Big data och CRM:s roll för konkurrenskraft i B2B-företag : En fallstudie kring hur konkurrenskraften i B2B-företag påverkas av big data och CRM

Sammanfattning: As a result of the increased use of the Internet, there are a number of challenges and opportunities regarding the ability to strengthen or weaken the competitive advantage between organizations. One of the challenges is an increased need to gather and manage large amounts of data (big data) as well as the need to develop processes and strategies for customer relationship management (CRM). This study aimed to investigate how and why big data and business processes for CRM can affect the competitive advantage of B2B companies by offering a theoretical perspective and an analysis of a relevant case in the field. This was studied by applying a qualitative case study where theory and empirical data were gathered through qualitative interviews with respondents who work with CRM and data at the selected B2B company. The results of the study showed that the chosen case involving a B2B company in the technology industry can strengthen its competitive advantage as a result of including CRM in its business processes by applying strategies, value creation, multichannels, IT and data and performance assessment in its customer-related activities and processes. The results also showed that the gathering of data in customer-related processes and activities as well as analyzes of this data is a useful asset as it entails the ability to strongly impact the interaction with customers. An unforeseen discovery made was the fact that the respondents showed a reluctance to describe the circumstance of whether they work with big data, despite the fact that most respondents according to the study definition work with big data in their customer-related processes and activities. This discovery can be the basis for future research in the field of big data and B2B companies.