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.