ contact points of
The proposed approach to customer loyalty in the service
service. Data, such as history of the relationship, transactions,
sector for SMEs, presented in Figure 1, is divided into four
steps, in which the organizational context of the company will requests, profitability, preferred communication channel,
be analyzed from the perspective of relationship marketing. value, growth potential, complaints, suggestions and risks,
The objective is that after successfully conducting this analysis, enable the service company to develop a learning relationship
CRM techniques, supported by management tools, will be with the customer.
applied in the company. The tool that will support the development of the approach
It is important to note that although the approach is based on proposed in this phase will be the Statistical Analysis of Data
the essence of CRM, this is not necessarily a traditional CRM. and Segmentation, which will let relevant information about
Figure 1 summarizes these contributions, showing what and the customers be inferred. In addition, customers will be
how to do at each stage to maintain customer loyalty. grouped in accordance with their similarities, and from there,
This approach makes a graphical presentation of the steps to services will be offered that suit their preferences. The tools
be followed, uses tools that help each step to achieve the used in the identification step can also be used to segment
approach, draws on information sources that feed each step and clients, for example, by expectations and perceptions or

Figure 1 Loyalty approach for SMEs

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satisfaction levels in each gap (Servqual), by attributes (Kano in 2003 in the Northeastern Region of Brazil, it is a medium-
model) and by strengths and weaknesses (SWOT analysis). sized enterprise with 95 employees. Its core business is to
The information sources will come from the first stage of the provide Call Center services in Health Counseling, and the
approach, i.e. from the analysis already made of customers and main services that it offers are:
competitors, as well as from managers’ opinions, based on their � to schedule medical consultations and examinations;
knowledge and experience of the subject. This information will � to authorize medical examinations to take place;
be used to define the alternatives and criteria that will � to engage on a welcome routine for clients who are
differentiate the customers either individually or in groups. enrolled in a health insurance plan;
� to conduct surveys on customers’ satisfaction with their
3.3 Step 3: interaction health insurance plan or why they avoid using it; and
The main point in this third step is to develop mechanisms that � to provide a Telehealth service.
allow the customer’s voice to penetrate all levels and functions
The client portfolio is made up of health-care providers, such as
within the organization by offering various types of contact
health insurers, which operate in ten Brazilian states and which
points. To do so, the use of communication and social media is
contract the services of the Alpha Company to attend to and
extremely important. As information from and about the
support their clients.
customer is held electronically, it can be instantly shared across
Thus, the company seeks to position itself in the market as a
various platforms and information systems (Venturini and
reference in the offer of Call Center services in Health
Benito, 2015). This results in reducing costs that are inherent
Counseling, thereby providing new individualized solutions for
to the process of managing communication with the customer.
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its clients and applying specialized techniques of relationship

Large and small companies have integrated CRM and social
marketing.
media to manage and enhance their relationships with their
Two corporate clients of Alpha Company were selected to
customers (Charoensukmongkol and Sasatanun, 2017;
identify the factors related to satisfaction and loyalty, as they are
Agnihotri et al., 2017; Ahani et al., 2017). As using the social
their main clients and because they already have experience of
media has become a popular way for people to communicate using this type of service. This paper refers to them as Client
with each other, in part because of the ease of access to them, Y and Client K.
customers have increasingly resorted to social media to express
their complaints and comments on various products and
4.2 Instrument for data collection
services not only to their friends and contacts but directly to the
For the approach proposed, two questionnaires (instrument for
companies involved (Ravi et al., 2017).
data collection) were developed and applied. The first seeks to
Companies also initiate interaction, and often do so to seek
identify the main attributes responsible for customers being
to involve customers and have them participate actively in satisfied with Alpha Company, as managing customers’
surveys. This ensures SMEs in the service sector receive requirements is an important factor in CRM (Zhou et al.,
feedback from their customers. Such data are received from 2013). The Kano et al. (1984) was used because the results
other communication systems and the social media and from questionnaire point to the attributes of products or
recorded on ISs. This information is then distributed services that influence customer satisfaction: Must-be, One-
throughout the organization, which facilitates identifying dimensional, Attractive, Indifferent and Reverse. This model
business opportunities and responding quickly to market provides managers with valuable information about the main
requests (Lawson et al., 2006). factors of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction, which can
be used to design new products and services or to improve
3.4 Step 4: customization existing ones (Jeeradista et al., 2016; Potra et al., 2017). The
The task of customization becomes simpler as consumers’ second questionnaire is based on the SERVQUAL model. It
needs and preferences are known. Based on customer profiles, seeks to identify that customers’ expectations of the health
actions needed to keep customers satisfied or to improve the advisory service provided will be excellent, and thereafter, that
actions to be taken can be prioritized. clients’ perception of the services provided by the Alpha
CRM can be used to provide support that underpins what Company is also excellent.
products and services are created, and how they can best be
individualized and therefore how best to satisfy customers. One of 4.2.1 Step 1: identification (results)
the main difficulties at this stage is the need for service companies The results found in this step demonstrate similar
to be flexible and to train employees appropriately, as they must be characteristics as to the type of communication expected,
prepared to modify their conduct in accordance with each namely, in electronic form, and the frequency with which client
customer’s wants and needs. As has already been pointed out, companies wish to communicate with Alpha Company, which
SMEs tend to be more flexible than large companies and therefore is weekly. However, they differ in the information they wish to
they tend to be able to adapt themselves and take appropriate receive from the company: while Client Y prioritizes customer
action more easily and more quickly than large organizations. satisfaction and the number of services rendered to customers,
Client K prioritizes information on the prospect of their
company achieving greater growth and better financial results.
4. Case study: applying the loyalty approach This indicates, initially, that client companies have different
4.1 Context of the case study company views on what to expect from contracted services.
The proposed approach was applied to Alpha Company (a Questionnaire 1 was drawn up in a meeting with the Alpha
fictitious name because of confidentiality issues). Inaugurated Company, considering the attributes that, in principle, in the

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Marcella Brito Galvão et al. Volume 33 · Number 5 · 2018 · 706–716

management conception, are considered relevant for Call To identify the expectations and perceptions of Client Y and
Center services in Health Counseling. It is important to note Client K, SERVQUAL (Parasuraman et al., 1988) was used
that nine attributes were defined by the Directors of the case with some adaptations in the questions so that the service could
study company, these are listed below: be evaluated according to the specificities of the area studied.
1 time for first care (time taken to be attended to by Client Y’s results demonstrate Gaps in the Credibility
Reception/SAC assistant); dimension in items 3 (Performs the service correctly the first time)
2 time taken to transfer phone call to a physician; and 4 (Keeps patients’ records up-to-date), while the Tangibility
3 clarity (accessible language) in the orientation given by the dimension exceeds this customer’s expectations. Therefore,
attendants; Alpha Company must take actions to correct the possible flaws
4 clarity (accessible language) in the guidance given by that Client Y perceives and which are related to the credibility of
doctors; the services provided by Alpha Company, in addition to which
5 time in attendance; Alpha Company must make better use of the items focused on
6 whether the medical recommendation was adhered to by tangible issues that give it a competitive differential.
the patient; Client K’s results show that there is only one Gap in the
7 whether the problem was solved; Security dimension in item 8 (conveying trust to customers).
8 whether the patient stayed at home (avoid unnecessary Thus, actions must be prioritized to solve this gap, while its
displacement); and expectation is only surpassed in the Credibility dimension in
9 displacement for emergency (assist in solving the problem item 5 (meets the given term).
at home). Generally, the expectations of both Client Y and Client K are
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very high in all dimensions. Therefore, it is very important that

After analyzing the Kano questionnaire, the individual results Alpha Company frequently monitors its customers’ assessment
were verified. For Client Y, attributes 3 (Clarity in the of the quality of the services it offers to keep its customers
orientation given by the attendants), 4 (Clarity in the satisfied.
orientation given by the doctors) and 5 (Time in attendance) After analyzing the needs of Alpha company’s clients and
are Must-be, i.e. their presence does not bring satisfaction, but their perception of the services it offers, the next step is to rate
their absence will cause the customer’s dissatisfaction. Alpha Company’s position vis-à-vis its competitors. To
Attributes 1 (Time for first care) and 2 (Time for call transfer to accomplish this task, SWOT analysis is used (Jackson et al.,
a physician) are classified as one-dimensional, i.e. if the 2003). Therefore, an internal audit was conducted to verify
customer perceives that this attribute is present, he/she is Alpha Company’s strengths and weaknesses, and an external
satisfied, and if it is absent or deficient, the implication is that audit was made to identify opportunities and threats.
he/she is dissatisfied. Thus, from the SWOT analysis, it was found that Alpha
Attributes 6 (Medical recommendation followed by the Company’s competitors have little process integration and
patient), 8 (Patient permanence at home) and 9 (Displacement provide their customers with little information. As a result,
for emergency) were found to be neutral for Client Y. Attribute Alpha Company tried to establish a greater integration between
7 (Solution of the problem) was the only one that Client Y its processes and to make use of SMS to ensure that it would
considered attractive, whereas its absence does not result in receive feedback from its customers and to remind their clients
dissatisfaction, but its presence translates into satisfaction. This that they should follow the guidelines suggested by the Call
confirmed the perspective already presented in Client Y’s Center in Health Counseling.
profile, namely, that the quality of the service provided and the
satisfaction of its customers are very important. Thus, greater 4.2.2 Step 2: differentiation
care should be taken to keep Client Y satisfied with all This step should start with segmenting customers for which
attributes. statistical techniques are used. However, as the authors of this
For Client K, only Attribute 5 (Attendance time) is paper chose the two largest clients for the case study, they did
considered Must-be. Attributes 3 (Clarity in the orientation not use specific segmentation or micro segmentation
given by the attendants), 4 (Clarity in the orientation given by techniques. However, even though these two clients presented
the doctors) and 7 (Solution of the problem) were classified some distinct characteristics, it was possible to trace two
as one-dimensional; whereas Attributes 6 (Medical profiles and establish items for differentiation, as shown below:
recommendation followed by the patient) and 9 (emergency 1 Client Y
displacement) were indifferent. As for Attributes 1 (Time for � health insurance plan with individual and legal
first care), 2 (Time of transfer to a doctor) and 8 (Patient stay at customers; its main activity is medical care;
home), they are considered attractive attributes, revealing to � has high expectations as to the services that Alpha
Alpha Company that, if these attributes are present, there is a Company must offer to its customers and makes a
greater possibility of keeping Client K satisfied. good evaluation of the services that are provided by
Another aspect observed is that few attributes were rated as the Call Center company in Health Counseling;
attractive by customers. Attractiveness is responsible for overall � shows concern for the service and satisfaction of its
satisfaction and is not normally expressed or expected by the customer base; and
customer. Although the customer may be indifferent to its � wishes to be informed on a weekly basis, mainly
absence, its existence causes the customer more than electronic reports on the number of customers
proportional satisfaction, and this is therefore a great added attended to and on their customers’ level of
value and source of competitiveness. satisfaction with Company A.

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2 Client K The main actions to achieve this stage were to run

� self-management health insurance plan; its main management training for front line and backroom staff, to
activity is to manage a network of health services that review organizational processes and to work on increasing
meets the needs of its members; flexibility in the company. All these actions aim to align the
� has high expectations as to the services that Alpha company to meet customers’ wants and needs with a view to
Company must offer, and makes a good evaluation of keeping them satisfied and loyal.
the services that Alpha Company provides; Monthly reports were prepared to both monitor the results
� main competitive strategies are focused on financial obtained and verify if the goals set were achieved. Thus, Alpha
issues; and Company adopted a proactive stance towards its processes,
� wishes to be informed weekly by more than one thereby anticipating future problems or changing needs. These
information mechanism about the financial results reports include information such as number of monthly visits,
resulting from its using Alpha Company’s services. number of hospitalizations and number of ambulances sent.
By monitoring the evolution of the data that make up the reports,
4.2.3 Step 3: interaction measures can be taken, even before reports are completed. For
In this step, the goal is to allow the customer’s voice to enter all example, if it is observed that there are deviations in the delivery of
levels and functions of the organization by offering various the service or great difficulties in achieving the goals outlined, then
types of contact points. Thus, Alpha Company should create actions are taken or reviews are carried out to remedy the problem.
ways to communicate with its clients. Periodically, a follow-up survey of clients’ level of satisfaction is also
To achieve this goal, a process was needed to establish how carried out to ensure that level is being maintained.
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best to manage customer relationships. Alpha Company The follow-up is undertaken by another team which
introduced a CRM tool, which stores all data on clients in a conducts the survey of clients’ level of satisfaction within a
database. Information such as demographic profile and phone maximum of 24 h after the service has been rendered. This
calls (requests from callers, date and time, company attendants, survey aims at verifying the quality of care at the various
among other details) are recorded on this platform. As the internal levels, the monthly compilation of data and monthly
company has good technological support, integrating client comparisons. In addition, there is a variable remuneration
data into the various points of the company was not difficult. policy, in accordance with the scores that were given by the
To guarantee transparency and that clients receive clients/patients, thereby seeking to encourage better care by the
information speedily, a daily automatic routine of sending data doctors and the attendants of the Alpha Company.
to the client, called “bulletins”, has been established. A bulletin
is sent exclusively to the recipient who is a physician and 5. Discussion and conclusion
responsible for receiving information.
For Alpha Company, all contacts that clients make are This research study assumes that the use of CRM practices in
relevant, whether to criticize, suggest, obtain information, etc. SMEs in the service sector will lead to greater customer
as such information guides the company as to its clients’ level of satisfaction and loyalty being attained, but such initiatives must
satisfaction. That is why every member of the Alpha be in line with the peculiarities and characteristics of this type
Company’s staff was given instructions to capture relevant of organization. Generic solutions, which require large
information about clients and that doing so was important. investments, must be avoided. This article proposed an
As noted in the previous phase, Client Y and Client K wish to approach that adopts tools that are well known and easy to use.
be informed weekly, mainly about the financial results resulting What should be done is to seek to understand and analyze
from the services provided, the number of customers served customers’ behavior and perceptions with a view to setting
and the level of satisfaction of the customer base regarding the strategies that can best meet their needs based on the
service performed. To meet these objectives, Alpha Company fundamentals of theories that involve relationship marketing
has prepared clear and detailed reports containing mainly this and the attributes needed to apply the concepts of CRM. New
information to reduce the inconvenience to customers, in strategic communication initiatives with customers or their
addition to interacting with real benefits. groups should be integrated into CRM and a common
Company Alpha also made available various mechanisms communication platform should be created.
and schedules those customers could access and, in addition to The literature review contributed to the development and
the landline, mobile phone numbers and e-mail addresses were improvement of this study. The information gathered was
made available. All this was done to facilitate clients’ important for creating an approach to customer loyalty in the
interactions with the company, in addition to ensuring, that by service sector by using CRM practices that attend to the
doing this, it received feedback. specific characteristics of SMEs. This approach was divided
into four steps to ensure its applicability.
4.2.4 Step 4: customization Each of the tools suggested (Kano, Servqual and SWOT
To achieve this step, all information and results obtained in analysis) has already been used in previous studies. These tools
previous steps were used. But because the resources are limited, are easy to understand and present consistent results, which
management, after analyzing these data, set priorities to guide facilitate their use and application in all steps of the proposed
the most relevant actions, the objective being to maintain the approach. The study found that for this approach to achieve the
level of satisfaction and, consequently, customer loyalty, benefits it proposes, SMEs must regard relationship management
thereby ensuring Alpha Company’s survival and increasing its as an ongoing process that seeks to ensure that customers’ needs
profitability. are satisfied and the business–customer interaction is improved.

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The study also identified several gaps in the CRM models It is believed that the greatest contribution of this work is to
found in the literature, such as the difficulty of generalizing the provide mechanisms for SMEs in the service sector to better
CRM model to other business environments. One of the main know and interact with their customers. It is recommended that
limitations of such models is that they were limited to a certain companies invest in formal relationship programs and that
characteristic. For example, Sin et al. (2005) show that, in their companies that have already started this process review the
study, this was limited to a nation, with a specific culture while strategy and model used to broaden their horizons, using
Erdil and Öztürk (2016) demonstrate that CRM models were customer responses as feedback for their future actions planning.
developed for specific industries, which makes it difficult to We strongly believe that this paper can be used for
apply them to service companies. educational purposes for studies of organizational situations as
Given the above and the results of the research, it is considered a teaching case in the marketing and management areas, as the
that the objective of the article was reached, considering that a problem and the objective of the article describe a real situation,
loyalty approach based on CRM was proposed and proved which is that the SMEs have a CRM to better manage its
feasible. This was shown by undertaking a case study in which customers. This enables multiple uses for teaching. Therefore,
this approach was applied to SMEs, for which large investments it is important that teachers and tutors conduct debates and
were not required and consolidated tools and management reflections to stimulate an adequate understanding of facts,
practices were used that have been presented in the literature and considering characteristics of SMEs and resource scarcity,
have become well-known and widely used. which results in the need for this type of company to apply a
A few models have drawn attention to the importance of simpler approach for CRM, as proposed in this paper.
creating customer contact points (Payne, 2006; Urbanskiene It is expected that with the knowledge of the tools used in the
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et al., 2008; Erdil and Öztürk, 2016) and the importance of approach proposed in this paper, it is possible to use the material
loyalty analysis (Winer, 2001); Rababah et al., 2011). In addition, as a case study in disciplines, leading to engagement and
continuous customer follow-up is undertaken, which is fully in participation of students on the individual and group aspect.
line with the approach of this research. This is done by preparing In addition, it is important to promote the collective debate
and monitoring monthly reports and by conducting a survey on about the case, seeking to encourage student participation, with
customer satisfaction within 24 h of the service being rendered. questions such as How can SMEs provide greater customer
In conclusion, this research emphasizes that gathering satisfaction and loyalty, given their resource limitations? What
information is the starting point of the loyalty process. Without tools have been used to assist in the elaboration of the proposed
a deep knowledge of customers and their expectations, approach and how were each applied? What other tools could
generating products or services that effectively create value be used to expand the results of the generic approach proposed
becomes an activity that is almost undertaken at random, and by the paper? How could the proposed approach be applied in a
for which there may not be a framework with consistent criteria. specific business context (sector or segment under discussion)?

5.1 Managerial implications 5.2 Directions for future research

Among the possible managerial implications, two factors are As a suggestion for the companies of the case study, it is
more relevant to organizational and marketing managers. The recommended that they continue to systematize actions and
first is related to the various areas in which the proposed also to define feasible parameters for choosing clients that merit
approach can be applied, such as public universities one-to-one treatment, the purpose of which is to provide a
(Roopchund and Alsaid, 2017), financial services of banks and single and differentiated service and maintain a more lasting
insurance companies (Ravi et al., 2017), (Telecommunication bond of the company-customer relationship.
services) and hotel services (Tian and Wang, 2017). These However, the application of the approach, especially the
studies highlight the potential of applying the proposed segmentation stage, to the portfolio analysis (Yu et al., 2017)
approach to other types of services, as their steps are applicable can help organizations to take decisions on and manage which
in this and other contexts. products or services to offer to their clients.
The second managerial implication is related to the several Although the approach of this study has been applied in only
areas that could be explored based on applying the proposed a few companies, previous research has conducted case studies
integrated approach to information systems, among which in only one or a few companies but with scientific relevance
cloud computing (CC) should be highlighted. According to (Ravi et al., 2017; Buyukozkan et al., 2017; Gonzalez-Benito
Kim et al. (2017) and Loukis et al. (2017), CC can be used as a et al., 2017; Jaber and Simkin, 2017). Therefore, it is
means to operationalize the model proposed in this article, since recommended to apply the approach in other areas, such as
the processes can be deployed in Software as a Service. In spite those mentioned in the section on managerial implications.
of the performance risks to SMEs when using (Clarke, 2017)
and acquiring this type of service, CC is an ally and a means to
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