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

QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF TAM

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communications are personalization, multi-channel engagement, data-driven decision-making,

reporting, and evaluation, and strategic marketing and communications.

Lee McFarland

Lee McFarland leads Extension at a college in the 1994 region. He is not familiar with

CRM technologies, and his college is not currently using a CRM technology. However, he

recently learned about CRM technologies from another colleague and sees contact and data

management as a key benefit. Lee indicated a potential for employee resistance to change

management. Lee believes that critical success factors of implementing a technology like CRM

involve the presence of a local champion, leadership commitment, and training and support. He

states that the criteria for technology adoption include strategic organizational planning. Lee

viewed employee resistance and training and support as potential barriers to CRM adoption. Lee

sees adoption or implementation failure as a potential risk to CRM implementation and has low

perceived ease of use of the technology, although he notes that it could be useful. At this time,

his college utilizes ad hoc systems in lieu of CRM technologies.

Leia Cornwalis

Leia Cornwalis is an Extension director in the southern region. Her university currently

uses Salesforce CRM and is evaluating the use of another CRM system. Her definition of CRM

includes lifecycle contact management, email marketing, and contact and data management. She

states that efficiency, client insights, event management, contact and data management, and

reporting and evaluation are all benefits of CRM technologies. Employee acceptance of the

current system is varied, and the presence of a champion is unknown. The reasons for employee

resistance include change management and digital literacy. Leia identifies strategic

organizational planning, user buy-in, perceived usefulness, and training and support as critical

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