QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF TAM
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The researcher is part of a national organization that serves and supports the CES through
national funding opportunities, technology services, and professional development services. The
Extension Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is part of the CES system.
According to the Extension Foundation (2023), it provides programmatic services and
professional development to CES professionals with the mission of increasing local impact.
Additionally, the Extension Foundation is a member organization where land-grant universities
can become members to receive exclusive professional development opportunities and other
services centered around program development and innovation (Extension Foundation, 2023).
CRM technologies, such as Hubspot or Salesforce, are utilized by an organization to better
manage a database of contacts with clients and measure engagement with clients over a lifecycle.
For example, when observing a contact in a CRM system, an administrator can review emails
exchanged between the client and other actions the client has taken, such as website views, event
registrations, form submissions, social media engagements, and more. The Extension Foundation
implemented a CRM system to improve engagement with its clients across the CES in February
2021, and at that time, the organization had 49 land-grant universities participating as members.
Since then, the organization has grown to approximately 68 members and increased participation
in all of its online offerings and services as a result. CRM implementation may have been a
critical factor in that growth.
History
Customer Relationship Management
There is no single unified definition of CRM. In fact, the term “ CRM ” is used
interchangeably between CRM as a business philosophy or process and the technology used to
support this process. Adding to the complexity are some of the more recent technological
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