Full Title: A Qualitative Investigation of the Technology Acceptance Model in the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service on the Adoption of Customer Relationship Management Systems. This research publication was submitted as a dissertation for a PhD awarded to Dr. Aaron Weibe by Liberty University in 2024. It investigates the technology acceptance model (TAM) in the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service (CES) regarding the adoption of customer relationship management (CRM) systems to improve communications, outreach, and engagement with the publics and communities it serves. A qualitative phenomenological approach utilizing existing data and one-on-one semi-structured interviews with CES leaders and professionals is utilized. Findings highlight various perceived benefits, barriers, and reported success rates from CES professionals. The findings suggest a positive correlation between the TAM variable of perceived ease of use and the reported adoption success of CRM technologies within the CES, positive attitudes toward perceived usefulness of CRM technologies, and high rates of employee resistance around the adoption of CRM technologies. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Extension Foundation.
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Attribution
A Qualitative Investigation of the Technology Acceptance Model in the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service on the Adoption of Customer Relationship Management Systems.
Copyright © Aaron Weibe. 2024, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Published by Extension Foundation.
ISBN: 978-1-955687-46-1
Publish Date: 3/28/2024
Citations for this publication may be made using the following:
Weibe, A. (2024). A Qualitative Investigation of the Technology Acceptance Model in the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service on the Adoption of Customer Relationship Management Systems. Kansas City: Extension Foundation.
Technical Implementer: Dr. Rose Hayden-Smith
This research publication was submitted as a dissertation for a PhD awarded to Dr. Aaron Weibe by Liberty University in 2024. It investigates the technology acceptance model (TAM) in the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service (CES) regarding the adoption of customer relationship management (CRM) systems to improve communications, outreach, and engagement with the publics and communities it serves. A qualitative phenomenological approach utilizing existing data and one-on-one semi-structured interviews with CES leaders and professionals is u tilized. Findings highlight various perceived benefits, barriers, and reported success rates from CES professionals. The findings suggest a positive correlation between the TAM variable of perceived ease of use and the reported adoption success of CRM technologies within the CES, positive attitudes toward perceived usefulness of CRM technologies, and high rates of employee resistance around the adoption of CRM technologies.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Extension Foundation.
For more information please contact: Extension Foundation c/o Bryan Cave LLP One Kansas City Place 1200 Main Street, Suite 3800 Kansas City, MO 64105- 2122 https://extension.org
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Abstract
This research investigates the technology acceptance model (TAM) in the U.S.
Cooperative Extension Service (CES) regarding the adoption of customer relationship
management (CRM) systems to improve communications, outreach, and engagement with the
publics and communities it serves. The CES comprises land-grant universities throughout the
United States and offices in nearly every county in the country. It provides research-based
educational programming to help communities of all sizes meet the challenges they face.
However, many CES organizations have yet to adopt CRM technologies, leading to potential
missed opportunities in improving client engagement, outreach, and communications. A
thorough review of the literature of the TAM and CRM adoption in organizations covers topics
such as critical success factors, organizational performance, and the value of CRM in improving
engagement, satisfaction, and retention. A qualitative phenomenological approach utilizing
existing data and one-on-one semi-structured interviews with CES leaders and professionals is
u tilized. Findings highlight various perceived benefits, barriers, and reported success rates from
CES professionals. The findings suggest a positive correlation between the TAM variable of
perceived ease of use and the reported adoption success of CRM technologies within the CES,
positive attitudes toward perceived usefulness of CRM technologies, and high rates of employee
resistance around the adoption of CRM technologies.
Keywords: Cooperative Extension, customer relationship management, technology acceptance
model
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Table of Contents
Attribution ....................................................................................................................................... 1
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 2
Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 6
Background ..................................................................................................................................... 7
History ............................................................................................................................................. 8
Customer Relationship Management.......................................................................................................8
U.S. Cooperative Extension Service.......................................................................................................11
Introduction to the Problem .......................................................................................................... 12
Problem Statement ........................................................................................................................ 13
Purpose Statement ......................................................................................................................... 14
Significance of Study ...................................................................................................................... 14
Nature of Study ............................................................................................................................. 15
Appropriateness of the Method ..............................................................................................................16
Appropriateness of the Design ...............................................................................................................16
Data Collection Method..........................................................................................................................17
Data Analysis ..........................................................................................................................................18
Research Questions ........................................................................................................................ 20
Definitions ..................................................................................................................................... 21
Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 22
Chapter 2: Review of Literature .................................................................................................... 24
Article Searches and Documentation ............................................................................................. 26
Historical Content .......................................................................................................................... 27
Current Content ............................................................................................................................ 29
Technology Acceptance Model...............................................................................................................29
Critical Success Factors .........................................................................................................................37
Organizational Performance .................................................................................................................. 44
Additional Organizational Impacts of CRM Adoption and Implementation .......................................54
Marketing Automation and Knowledge Creation..................................................................................64
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Customer Loyalty, Satisfaction, and Engagement ................................................................................66
Situation to Communication Tradition .......................................................................................... 76
Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................................. 79
Related Literature ......................................................................................................................... 81
Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 82
Chapter 3: Methodology ................................................................................................................ 83
Method Appropriateness ............................................................................................................... 84
Design Appropriateness ................................................................................................................. 84
Research Method and Design ......................................................................................................... 86
Research Questions.................................................................................................................................86
Setting ...................................................................................................................................................... 87
Participants ................................................................................................................................... 87
Procedures ..................................................................................................................................... 89
Researcher’s Role .......................................................................................................................... 90
Reflexivity ...................................................................................................................................... 91
Data Collection .............................................................................................................................. 92
Data Analysis ................................................................................................................................. 93
Coding .....................................................................................................................................................94
Trustworthiness ............................................................................................................................. 95
Credibility ................................................................................................................................................95
Dependability and Confirmability ..........................................................................................................95
Transferability ......................................................................................................................................... 96
Ethical Considerations ................................................................................................................... 96
Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 97
Chapter 4: Results ......................................................................................................................... 99
Overview ..................................................................................................................................................99
Data Collection and Analysis ...............................................................................................................100
Participant Profiles ...............................................................................................................................102
Findings ................................................................................................................................................121
Adoption Success and Familiarity ........................................................................................... 124
Employee Resistance .............................................................................................................. 125
Pre-adoption Approaches ....................................................................................................... 126
RQ1 Findings: Benefits and Organizational Performance ......................................................... 128
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RQ2: Barriers and Organizational Impacts .............................................................................. 131
RQ3 Findings: TAM Principles ............................................................................................... 133
RQ4 Findings: Outreach, Engagement, and Communications ................................................... 139
Summary of Findings ...........................................................................................................................141
Chapter 5: Discussion .................................................................................................................. 143
Overview ................................................................................................................................................143
Summary of Findings ...........................................................................................................................143
Discussion .............................................................................................................................................145
Technology Acceptance Model ................................................................................................ 146
Critical Success Factors .......................................................................................................................148
Organizational Performance ................................................................................................... 149
Adoption Barriers .................................................................................................................. 150
Marketing Automation and Knowledge Creation ...................................................................... 150
Customer Satisfaction, Loyalty, Engagement. ........................................................................... 151
Implications ........................................................................................................................................... 152
Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................................... 152
Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 153
Practical ................................................................................................................................ 154
Delimitations and Limitations ..............................................................................................................155
Future Research ...................................................................................................................................157
Summary ...............................................................................................................................................158
References ................................................................................................................................... 161
Appendix A: Survey Questions .................................................................................................... 174
Appendix B: Semi-structured Interview Questions ...................................................................... 175
Appendix C: Coding Glossary ..................................................................................................... 176
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Chapter 1: Introduction
This research investigates the technology acceptance model (TAM) in the U.S.
Cooperative Extension Service (CES) regarding the implementation and adoption of customer
relationship management (CRM) systems to improve communications, outreach, and
engagement efforts of the CES. The CES is a network of land-grant universities in the United
States and U.S. territories that provide research-based educational programming to the public and
communities of all sizes. Its funding comes through the Smith-Lever Act, which aligns both
federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) — National Institute of Food
and Agriculture (NIFA) with state funding efforts directed toward land-grant universities. CES
programming is largely focused on agriculture topics but includes areas of life sciences that
agriculture impacts, such as health and nutrition, youth development, mental health, and more.
CRM is a philosophy for managing lifecycle contact data and examining interactions between a
client and the organization. CRM systems or technologies are used to sort, filter, and analyze that
data in a structured way that provides insights to an organization on how to potentially engage
with its audiences.
The general background of this research is that many CES organizations are still
evaluating the potential use of CRM systems to enhance their outreach and engagement mission
or are not considering the adoption of CRM technologies. There are potential missed
opportunities for the CES in its outreach and engagement mission by not adopting CRM
technologies or by not using CRM to its full potential. According to Judd (2019), approximately
40% of land-grant universities in the United States are currently using CRM technologies,
another 40% have stated that CRM technologies are under evaluation for potential usage, and the
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remaining 20% have expressed no interest in the implementation of CRM technologies. This
study examines the TAM to understand where CES organizations are in their adoption of CRM
technologies, their perceptions and attitudes toward CRM adoption, and the perceived benefits
and risks of CRM implementation in CES organizations.
Background
The U.S. Cooperative Extension Service (CES) has served the public since 1914,
providing research-based education primarily focused on agriculture, family life, economic
development, and youth engagement. CES is funded through a cooperative agreement between
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and every state and territory through the land-grant
university system. The land-grant university system funds county-level Extension offices
offering programs for local communities. Over the past several decades, public engagement with
the CES and its resources and programming has decreased. According to Gupta et al. (2019),
“long -term disinvestment in the Extension system, along with public skepticism of science,
threatens the system’ s ability to deliver the expertise and research-based information that it
promises.” Research has shown that advances in technology and new media allow for greater
possibilities for outreach and engagement across a variety of public and private sectors.
The U.S. CES is part of every land-grant university in the United States. According to the
USDA — NIFA, CES is a public service that provides farmers, ranchers, and communities of all
sizes with resources to meet the challenges they face, adapt to changing technology, improve
nutrition and food safety, prepare for and respond to emergencies, and protect the environment
(Cooperative Extension History, n.d.). Programs that are prominent within CES include
agriculture and natural resources, youth development, family and consumer sciences, workforce
and community development, food and nutrition, and health.
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The researcher is part of a national organization that serves and supports the CES through
national funding opportunities, technology services, and professional development services. The
Extension Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is part of the CES system.
According to the Extension Foundation (2023), it provides programmatic services and
professional development to CES professionals with the mission of increasing local impact.
Additionally, the Extension Foundation is a member organization where land-grant universities
can become members to receive exclusive professional development opportunities and other
services centered around program development and innovation (Extension Foundation, 2023).
CRM technologies, such as Hubspot or Salesforce, are utilized by an organization to better
manage a database of contacts with clients and measure engagement with clients over a lifecycle.
For example, when observing a contact in a CRM system, an administrator can review emails
exchanged between the client and other actions the client has taken, such as website views, event
registrations, form submissions, social media engagements, and more. The Extension Foundation
implemented a CRM system to improve engagement with its clients across the CES in February
2021, and at that time, the organization had 49 land-grant universities participating as members.
Since then, the organization has grown to approximately 68 members and increased participation
in all of its online offerings and services as a result. CRM implementation may have been a
critical factor in that growth.
History
Customer Relationship Management
There is no single unified definition of CRM. In fact, the term “ CRM ” is used
interchangeably between CRM as a business philosophy or process and the technology used to
support this process. Adding to the complexity are some of the more recent technological
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achievements of CRM systems, including greater integration of social media, marketing tools,
sales tools, artificial intelligence, and data mining capabilities. This research examines CRM
from a technology acceptance perspective. However , the CRM technology discussed to support
CES efforts in the areas of marketing, communications, and engagement can only be as
successful as the CRM philosophy that each CES organization considers when implementing or
evaluating CRM technology. That same philosophy can also be the reason for implementation
failures or for not considering the use of CRM technologies within a CES organization. For these
reasons, it is critical to understand the origins of CRM over the past several decades, its role in
business and organizational outreach to clients or customers, and its evolution over time.
Baran and Galka (2016) discuss the origins of CRM and state that there are many
different views as to what led to the CRM seen today. The Rolodex may be viewed as the earliest
form of CRM technology, dating back to the 1950s, or mainframe computer systems that began
to appear in businesses during the 1960s. One perspective offered is that CRM had its origins in
marketing research’s customer satisfaction studies of the late 1970s and its relationship w ith total
quality management in the early 1980s (Baran & Galka, 2016). Additionally, B2B interactions
between companies and their early suppliers in the 1980s paved the way for CRM models that
are prevalent today. By the mid-1980s, information technology systems became more prevalent
in business operations, leading to the creation of customer databases alongside materials
resource planning (MRP) efforts. By the early 1990s, the company SAP-integrated MRP
functions with accounting and customer data, leading to the first basic commercial CRM system.
Shortly after, sales force automation functions began to appear in these new customer systems,
followed by basic marketing campaign management tools.
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In the mid-1990s, the internet emerged and changed the CRM market, giving rise to a
new form of electronic CRM (eCRM). In 1999, SAP, among many other companies, launched
web-based CRM solutions, making CRM more interactive between an organization and the
customer (Xu et al., 2002). By the early 2000s, CRM technologies began to integrate cloud-
based solutions, and by the late 2000s, the rise of social media networks led to the infusion of
social media sites into existing CRM systems, also known as social CRM, which allowed
companies to interact with customers through social media sites (Baran & Galka, 2016). Through
the 2010s, many new CRM technologies have reached the market, and the biggest changes
occurred with the various integrations that CRM systems could have with other business
software tools. In recent years, the rise of artificial intelligence has had an impact on CRM
technology. Examples of common CRM technologies today include Salesforce, Hubspot, Zoho,
and many more. According to Matosas-López (2024), there are various vendors that share the
CRM market, offering a range of features and solutions. Salesforce holds approximately 19.50%
of the worldwide market, followed by SAP (8.30%), Oracle (5.50%), Adobe (5.20%), Microsoft
(2.70%), and other vendors (58.80%) (Figure 1). Matosas-López (2024) notes that other vendors
largely consist of very small vendors offering simple and cost-effective solutions and include
software such as Zoho, Sugar CRM, Vtiger, and Pipedrive.
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Figure 1: Worldwide CRM Market Share
U.S. Cooperative Extension Service
The CES came into existence in 1914, and its roots go back to agricultural clubs and
societies that were prevalent after the American Revolution (Cooperative Extension History,
n.d.). In 1914, the Smith-Lever Act established the USDA as a federal partner to land-grant
universities to apply research and provide education in agriculture, and the CES was created to
address rural, agricultural issues. According to the USDA NIFA, CES’s engagement with rural
America accelerated the American agricultural revolution and increased farm productivity.
During the First World War, the CES helped meet wartime needs by increasing wheat acreage,
encouraged farm production, conserving perishable products, and addressing war-related farm
labor shortages by organizing the Women’s Land Army and the Boys’ Working Reserve .
During the Great Depression, CES professionals taught farmers about marketing and
provided education for farm women on nutrition, food canning, gardening, poultry production,
home nursing, furniture building, and sewing. These skills helped farm families survive years of
economic hardship (Cooperative Extension History, n.d.). During the Second World War, the
CES worked with farmers and families to secure production increases to support the war effort.
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After the war, the CES worked to extend new technologies to farmers and ranchers to
dramatically increase farm production. Today, there is a CES office in nearly every county in the
United States where CES professionals help communities of all sizes meet the challenges they
face in areas of agriculture and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, youth
development through the 4-H program, community, workforce, and economic development
through a variety of research-based educational programming.
Introduction to the Problem
The TAM provides a way for looking at how individuals and organizations can
successfully adopt and implement technologies, and an understanding of TAM principles can
potentially reduce adoption failure rates. CRM technologies have gained significant attention
over the past several decades for their ability to integrate multiple business functions into a
centralized system with high returns on investment. Additionally, in recent years, CRM
technologies have integrated into other software applications, bringing a more holistic view of
customers, how an organization engages with customers, and the customer lifecycle. This
provides great insights into the marketing, communications, and sales functions within an
organization. While CRM technologies have advanced and evolved to meet the needs and budget
of any sized organization, there is still an extremely high failure rate for implementation, and
several challenges remain for the adoption of this technology. CRM adoption in the CES is no
exception to the challenges that most organizations face. These challenges include technology
costs, top management support, perceived value, perceived ease of use, and an overall
understanding of how CRM can help CES organizations accomplish goals in outreach and
engagement with the public they serve.
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CES organizations are not the only entity serving the public across the United States in
the program areas that they focus on. One area of concern for CES professionals is remaining
relevant in a crowded market, particularly in the face of challenging fiscal situations. Typically,
CRM adoption is motivated by wanting a competitive advantage, but Judd’s (2019) landscape
assessment shows that the CES has generally been slow to adopt CRM technologies. Judd’s
(2019) data also shows that many CES organizations are utilizing custom-developed CRM
systems that appear to be lacking modern features typically found in commercially available
systems. These limitations, and the limitation of not adopting CRM technologies, may be
hindering the efficiency of CES professionals in engaging and serving clients in a way that meets
client expectations. Additionally, CRM technologies are an industry-leading platform for
gathering data from a variety of sources that help enable an organization to reach new audiences.
Consequently, there is a need to improve the efficiency of CES outreach and engagement efforts
in the communities it serves, and CRM may be one potential vehicle for reaching this goal.
Problem Statement
The problem is that a significant number of land-grant university CES programs are not
adopting CRM technologies despite evidence to suggest it would enhance their communications
efforts and their outreach and engagement mission. According to Judd (2019), approximately
40% of all land-grant universities in the United States are utilizing CRM technologies, and many
of those are not commercial systems with industry-standard features. Another approximate 40%
of these universities are evaluating the use of CRM technologies, while the remaining have no
plans to utilize CRM (Judd, 2019). The specific problem to be addressed is identifying the
barriers that exist in adopting CRM technologies, including TAM variables, in the CES, and
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what implications a lack of CRM usage has on communications, outreach, and engagement
efforts in the digital age.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this phenomenological research is to investigate the TAM and how it may
create opportunities for the successful adoption of CRM systems by the U.S. CES to enhance
internal and external communications, engagement, and outreach efforts. There is considerable
evidence to suggest that CRM systems add value to organizational communications and
relationship efforts; however, there is a need to highlight how CRM technologies can impact the
outreach mission of the CES. Through the lens of the TAM, this research provides practical
insights into the perceived benefits and challenges of implementing CRM systems. It examines
successful use cases of CRM implementation and investigate the potential for increasing client
engagement and improving communications through successful client management. This
research examines a recent landscape survey of the CES that gathered insights on the current
usage and perceived attitudes toward CRM technologies and recruit participants from across the
CES for semi-structured interviews to gain further insights into CRM usage, challenges, and
successes in improving communications, outreach, and engagement. A follow-up survey is sent
after the semi-structured interviews to triangulate the data.
Significance of Study
The findings of this study play a critical role in demonstrating the applicability of the
TAM to CRM adoption in the CES. However, CRM is not the only technology that is being
adopted by the CES, and the lessons from this study have a direct correlation to other
technologies that the CES is considering for adoption. More recently, artificial intelligence
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technologies have come to the attention of CES professionals and administrators, and the
findings from this research may have implications for the adoption of future artificial intelligence
technologies. Additionally, the CES is not the only organization that can benefit from the
findings of this study. This study also provides important insights to software developers that are
engaging with institutions of higher education or other business sectors that may apply TAM to
enhance user experience testing functions within their organizations and software development.
CRM would assist both CES professionals and the clients they serve by co-creating value
between the client and the organization, tracking lifecycle engagement with CES services and
programs, and potentially resolve communications, marketing, and onboarding challenges for
CES educators, administrators, specialists, and agents. Evidence suggests that CRM technology
implementation could improve customer service interactions with clients, increase the perceived
value of CES programs, and strengthen relationships between an organization like the CES and
its clients.
Nature of Study
This phenomenological research investigates the TAM within the CES regarding the
adoption of CRM technologies. Qualitative data is curated through two primary tools: an analysis
of participant responses from a landscape assessment related to usage, adoption, and perceptions
of CRM technologies, and one-on-one interviews with CES professionals to further investigate
CRM usage in a variety of land-grant university Extension programs. This research is completed
over a three-month period to allow enough time to conduct interviews with CES professionals at
a variety of universities, including 1862, 1890, and 1994 land-grant colleges and universities. A
third-party survey analysis tool is used to review the recent landscape assessment, along with
conducting statistical analyses in Python. The one-on-one interviews are conducted over Zoom
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videoconferencing software, transcribed with artificial intelligence technology, and coded for
themes in participant responses. The follow-up survey is analyzed using the survey software and
coded appropriately based on qualitative responses.
Appropriateness of the Method
A qualitative phenomenological approach of the TAM, as implemented by the CES,
evaluates usage, discontinuation, or lack of plans to use CRM technologies. This approach helps
gather perceptions toward the CRM technology, its applicability for the publics served by the
CES, and gathers information that leads to successful adoption and implementation or failure.
According to Ravitch and Carl (2021), qualitative research is defined as using interpretive
research methods as a set of tools to understand individuals, groups, and phenomena in a way
that reflects how people make meaning of and interpret their own experiences, themselves, each
other, and the social world. The goal of this research is to understand the perceptions and
attitudes toward CRM usage in the CES, the impact of CRM technologies on creating better
value with the public that the CES serves, and the barriers that exist in adoption. Additionally,
qualitative research is not a linear process but begins with an interest problem or question
(Ravitch & Carl, 2021). The methods and research instruments are often piloted and vetted to
ensure they gather the necessary data to best answer the research questions. Data analysis also
requires efforts to ensure the data is valid and trustworthy, including checking in with
participants to understand their thoughts on the analysis and interpretations or member checks.
Appropriateness of the Design
Ravitch and Carl (2021) outline best practices for selecting an appropriate qualitative
research design. The key interactive phases of a qualitative research design include developing
study goals and rationale, iterating research questions, developing a theoretical framework,
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determining methods needed to answer research questions, making decisions about the research
setting, piloting and refining the research design and methods, and planning for validity. Ravitch
and Carl (2021) also suggest that a flexible approach to research design considers the range and
variation of method choices and how these can be used in ways to help achieve or clarify the
specific goals of the study. After following the process outlined by Ravitch and Carl (2021), the
researcher determined that a qualitative phenomenological design was the best approach to
answer the research questions. Ravitch and Carl (2021) share that a phenomenological design
includes exploring a phenomenon with a group of individuals, and data collection tends to
involve interviews to understand the experiences of the phenomenon. In this research, the
researcher seeks to understand the key components of the TAM, including attitudes and
perceptions toward CRM usage in the CES.
The significance of this study has implications for how the TAM can be applied to the
CES for adopting CRM technologies or other technologies, which can improve communications,
outreach, and engagement efforts with the communities they serve while increasing workplace
productivity. The findings play a critical role in determining how the TAM can be applied to
CRM adoption in CES services and programming. CRM would assist both CES professionals
and the clients they serve by co-creating value between the client and the organization, tracking
lifecycle engagement with CES services and programs, and potentially resolving
communications and marketing challenges for CES educators, specialists, and agents. Evidence
suggests that CRM technology implementation could improve customer service interactions with
clients, increase the perceived value of CES programs, and strengthen relationships between an
organization like CES and its clients.
Data Collection Method
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Existing landscape assessment data is analyzed using the JotForm survey software, which
is provided by the Extension Foundation, and statistical testing is conducted in Python. The
semi-structured interviews are conducted over the Zoom videoconferencing platform. Semi-
structured interviews allow for a set of predetermined questions but also provide flexibility to the
researcher for exploring the topic of CRM with the interview participant based on the
participant ’ s experience with CRM, the specific CRM tool being utilized, or features within the
CRM that the participant is most utilizing. Firsthand observations of participants utilizing CRM
technologies are not used, as participants are located across the United States. Additionally,
conducting this type of field research is not cost-effective to this research. A review of
documents, photos, objects, or other artifacts is not used in this study, as the research is more
interested in understanding the attitudes and perceptions of CRM usage in the CES related to
TAM variables and learning about the successes or failures of CRM implementation.
According to Ravitch and Carl (2021), there are a number of key characteristics and
values of qualitative interviews to consider in the research design. The key considerations and
values of qualitative interviews are that they are relational, contextual, non-evaluative, person-
centered, temporal, partial, subjective, and non-neutral (Ravitch & Carl, 2021). Additionally, this
research contains a survey element that includes reviewing landscape assessment data and a post-
interview survey to further triangulate data. Ravitch and Carl (2021) highlight the advantages of
questionnaires, such as their efficiency in data collection, ease of compiling responses, access to
significant amounts of information, resource effectiveness, anonymity, and the ability to quickly
and easily quantify or analyze results.
Data Analysis
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The native JotForm analysis software is used to review the recent landscape assessment
conducted through the Extension Foundation, along with statistical analysis of select responses
in Python. The one-on-one semi-structured interviews is conducted over videoconferencing
tools, transcribed with artificial intelligence technology, and coded for themes in participant
responses. Ravitch and Carl (2021) state that data organization and management are an
important, ongoing process that supports refining sense-making and are integral parts of the
overall analysis. Post-interview surveys collect qualitative data and are coded in the same way as
semi-structured interviews. The data management plan for this research includes organizing the
landscape assessment data within the native analytics tools of the JotForm survey software. A
precoding process takes place to effectively sort and filter the data based on responses related to
the TAM, focusing on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Additionally, pre-coded
fields are filtered by institutions that have implemented CRM, are evaluating the use of CRM,
have discontinued the use of CRM, or have no plans to use CRM.
Ravitch and Carl (2021) also offer insights into the best data management practices for
transcribing and coding interview data for the second phase of this research. First, the original
audio and video recordings of the interviews are stored on Extension Foundation storage servers,
along with a backup copy on a local computer. Artificial intelligence software native to Zoom is
utilized to generate a verbatim written transcript of the interviews, which are subsequently
verified by comparing it to the original recording and updated manually with any necessary
corrections. According to Ravitch and Carl’s (2021) recommen dation, transcripts are not
“cleaned up” in order to have a set of data that best reflects participants’ responses. The pre-
coding process includes utilizing Google Docs to track changes and highlight areas of the semi-
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structured interviews, highlighting emerging learnings, lingering questions, reactivity, and ideas
and thoughts about potential codes (Ravitch & Carl, 2021).
An immersive engagement process takes place to critically engage with, read, and
analyze the data from this research. Ravitch and Carl (2021) highlight the primary processes for
immersive engagement as multiple data readings, implementing data analysis and strategies such
as coding, and generating, scrutinizing, and vetting themes. A subsequent axial coding process
takes place with the semi-structured interview data, which is the process of going from coding
chunks of data to seeing how these codes come together into coding categories to best support
the development of the findings (Ravitch & Carl, 2021). This includes creating a code set that
begins broadly and develops more narrowly as the analysis progresses, including both
descriptive and theoretical categories. After the coding process, connecting strategies takes place
to develop the context of the data without isolating excerpts in the same way that coding does,
providing a more holistic view of the data that is complementary to the coding process. Lastly,
this research seeks dialogue with interview participants and other CRM experts within the CES
and at the Extension Foundation to share an analysis of the findings, aiming to validate the study
and corroborate the data.
Research Questions
RQ1: What are the perceived benefits of CRM systems for CES professionals?
RQ2: What are the perceived challenges and adoption barriers of CRM systems in the
CES?
RQ3: To what extent do the principles of the TAM affect CRM adoption?
RQ4: In what ways are existing implementations of CRM systems enabling outreach,
engagement, and communications efforts by the CES?
QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF TAM
21
Definitions
Customer Relationship Management: It refers to a business philosophy on how to organize and
maintain connections with clients as they engage with an organization.
Customer Relationship Management Systems/Technologies: They refer to a technology interface
or platform used to accomplish tracking and managing engagement with a client throughout their
lifecycle with the organization or business. It is also referred to as electronic CRM (e-CRM).
Social CRM: The use of social media networking sites as a way of connecting with customers,
either directly through the sites or through an integration with a CRM technology.
Cooperative Extension Service: A state and federally funded public service in the United States
connected to every land-grant university that translates university science and research into
community-based programs. Each land-grant university operates its own Extension service
across its states, and some states with multiple land-grant universities combine into a single
statewide CES.
Land-Grant University : Public colleges and universities funded through three separate
congressional acts, including the Congressional Acts of 1862, 1890, and 1994. The land-grant
university mission focuses on agriculture and military sciences.
1862 Land-Grant University : The first land-grant university in the United States that obtained its
land-grant status in 1862.
1890 Land-Grant University : These are historically Black colleges and universities that obtained
land-grant status in 1890.
1994 Land-Grant University : These are tribal colleges and universities that obtained land-grant
status in 1994. Although they receive federal funding for their land-grant status, they were not
awarded physical land for the establishment of these colleges and universities.
QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF TAM
22
Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) : A theoretical framework grounded in the idea that
technology is more likely to be adopted if the conditions for two principles are met: perceived
ease of use and perceived usefulness.
Technology-Organization-Environment Framework (TOE) : A theoretical framework that
explains how the adoption of a new technology is influenced by several factors, including the
technology itself, the organization that hosts the technology, and the external task environment,
such as support infrastructure, market structure, and government regulations.
Summary
This chapter provides an overview of the study that explores the role of CRM systems in
the CES. The CES is a network of land-grant universities in the United States that provides
research-based educational programs to communities of all sizes and primarily focuses on
agricultural topics but also encompasses other areas of life such as health, nutrition, youth
development, an d more. This chapter highlights the background of the CES’ s use and adoption
of CRM technologies and reveals that many CES organizations are either still evaluating the use
of CRM or not considering the adoption of CRM systems. There are potentially missed
opportunities for enhancing the outreach and engagement efforts of the CES mission, particularly
in a more crowded market. The background section illustrates the history and significance of the
CES while also sharing challenges about its federal and state funding and challenges with public
engagement in the digital age. The problem statement is focused on the lack of CRM technology
adoption throughout the CES and its program and the implications it may have on
communications, outreach, and engagement efforts. The purpose statement outlines the
qualitative research design approach to explore opportunities for CRM systems in the CES to
enhance communications and engagement with its clientele. The significance of this study
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