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CRM as a tool for IT Strategy Planning
Omar Peasnell
Bachelor of Business (Business Information Systems)
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of
Master of Business by Research
School of Buiness IT and Logistics
RMIT University
August 2011
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Declaration
I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made, the work is that of
the author alone; the work has not been submitted previously, in whole or in part, to
qualify for any other academic award; the content of the thesis is the result of work
which has been carried out since the official commencement date of the approved
research program; and, there has been no editorial work, paid or unpaid, carried out
by a third party on this thesis.
Omar Peasnell
August 2011
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Acknowledgements
The author of this Master by Research thesis would like to acknowledge the following
people for their assistance, RMIT operation staff for processing my enrolment. I
would like to also thank my supervisor Dr. Martin Dick who has supported me
through my master via research course, and to whom I would be lost without his
guidance. A final thanks goes to RMIT University for giving me the opportunity to do
this thesis.
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Topic: CRM as a tool for IT Strategy
Omar Peasnell
School of Business Information Technology and Logistics,
RMIT University,
Melbourne, Australia.
Abstract – CRM is a relative new technology in which allows organisations to
capture data, and improve customer service capabilities. IT strategy planning is the
process of planning, and implementing changes, to ensure organisations have best
practise in regards to decision making and infrastructure. At the current moment there
is little information domestically available in Australia about CRM systems. This
thesis provides some insight, in-regards to CRM and IT strategy planning practice, in
Australia. CRM implementation and development, is difficult and complicated. IT
strategy planning is a difficult task which requires good sources of information. Many
organisations have developed large bodies of information about their business, based
on their CRM systems. This thesis, uses a survey of 51 organisations to examine the
organisation’s use of CRM systems, and their use of IT strategy planning, and the
relationship between CRM and IT strategy planning. The results of the survey found,
that CRM is used in conjunction with IT strategy planning for customer profiling,
customer forecasting, cost reduction mechanism, and shared or distributed customer
data. In summary this means that firms looking to implement a CRM system, are
doing so as means to support and enhance business operations, in terms of
development and functionality. The main recommendations of what is discovered in
this thesis are:
Used to improve customer relationships between an organisation and
customers/clients
Used to develop new products to the marketplace
To reduce costs in an organisation
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To streamline and improve business process in an organisation
