Successful B2B customer database management

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to present a study of the question of customer information management in business‐to‐business (B2B) firms, what distinguishes firms that manage customer information well, and what internal processes are necessary for success.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper summarizes the themes from several research studies using both qualitative and quantitative methods.

Findings

The study finds that companies that distinguish themselves from others in the area of customer information management practices pay attention first to their company's overall strategy, establish and/or enforce data quality standards, involve functional departments in the development of customer databases and their applications, and use both relational and transactional data in their data applications.

Practical implications

Managers in this area would do well to follow the precepts suggested in this work, especially in terms of developing quality databases before embarking on a customer marketing strategy.

Originality/value

The value of the paper is the consistent themes throughout research studies in various B2B contexts.

Citation

Zahay, D. (2008), "Successful B2B customer database management", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 264-272. https://doi.org/10.1108/08858620810865843