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

QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF TAM

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using their own ad hoc systems. His definition of CRM includes lifecycle contact management

and strategic marketing and communications. He stated that the benefits of CRM technologies

include engagement tracking, strategic marketing, and communications. Roger identifies the

critical success factors as having a solid integration strategy and perceived usefulness. His

criterion for adopting a technology includes an integration strategy and perceived ease of use.

The pre-adoption approaches he would consider include strategic organizational planning. The

challenges he foresees include cost and resources, change management, and integration and

interface issues. The current CRM technology systems used by his university vary from high-

tech to various low-tech ad hoc systems. Roger identified the potential risks of CRM as adoption

failure and poor data management. He states that CRM has the potential to improve outreach,

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

management, personalization, improved user experience, and data-driven decision-making.

Terrence Young

Terrence Young is an IT specialist at a university in the northeastern region and was

asked by his Extension director to consider participating in this research. There was a previous

implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM at his university prior to some organizational

realignments, but the university has discontinued use of that system. Terrence defines CRM as

contact and data management and client engagement. He believes the benefits of CRM

technologies include client insights, personalization, contact and data management, and strategic

marketing and communications. Terrence reported a low success rate of the CRM system, with

low employee acceptance and high employee resistance. The reasons for employee resistance

include efficiency, cost and resources, perceived usefulness, and data privacy. Terrence believes

that the critical success factors of CRM technologies include costs and resources, perceived ease

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