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

QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF TAM

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yet. Her definition of CRM includes reporting, evaluation, and client engagement. Stephanie

believes the benefits of CRM technologies are engagement and interaction tracking, and

efficiency. Stephanie reports moderate potential resistance from employee due to concerns data

privacy and poor data management. She believes that the critical success factors of CRM

implementation include perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Additionally, she

identifies perceived ease of use and an integration and interface strategy as criteria for

technology adoption. Her potential pre-adoption strategies include a pilot effort and training and

support. She perceives policies and procedures and data privacy as the primary adoption barriers

to the technology. Her university currently uses ad hoc solutions, and she views data privacy and

data security as potential risks to CRM implementation. She perceives CRM technologies to be

useful, and the increased efficiency of these technologies may have impacts on outreach,

engagement, and communications.

Caroline Sanders

Caroline Sanders is an Extension agent at a university in the northeastern region. Caroline

is a unique participant because while her university does not have a uniform CRM system, she

currently operates her own for use in her county with one other colleague. The software Caroline

uses is AirTable, and she defines CRM as lifecycle contact management, customer service, client

engagement, reporting and evaluation, and client engagement. She believes the benefits of the

technology are contact and data management, client insights, customer service, reporting and

evaluation, and engagement and interaction tracking. Caroline reports high success with her

CRM system but predicts low acceptance among employees due to high resistance. The reasons

for resistance include perceived usefulness, centralization, efficiency, costs and resources, and

digital literacy. She believes that the critical success factors of CRM technologies include