Abstract

Customer relationship management (CRM) is becoming a critical source of competitive advantage for businesses today. However, many CRM business processes are deficient and inflexible. For example, many customers are dissatisfied with complaint management. Still, companies seldom systematically adapt the complaint management process. In theory, operational and analytical CRM form a closed loop: analytical CRM uses business intelligence (BI) tools to analyze operational data and the knowledge gained is used for continual optimization of operations. One special approach in establishing this loop is to continually support decision points in operational processes with knowledge from BI. In this way, the use of BI becomes an integral part of business processes, which are then referred to as intelligent business processes. However, in CRM not much is known about this approach. Based on an extensive review of the literature, the study explores the state of theory and practice in the field of intelligent business processes in CRM, with special attention to complaint management because of its considerable importance and application potential. In particular, the conceptual framework of intelligent business processes in CRM is depicted and two implementation options are identified: embedded intelligence and business rules. Focusing on complaint management, evidence on intelligent business processes is systematically documented, weak points are identified, and a research agenda for the shift to more intelligent processes is presented.

5 Summary and Implications for Future Research

In this study, we have examined the state of the art of intelligent business processes in CRM, first in general, and then delving deeper by using complaint management as an example. At the same time, we have identified several weak points with implications for future research. Our analysis was based on a comprehensive review of the literature.

The study contributes to a closer nexus of the BI and BPM fields within CRM, with intelligent business processes in CRM falling within this overlap. Based on the St. Gallen management model, the business process life cycle, and a process-oriented BI perception, we incrementally have developed the conceptual framework of intelligent business processes and applied it to CRM. To achieve intelligent business processes, BI must continually support the operational decisions in the decision points of the processes and bring about a permanent, data-driven process optimization. Concerning CRM, this is equivalent to a closed loop between aCRM and oCRM (Wilde 2010). In practice, we have identified two alternative ways of implementation: BI analyses are specially tailored to designated decision points and then (1) situationally made available to the decision maker, for example, in the form of reports or KPIs (embedded intelligence), or (2) the BI knowledge is incorporated into business rules. We have found little evidence of intelligent business processes particularly as regards complaint management, neither in theory nor in practice.