Impact of Digital Technologies on Customer Relationship Management during COVID-19: A Case Study on William Hill

This dissertation explores the impact of digital technologies on customer relationship management during COVID-19, with a focus on William Hill. It examines changes faced by William Hill in their CRM, marketing and communication, the impact of changes occurred during COVID-19 on William Hill, their employees and gamblers, and the importance of Ad-hoc communication during COVID-19 for William Hill.

Dissertation

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Research rationale........................................................................................................................3
Research aim................................................................................................................................3
Research objectives.....................................................................................................................3
Research questions.......................................................................................................................4
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................4
Changes faced by William Hill in their CRM, marketing and communication..........................4
Impact of changes occurred during COVID-19 on William Hill, their employees and gamblers
.....................................................................................................................................................5
Importance of Ad-hoc communication during COVID-19 for William Hill..............................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Despite the focus on the critical role of digital transformation in addressing the COVID-19 crisis
and improving positioning following the pandemic, there is very little evidence on how different
digital technologies helped businesses overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19
pandemic. In doing so, the paper aims to investigate the relationship between digital technologies
and a company's response to pandemic threats, with a focus on customer relationship
management. More specifically, the main objective is to see how much the aforementioned
digitalization have aided the firm's response to pandemic constrictions in their purchasing and
supply.
The company chosen in this research is William Hill which was founded in 1934. It was
purchased by Sears Holdings in 1971, then by Grand Metropolitan in 1988, and finally by Brent
Walker in 1989. When Grand Metropolitan was found to have embellished the potential revenue
at the close of escrow, Brent Walker was able to recoup £117 million of the £685 million it had
reimbursed for William Hill in 1996.
Research rationale
The research is conducted on this topic because with the regulations that constricted relationships
with customer base, the COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the firm's profitability. As a
result of the pandemic, businesses are turning to digital technologies to reimagine enterprise
applications, customer relationships, and marketing strategies. From defined techniques to more
current Industry 4.0 reference to the attached to the industrial revolution 4.0, technological equity
firms may rely on to face COVID-19 related challenges. In this particular respect, the study
aimed to investigate which new platforms enabled businesses to actually respond to the global
epidemic and solve their limitations in managing market connections.
Research aim
To analyse the impact of customisation and personalisation in terms of digital relationship
marketing during pandemic COVID-19. A study on Willam Hill.
Research objectives
 To examine the changes faced by William Hill in their CRM, marketing and
communication.

 To determine the impact of changes occurred during COVID-19 on William Hill, their
employees and gamblers
 To investigate the importance of Ad-hoc communication during COVID-19 for William
Hill.
Research questions
 What are the changes faced by William Hill in their CRM, marketing and
communication?
 What is the impact of changes occurred during COVID-19 on William Hill, their
employees and gamblers?
 What is the importance of Ad-hoc communication during COVID-19 for William Hill?
LITERATURE REVIEW
Changes faced by William Hill in their CRM, marketing and communication.
The constructs, tools, and methodologies of customer engagement are referred to as "managing
good customer relationships in an organisation" (CRM). CRM, as a set of tools based on
Web/Apps technology, enables businesses to comprehend their customers' or potential
customers' usual practises and, as a result, deliver specific activities that may persuade them to
make transactions and decisions. CRM has been discussed in a variety of fields, including
business, health care, science, and other service-oriented industries. The widespread adoption of
big data in all industries has prompted a review of the frontend, particularly in terms of customer
relationship management . Examining the role of big data in CRM strategies is critical. Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) tools are software solutions that help businesses track,
understand, and support their customers. Your CRM, as a repository of customer data, can assist
you in identifying each stage of the user journey. You can plan to create your company's
communications with you more believable and noteworthy if you have complete visibility into
them. CRMs were an important part of customer and brand engagement long just before
the pandemic. Contact centre agents, marketing teams, marketing experts, and corporate
executives all benefited from their assistance. CRMs are playing a larger role in the consumer
journey as a result of COVID and the country's digital transformation. Many CRMs now
integrate with effectiveness and employees management software to help hybrid workers keep in

touch. These solutions can even integrate with web conferencing like Microsoft Teams, reducing
the number of apps workers must transfer between when dealing with a complaint.
CRMs are becoming more secure as buyers become even more interested in the way their digital
information is handled in a digital world. Many tools now include features that enable businesses
to choose where and how info should be deposited, even in computer controlled recordings.
CRM solutions now have the ability to integrate with and improve the performance of a wide
range of tools. These systems are designed to work in customer care contexts and with sales
enablement software. The CRM can also connect to and collect data from a variety of other
platforms, such as social media, Messaging, live chat, and more.
Smart assistants and artificial intelligence: Every day, AI is making its way into more aspects of
the customer experience landscape. Intelligent assistants can be found in our chatbots, contact
center IVRs, and more. Great information can also assist in quickly finding information in a
CRM and surfacing it to an intermediary, as well as instantaneously storing new data. Customers
have been empowered to have conversations through social media, and businesses can now use
an increasing amount of data from people conversations for company benefits such as
understanding customer preferences, complaints, and expectations. Customers can express
themselves using the Web 2.0 platform. Social networks, in the context of CRM, are a way to
strengthen relationships between customers and service providers. It could be used to build close
friendships between businesses and their customers, as well as the general population.
Impact of changes occurred during COVID-19 on William Hill, their employees and gamblers
The efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on commercial
gambling in various jurisdictions. Many land-based gambling establishments, including casinos,
bingo halls, horseracing routes, bars and nightclubs with online gambling machines (EGMs),
lottery resellers, pound shops, and pokerstars, were forced to close, particularly during the first
stage of the 'crackdown' in March and April 2020. During the second wave of regulations, some
venues reopened fully or partially after the initial lockdown, while others remained closed. The
upcoming provision of gamblers, like the duration of the pandemic, is uncertain and uncertain.
Online gambling places stayed open at the same time that property gambling became less
accessible. According to some press reports, business had soared, and the pandemic had aided in

the promotion of this incredibly popular casino format. Winning ticket sales, casino blackjack
tables like roulette, deuces, but instead craps, slot machines, pokerstars, and sportsbook are all
common on online gambling sites. Save for fantasy sports, which has been impacted by the
worldwide abstinence or slight decrease of major football, all other types have been available
both from the legal and regulatory frameworks and unauthorised site operators on a continuous
basis. However, some authorities have captured steps to mitigate potential harms as during
global epidemic, such as trying to limit advertising and enforcing a routine betting cap. Online
gamblers, like land-based gambling, tend to place a bet both online and offline. Nonetheless, one
major concern expressed in response to the pandemic closure of territory establishments is that
people will migrate to online betting formats during the first time, increasing their vulnerability
to adverse consequences and GD. Another concern is that people here who roll the dice online
will raise their participation, probably leading to gambling. Given the relative lack of restrictions
on how and when it can be accessed, its confinement nature, and the wide variety of gambling
options available, gambling is thought to be a particularly problematic gamblers format. Online
gamblers have higher rates of GD than those who only place a bet at territory venues, according
to research. The direction of causality, on the other hand, is unsure. It's possible that online
gambling is linked to GD since this provides evermore flexible ways for people with GD to
access slot machines rather than effectively facilitating the disease.
Importance of Ad-hoc communication during COVID-19 for William Hill.
This type of process can be seen in responsive social media campaigns. They allow for plenty of
one-on-one communication between the company and the customer, making it possible to take
part with and influence decision makers across a multitude of platforms. Shoppers can follow
along and respond in real-timetime by live-tweeting an event or publishing "many on"
information on Twitter And instagram, for example. Website chat boxes also allow for
immediate and direct communication, and are a more efficient and convenient mode of
communication than email or phone calls. Ad hoc initiatives are more reactive, making them
ideal for creating potential fixes in the face of connectivity crises, unsatisfied customers, or even
compliments. Because the process necessitates an all-encompassing framework for designing
your brand, creating direct messages that effectively addresses audience, and enforcing a stage

process proposal to spread that message, tri long-term advertising are irreplaceable in building a
solid reputation as a company. The tasks are proactive by nature, helping to ensure that each
speech reflects the corporate goals before it is made known. Long-term campaigns, on the other
hand, are meticulously researched, fashioned, and completed. Those certain plans entail well-
thought-out, detail-oriented creative efforts that are frequently introduced to a particular
demographic for branding or press coverage purposes. This is a more traditional strategy, as it
involves creating meaningful messages and wisely disseminating them to achieve desired results.
Website development and design, official statements, adverts, speech writing, company
keynotes, live events, and webinars are all examples of multiple playthroughs.
Methodology
Ethics
Gantt Chart
CONCLUSION

REFERENCES
Books and Journals