Technology Acceptance Model in U.S. Extension: CRM Adoption

QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF TAM

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communications through engagement and interaction tracking, contact and data management,

and strategic marketing and communications.

Madelyn Elizabeth

Madelyn Elizabeth is a director at a university in the north central region and plays an

integral role in leading a CRM implementation across her state. Currently, she is engaged in a

pilot effort using Salesforce with a subset of users. The presence of a local champion, or

champions, was noted during the interview. She defines CRM as lifecycle contact and data

management, strategic marketing and communications, as well as project and task management.

Madelyn reports several benefits of CRM technologies, including scalability, contact and data

management, client insights, efficiency, strategic marketing and communications, and reporting

and evaluation. Madelyn reports a high level of acceptance among current users and notes that

employee resistance pertains to digital literacy. She believes that the critical success factors

include integration and strategy, strategic organizational planning, perceived usefulness, and user

buy-in. She believes the criteria for technology adoption include strategic organizational

planning, cost and resources, perceived usefulness, and integration strategy. Pre-adoption

approaches include a pilot effort, strategic organizational planning, evaluation, training and

support, and finding early adopters. Adoption challenges include costs and resources, leadership

commitment, perceived usefulness, training and support, and potential integration and interface

issues. Alternative approaches to CRM considered include ad hoc systems and custom-developed

solutions. Madelyn notes that the potential risks of CRM implementation include change

management, costs and resources, data security, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use.

She reported that current users of the system generally perceive the system to be easy to use and

find it useful. She shared that the potential implications for outreach, engagement, and

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