QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF TAM
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CRM for development, email marketing, and strategic marketing and communications. Samuel
reports the benefits of CRM as revenue growth, strategic marketing and communications, and
engagement tracking. This particular case is unique in the sense that success rates may be higher
or lower depending on the campus. Moderate success of CRM adoption was reported, with
varied acceptance among employees and moderate resistance. The reasons for resistance include
cost, resources, and data security. Samuel identifies perceived usefulness and integration strategy
as the critical success factors. Additionally, his criteria for technology adoption include
perceived usefulness, integration strategy, and cost/resources. The barriers to adoption include
integration and interface issues, data security, change management, and cost/ resources.
Alternative approaches considered include combining CRM technologies into a centralized
system and using various ad hoc systems. Samuel stated data security, data privacy, and political
uncertainty were the risks associated with CRM technologies. According to Samuel, CRM
technologies can be perceived as difficult to use but are perceived as useful. Client insights,
strategic marketing and communications, and data-driven decision-making were all factors that
Samuel reported as ways CRM technologies could better enable outreach, marketing, and
communications.
Roger Carmichael
Roger Carmichael is an Extension administrator in the 1890 region. He is somewhat
familiar with CRM technologies and is not totally sure about its widespread application by
various entities within the organization. Some CRM technologies are used within Extension by
Ag Communication and certain program areas to track user contacts and tendencies. Currently,
there are no plans for its broad implementation and data management use across the
organization, but he did acknowledge that agents and educators in the various counties may be
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