CRM as a component of enterprise communications management: bibliometric analysis

Abstract

This work summarizes the arguments and counterarguments about implementing CRM systems in enterprises over the past 24 years. The purpose of the study is to understand the content and features of existing research on the implementation of CRM systems in enterprises in order to determine the directions of future research by both scientists and practitioners. The relevance of solving this scientific problem is that effective communication, including through the implementation of CRM systems, allows an enterprise to respond to market changes and achieve long-term benefits quickly. The study was conducted in the following sequence: the influence of authors, journals, countries, and industries on the implementation of CRM systems in enterprises was determined, scientific clusters were studied and identified, and a visualization of scientific literature on the implementation of CRM systems in enterprises was presented. The object of the study is 1354 relevant publications (articles, reviews, abstracts of reports) published in the Scopus database during 2000–2024 in English. It was found that the most influential journals are the International Journal of Electronic Customer Relationship Management, Manufacturing Computer Solutions, and MSI. The most influential authors: Smith A.D., Ranjan J., Bhatnagar V., Tinham B., Harrigan P., Yen D.C. China, the USA, India, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Germany, and Iran are the most influential countries. Most research was conducted in computer science, business, management and accounting, engineering, decision sciences, social sciences, and mathematics. There were identified clusters of scientific research: enterprise resource planning, information systems, customer relationship management (CRM), public relations, and e-commerce. Current research is devoted to integrating CRM with other systems, customer orientation and data analysis, strategic use of CRM, social aspects, and new CRM technologies. The study empirically confirms and theoretically proves that it is advisable to focus on increasing the efficiency of customer communications through CRM systems, the cultural and organizational aspects of implementing CRM systems in enterprises, and analyzing the impact on customer satisfaction. The results of this study may be useful for marketers, business owners, and researchers studying enterprise CRM systems.