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

QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF TAM

Research Method and Design

Research Questions

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research is to better understand the

principles of the TAM regarding the adoption of CRM technologies in the CES, which ultimately

have implications for internal and external communications, engagement, and outreach efforts.

There is considerable evidence to suggest that CRM systems add value to organizational

communications and relationship efforts; however, there is a need to highlight how CRM

technologies can impact the outreach mission of the CES. Through the lens of the TAM, this

research provides practical insights into the perceived benefits and challenges of implementing

CRM systems, examines successful use cases of CRM implementation, and investigates the

potential for increasing client engagement and improving communications through successful

client management. This research reviews a recent landscape survey of the CES to gather

insights on the current usage and perceived attitudes toward CRM technologies. It then proceeds

to semi-structured interviews with participants from across the CES to gain further insights into

CRM usage, challenges, and successes for improving communications, outreach, and

engagement, followed by a post-interview survey to triangulate the data.

The problem is that a significant number of land-grant university Extension programs are not

utilizing CRM technologies despite evidence suggesting they would enhance their

communications efforts, outreach, and engagement mission. According to Judd (2019),

approximately 40% of all land-grant universities in the United States are utilizing CRM

technologies, and many of those are not commercial systems with robust features. Another

approximate 40% of these universities are evaluating the use of CRM technologies, while the

remaining have no plans to utilize CRM (Judd, 2019). The specific problem to be addressed is

identifying the barriers that exist in adopting CRM technologies, including TAM variables, in the