Closing the CRM Value Gap: Why Implementation Fails Despite Technological Maturity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64229/ypm47z34Keywords:
CRM Implementation, Organizational Readiness, Digital Transformation, Cultural Change, Technology Adoption, Implementation Failure, Customer Relationship Management, CRMAbstract
Despite decades of technological advancement and multi-billion-dollar investments, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems continue to exhibit alarming failure rates, with studies indicating that 60-70% of CRM implementations fail to meet their intended objectives. This viewpoint paper argues that the persistent CRM value gap stems not from technological limitations but from fundamental organizational misalignments that the industry has systematically overlooked. While vendors and consultants continue to emphasize feature-rich platforms and sophisticated analytics capabilities, the real barriers to CRM success lie in cultural resistance, behavioral inertia, and strategic disconnects within organizations.
The paper examines the technological maturity paradox, where advanced CRM capabilities coexist with persistently poor implementation outcomes. Root causes of failure are identified as cultural resistance, strategic misalignment, and inadequate organizational readiness assessment. Traditional technology-centric approaches that prioritize system deployment over organizational preparation are contrasted with organization-centric frameworks that emphasize readiness assessment, cultural transformation, and phased implementation strategies.
This paper calls for a paradigmatic shift from technology-centric to organization-centric CRM implementation approaches, emphasizing the critical importance of organizational readiness, cultural transformation, and strategic alignment as prerequisites for CRM success. The proposed framework demonstrates how technology should be implemented within layers of organizational foundation, with leadership commitment as the overarching enabler.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Alok Agarwal, Ruby S Chanda (Author)
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