COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

Code	Course Type	Regular Semester	Theory	Practice	Lab	Credits	ECTS
BUS 348	C	6	3	0	0	3	6

Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature)	Prof.Dr. Osman Köroğlu okoroglu@epoka.edu.al
Main Course Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	Prof.Dr. Osman Köroğlu okoroglu@epoka.edu.al , Friday 08:00-10:00
Second Course Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	NA
Language:	English
Compulsory/Elective:	Elective
Study program: (the study for which this course is offered)	Bachelor in Banking and Finance (3 years)
Classroom and Meeting Time:	-
Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours:	NA
Code of Ethics:	Code of Ethics of EPOKA University Regulation of EPOKA University "On Student Discipline"
Attendance Requirement:	75%
Course Description:	This course is designed to offer students customer relationship management theory and practice. The course is an upper level undergraduate course in which students learn details of customer relationship management models and real-world applications in businesses.
Course Objectives:	This course provides a comprehensive understanding of CRM, a key business discipline that goes beyond the use of technology to manage customer relationships. It covers various touchpoints on the customer journey, emphasizing the importance of human interaction in CRM success. Participants will learn about the evolution of IT in CRM, from streamlining administration to playing a central role in CRM and Customer Experience Management (CXM). The course addresses the shift from structured to unstructured customer data, the advent of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) in CRM, and the impact of Big Data on CRM practitioners. The course equips students with the skills to navigate the changing dynamics of customer interaction in today's world, where customers decide when and how they interact with companies and create their own brand-related messages on social media platforms.

BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE COURSE

1	Customer Analytics: The process of analyzing customer data to gain insights into customer behavior, preferences, and trends, and to inform marketing and sales strategies.
2	Customer Experience (CX): The sum total of all interactions a customer has with a business, and the emotions and perceptions that result from those interactions.
3	Customer Journey: The series of interactions a customer has with a company, from initial awareness and consideration to purchase and post-sales support, with the goal of creating a positive and seamless experience.
4	Customer Lifecycle: The stages a customer goes through from initial awareness of a business or product to becoming a repeat customer or advocate. The stages can include lead, prospect, opportunity, customer, and advocate.
5	Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): The total value a customer is expected to bring to a company over the course of their relationship, calculated by forecasting future revenue from repeat purchases and referrals.
6	Customer Relationship Management (CRM): A business strategy that helps companies manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle with the goal of improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.
7	Customer-Centric Culture: A company-wide approach that prioritizes customer satisfaction, where employees are trained to understand and meet customer needs, and are incentivized to do so.
8	Net Promoter Score (NPS): A measure of customer loyalty and advocacy, based on the question "How likely are you to recommend this product or service to a friend or colleague?"
9	Relationship Marketing: A marketing strategy that focuses on building long-term relationships with customers, rather than just making individual sales.
10	Sales Force Automation (SFA): A component of CRM that automates and streamlines sales processes, including lead management, opportunity management, and sales forecasting.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topics
1	An Introduction to CRM p.3-25 [Three major forms of CRM: Strategic, Operational, and Analytical. Where Social CRM fits in the CRM landscape. The changing character of CRM. Several common misunderstandings about CRM. A definition of CRM. Constituencies with an interest in CRM. CRM deployments in several contexts. Three models of CRM.]
2	Understanding Customer-Supplier Relationships p.26-56 [Customer-supplier relationships. Properties of customer-supplier relationships, including trust, commitment, relationship quality, and relationship evolution. Companies’ motivations to start and develop customer relationships. Companies’ motivations to avoid or dissolve customer relationships. Customers’ motivations to start and develop company relationships. Customers’ motivations to avoid or dissolve company relationships. The features of five major relationship management theories.]
3	Managing the Customer Journey: Customer Acquisition p.59-86 [Define the core elements of a customer journey. Define customer acquisition and new customer types. Describe the conversion model and explain how it relates to customer acquisition. Describe the prospecting approaches companies can use to recruit new customers. Describe operational CRM applications relevant to customer acquisition. Describe the key performance indicators (KPIs) that companies may use to evaluate their customer acquisition activities.]
4	Managing the Customer Journey: Customer Retention and Development p.87-113 [Define customer retention and customer development. Describe how companies can measure customer retention and the issues they need to consider when doing so. Describe the options that companies can use to enhance customer retention by increasing customer engagement. Describe the options that companies can use to enhance customer retention by increasing switching costs. Describe why companies choose to end some customer relationships and the approaches they can use to do so. Describe the role of CRM in customer retention, customer development, and in ending customer relationships. Describe the common KPIs that companies use to assess customer retention, customer development, and customer termination.]
5	Managing Customer Perceived Value p.114-143 [Define customer perceived value. Differentiate between value-in-exchange and value-in-use. Describe the nature of the company’s value proposition and its role in creating customer perceived value. Describe how the company can use the marketing mix to convey customer perceived value. Describe how the company’s operations relate to the provision of customer perceived value.]
6	Customer Portfolio Management p.144-160 [Define a customer portfolio, a customer segment, and customer portfolio management (CPM). Describe how the company’s vision, mission and objectives relate to CPM. Describe how the company’s risk appetite relates to CPM. Describe the main reasons for analysing the company’s customer portfolio. Describe the common portfolio models useful for CPM.]
7	Marketing Automation (MA) p.163-182 [Define marketing automation (MA). Describe the benefits and costs of MA to companies. Describe the types of marketing campaigns possible with MA software.]
8	Sales Force Automation p.183-201 [Define sales force automation (SFA). Describe the members of an SFA ecosystem. Describe SFA functionality relevant to salespeople. Describe SFA functionality relevant to sales managers. Describe the benefits and costs of SFA.]
9	Service Automation p. 202-230 [Define customer service and explain how it relates to service quality and service standards. Define service automation (SA). Describe the main contexts where SA is in common use. Describe the benefits and costs of SA to organisations. Describe the functionality available within SA software.]
10	Using Customer-Related Data for Analytics p.233-264 [Describe the role of CRM analytics and how they support CRM strategy and tactics. Describe how analytics supports customer management throughout the customer journey in terms of marketing, sales, and service. Describe the role of data mining for: describing and visualising, classification, estimation, prediction, affinity grouping and clustering. Describe the types of analytics that apply to structured, unstructured, and Big Data. Describe the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in analytical CRM.]
11	Developing and Managing Customer-Related Databases p.265-282 [Describe the steps necessary for the development of a customer related database useful for CRM. Describe the implications for different data types and sources as this relates to customer-related database development. Describe the issues that companies face when managing customer-related databases.]
12	Planning and Organising for CRM p.285-298 [Generate a business case for CRM that aligns with both the strategic goals of the company and the needs/behaviours of customers. Describe and plan for the immediate operational benefits from CRM. Describe and plan for potential future benefits arising from improved operational effectiveness. Describe the options for company structure as this relates to CRM.]
13	Implementing CRM p.299-318 [The five major phases in a CRM implementation project. Tools and processes relevant to each phase of CRM implementation projects. The importance of project management and change management throughout the implementation process.]
14	Current Developments in CRM p.321-328 [How current advancements in technology are influencing CRM. Current trends in CRM adoption. How old habits continue to limit the potential of CRM in many companies. Privacy and ethics as these relate to CRM.]

Prerequisite(s):	-
Textbook(s):	Main Prior, D. D., Buttle, F., & Maklan, S. (2024). Customer Relationship Management: Concepts, Applications and Technologies. 5E. Taylor & Francis. Recommended Chakravorti, S. (2023). Customer Relationship Management: A Global Approach. SAGE. Specchia, A. (2022). Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for Medium and Small Enterprises: How to Find the Right Solution for Effectively Connecting with Your Customers. CRC Press. Peppers, D., & Rogers, M. (2022). Managing customer experience and relationships: A strategic framework. John Wiley & Sons. Fredricks, K. S. (2022). Zoho One Essentials: Mastering Zoho CRM. United Kingdom: ePublishing Works! Shaalan, S. (2020). Salesforce for Beginners: A step-by-step guide to creating, managing, and automating sales and marketing processes. Packt Publishing Ltd. Fatouretchi, M. (2019). The The Art of CRM: Proven strategies for modern customer relationship management. Packt Publishing Ltd. Helgeson, L. (2017). CRM for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. Baran, R. J., & Galka, R. J. (2016). Customer Relationship Management: the foundation of contemporary marketing strategy. Taylor & Francis.
Additional Literature:	-
Laboratory Work:	-
Computer Usage:	-
Others:	No

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1	Understand and Apply CRM Concepts.
2	Develop CRM Strategies.
3	Understand Customer Behavior.
4	Measure CRM Success.
5	Understand the importance of customer experience in CRM.
6	Understand the ethical considerations and legal requirements of managing customer data.
7	Develop effective communication skills to interact with customers across various channels.
8	Work effectively in teams to develop and implement CRM strategies.
9	Apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to address challenges in CRM.
10	-

COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES (Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution)

No	Program Competencies	Cont.
Bachelor in Banking and Finance (3 years) Program

COURSE EVALUATION METHOD

Method	Quantity	Percentage
Presentation	1	20
Project	1	20
Case Study	1	20
Final Exam	1	40
	Total Percent:	100%

ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)

Activities	Quantity	Duration(Hours)	Total Workload(Hours)
Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours)	16	3	48
Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice)	16	4	64
Mid-terms			0
Assignments	1	30	30
Final examination	1	8	8
Other			0
Total Work Load:			150
Total Work Load/25(h):			6
ECTS Credit of the Course:			6

CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE COURSE LECTURER

Excellent