Research Proposal: CRM and Change Management at Longtau Technology, UK

This research proposal focuses on the implementation of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) within Longtau Technology, a Chinese enterprise operating in the UK, to address issues in customer service. The proposal examines the background and problem definition, including the challenges faced by Longtau in customer support, leading to decreased sales and service delivery issues. It outlines objectives to evaluate factors causing customer development issues, identify effective strategies to improve customer service, and recommend suitable strategies for enhanced quality. The research questions delve into factors affecting customer service, change management factors, and effective strategies for improvement. A comprehensive literature review covers the importance of change management, breaking down the silo effect, cultural perspectives, leadership, and the technological aspects of CRM. Stakeholder analysis is also discussed to ensure smooth implementation. The proposal includes the research methodology, plan, timeline, and cost-benefit analysis, aiming to provide actionable insights for Longtau Technology to enhance its customer service and overall business performance. References are also included for supporting the research and further reading.

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Research Proposal
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Executive Summary
The aim of this report is to discuss about implementation of change management process in
Longtau UK. Customer relationship management is about to be implemented in the organization
as the part of the change management process. This proposal discussed about the potentiality and
the issues to be faced by the organization in course of the implementation of the change
management process. In accordance to that, various elements are being discussed in this
proposal. In addition, the impact of the customer relationship management is also being
discussed in this proposal.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Background and problem definition................................................................................................3
Objectives........................................................................................................................................4
Research question............................................................................................................................4
Literature review..............................................................................................................................4
Research methodology...................................................................................................................12
Research plan.................................................................................................................................16
Timeline and cost benefit analysis.................................................................................................17
References......................................................................................................................................26

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Topic: Successful implementation of CRM for improving customer service – “A case study of
Longtau Technology”
Introduction
This study will propose target changes that will have to be implemented for changing the
management processes in Longtau Technology. Customer relationship management is one of the
essential factors for maintaining organizational sustainability. Globalization has increased the
level of competition in global market so continuous changes will have to be made in order to
remain competitive in the market environment. Thus, the study will aim to identify the impact of
Customer Relationship Management strategy on change management and effectiveness of
change management in resolving the current issues the organization is going through.
Background and problem definition
Longtau technology being a Chinese enterprise has been able to enter the European
market using United Kingdom as the base of their operation. The technological organizations are
the manufacturer and seller of computer network equipments. Moreover, they provide support to
their clients in this specific genre. The organization has been able to expand in most of the
countries in the European Union where they have at least 40 distributors of network. They have
been selling their products through direct marketing and retailing. They are using customer
interaction to provide the customers with the desired support. The department sin the
organization has their own information system, which provides them with the support. However,
in the recent times, the organization is facing issues with customer support, as they are unable to
provide the desired service. There have been occasions where the complaint of the consumers is
lost and this is the very reason for their decrement in sales and late deliveries of services to the

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consumers. Thus, the organization has hired an external consultancy for implementing change
management into the organizational business model.
Objectives
 To evaluate the factors responsible for causing the customer development issues
 To identify the effective and suitable strategies for improving customer service
 To recommend suitable strategies appropriate for improving the customer service quality.
Research question
 What are the factors affecting the custome3r services in the organization?
 What are the change management factors that will have to be implemented?
 What are the effective factors for improving the customer service?
Literature review
Importance of change management
For the contemporary business organizations, change plays an important role in
enhancing their business effectiveness. This is due to the reason that, according to some of the
authors, change is always for good causes. Moreover, it is also stated by them that, the current
business scenario is much more challenging for the contemporary business organizations due to
the rapid rate of increase in the competition in the market1. On the other hand, the taste and
preference of the customers are also changing rapidly. Thus, it is important for the contemporary
1 Van der Voet, Joris. "The effectiveness and specificity of change management in a public organization:
Transformational leadership and a bureaucratic organizational structure." European Management Journal 32.3
(2014): 373-382.

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business organizations to have the effective process of change management in order to
effectively adapt to the change in the market scenario.
However, in initiating an effective process of change management, it is important for the
contemporary business organizations to consider various factors in terms of their internal and
external environments. This is due to the reason that, for the contemporary business
organizations, business operations are scattered in various locations. Moreover, in the current ear
of globalization, every contemporary business organizations are having their market presence in
different countries and locations2. Thus, it is important for them to implement the process of
change management according to the market trend and requirement of different countries and
their market.
Braking down the silo effect
Silo effect is one of the issued being faced by the business organizations, which limits the
interactions between the internal stakeholders. Thus, the less will be the interactions in the
organizations, the less will be the providence of the effective customer service. Moreover, silo
effect will also create barrier in determining the requirement of the customers. In the case of
Longdau Technology, silo effect lead to the ineffective customer service and customer
dissatisfaction. Thus, initiation of the change management process will help to reduce the impact
of the silo effect. This is due to the reason that, initiation of the change management will help to
equip and train the existing employees along with restructuring the organizational structure in
order to enhance the connectivity among the internal stakeholders.
2 Hechanova, Regina M., and Raquel Cementina-Olpoc. "Transformational leadership, change management, and
commitment to change: A comparison of academic and business organizations." The Asia-Pacific Education
Researcher 22.1 (2013): 11-19.

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Change management in cultural perspective
One of the most popular areas, where contemporary business organizations initiate the
process of change management is the cultural aspect of their internal management. This is due to
the reason that, in the current business scenario, the impact of globalization is huge and
extensive. In addition, with the initiation of the concept of the globalization, employees from
different cultural and social backgrounds are working in the same organization. These lead
contemporary business organizations to have diversified employees in their workforce. However,
having diversified workforce also acts as important motivator for the business organizations to
implement the process of change management.
According to the authors, cultural change management is important for the business
organizations due to the reason that, in the diversified workforce, employees are not belonging
from single cultural background; rather they are belonging from different locations and social
backgrounds. Thus, it is important for the business organizations to cope up with the differences
in terms of culture in their workforces and to adapt changes accordingly. The authors have also
stated that, implementation of the change management in the internal management helps in
providing effective working environment according to the cultural differences in the workforce.
However, according to the authors, it is also important to be noted by the business organizations
that in implementing the process of change management, the differences in the cultural aspect of
the employees should be considered3. This is due to the reason that, if the implementation of the
change management is being done keeping in mind of one particular culture, then it will not have
holistic impact on the entire workforce.
3 Alvesson, Mats, and Stefan Sveningsson. Changing organizational culture: Cultural change work in progress.
Routledge, 2015.

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Change management in leadership
Leadership is the key element for effective business organizations due to the reason that,
the more effective will be the leadership, the more efficient will be the business operation of the
organization. Effective leadership also helps in driving the effectiveness and productivity of the
employees and equipping them in time of organizational challenges. However, in the current
business scenario, leadership role is much more challenging and difficult than it was a decade
ago. This is mainly due to the reason that, the current business scenario is having variety of
factors to be considered along with the rapid change in the perception of the employees4. The
requirement and expectation of the employees are quite different in the current situation than it
was a few years ago. On the other hand, with the frequent change in the taste and preference
pattern of the customers around the world, it is a challenge for the leadership to effectively drive
their organizations in staying ahead in the competition.
Some authors also stated that, initiation of the concept of globalization also proved
challenging for the organizational leadership. This is due to the reason that, in the case of the
globalization, business organizations cater to different locations around the world. Thus, it is
difficult for the leadership to change their business approach with the diverse requirement of the
market around the world. Thus, in this case, effective change management process proves
beneficial for the organizational leadership. This is due to the reason that, with the help of an
effective change management process, the leadership roles can be effectively adapted with the
change in the business and market scenario5.
4 Bolman, Lee G., and Terrence E. Deal. Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. John Wiley &
Sons, 2017.
5 Cameron, Esther, and Mike Green. Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools
and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers, 2015.

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According to some authors, it is important for the business organizations to initiate the
effective mode or style of leadership in their process of change management. This is due to the
reason that, according to them, different business organizations are having the requirement of
different approach of leadership style to effectively operate in different external environment.
Some authors stated that, for the majority of the contemporary business organizations,
transformational style of leadership will be the most effective. This is due to the reason that,
implementation of the change management process can be made successful only when the
employees are motivated in their workplace and the upper management have the idea of the
requirement of their subordinates6. Thus, in this case, changing the existing approach of
leadership in the organization with transformational approach will help the organizations to have
motivates and engaged employees in their workplace.
Change management in terms of technological aspect
Technology is one of the key aspects to be considered for the contemporary business
organizations. This is due to the reason that, in the current business scenario, technology plays an
important role in enhancing the effectiveness of the business organizations. Moreover, in the
present era of globalization, technology helps in connecting with all the internal and external
stakeholders for the particular business organizations around the world. According to the authors,
customer relationship management (CRM) is one of the most popular sectors where changes are
being frequently made by the contemporary business organizations. Customer relationship
management is important for the contemporary business organizations due to the reason that, it
helps in effectively engaging with the customers along with determining the requirement of
6 Avolio, Bruce J., and Francis J. Yammarino, eds. "Introduction to, and overview of, transformational and
charismatic leadership." Transformational and Charismatic Leadership: The Road Ahead 10th Anniversary Edition.
Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2013. xxvii-xxxiii.

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them7. The authors have also stated that, in the current business scenario, customer relationship
management is more important due to the reason that, contemporary business organizations
heavily depend on the positive word of mouth and goodwill in the market8. Thus, with the help
of the customer centric approach and process of customer relationship management, business
organizations can have effective formula to engage with the customers and enhance their level of
loyalty and satisfaction.
In the given case study of Longtau UK, it is being stated that, they are facing different
issues in terms of customer service. There are various complaints being emerged in the recent
times regarding the lost of customer data, late customer deliveries and reduction in the gross
sales. Thus, they are in the need of implementation of effective process of customer relationship
management. Implementation of this process will help them to engage with the customers
effectively and to effectively determine their concerns.
Stakeholder analysis in change management process
The previous sections discussed about the importance of change management for the
business organizations and the areas where it can be implemented. However, there are some
other elements such as the determination of the associated stakeholders in the change
management process is also important9. According to the authors, determination of the interest
and valuation of the stakeholders, who are associated with the change management process, is
important due to the reason that, engagement of the associated stakeholders is important for the
7 H. Nguyen, ThuyUyen, and Teresa S. Waring. "The adoption of customer relationship management (CRM)
technology in SMEs: An empirical study." Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development 20.4 (2013): 824-
848.
8 Trkman, Peter. "Increasing process orientation with business process management: Critical
practices’." International journal of information management 33.1 (2013): 48-60.
9 Verbeke, Alain, and Vincent Tung. "The future of stakeholder management theory: A temporal
perspective." Journal of Business Ethics 112.3 (2013): 529-543.

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smooth and seamless implementation of the process of change management. Some others authors
have given more deep analysis regarding the importance of the stakeholder analysis in change
management10. According to them, determination of the requirement of the stakeholders is
important in order to make them involved in the process of change management and to engage
them in order to have seamless implementation of the change management process11.
In the case of the given scenario, the most important point in the implementation of the
change management will be to first identify the key stakeholders who will have influence on the
process. The next process will be to communicate them about the importance of the change
management and the advantages to be gained by them with the implementation of the change12. It
will help the organization to have an effective implementation of the change management
process.
Issues in change management process
Though there are various advantages for the initiation of the change management for the
business organizations, but still implementation of change management process can have
different issues and challenges. Moreover, there are various authors who have stated that change
management can have certain disadvantages also. One of the key issues being stated by the
authors regarding the implementation of the change management process is the resistance from
the side of the employees. This is due to the reason that, in some cases, the process of change
management is being negatively perceived by the employees. They have the perception that,
10 Eskerod, Pernille, and Martina Huemann. "Sustainable development and project stakeholder management: what
standards say." International Journal of Managing Projects in Business 6.1 (2013): 36-50.
11 McKay, Kali, Joana RC Kuntz, and Katharina Näswall. "The Effect of Affective Commitment, Communication
and Participation on Resistance to Change: The Role of Change Readiness." New Zealand Journal of
Psychology 42.2 (2013).
12 Nour, Mohamed A., and Samar Mouakket. "A classification framework of critical success factors for ERP systems
implementation: A multi-stakeholder perspective." Competition, Strategy, and Modern Enterprise Information
Systems. IGI Global, 2013. 98-113.

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implementation of the new business approach in their workplace will reduce their effectiveness
and maybe reduce the security of their job also13. Thus, it is important for the business
organizations to communicate with the resisting stakeholders and make them aware about the
importance of the process of change management. They should also be communicated regarding
the advantages that they are going to gain from the implementation of the change management14.
According to some other authors, implementation of the change management process will
have a few disadvantages also for the business organizations. One of the key disadvantages being
identified is the difficulty in equipping the employees with the change in the business approach.
This is due to the reason that, with the change in the business approach, the training of the
employees should be given again and it involves more cost for the organizations15. Moreover, it
is being also stated by the authors that, implementation of the change management process may
not succeed and thus it will have negative implications on the business operation. According to
these authors, if the change management process cannot get succeed, then it will be difficult for
the business organizations to go back to the previous approach16. Thus, implementation of the
change management process is having both advantages and disadvantages for the business
organizations.
13 Bateh, Justin, Mario E. Castaneda, and James E. Farah. "Employee resistance to organizational
change." International Journal of Management & Information Systems (Online) 17.2 (2013): 113.
14 Hon, Alice HY, Matt Bloom, and J. Michael Crant. "Overcoming resistance to change and enhancing creative
performance." Journal of Management 40.3 (2014): 919-941.
15 Harmon, Paul. "The scope and evolution of business process management." Handbook on business process
management 1. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2015. 37-80.
16 Ahmad, M. Munir, and Ruben Pinedo Cuenca. "Critical success factors for ERP implementation in
SMEs." Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing 29.3 (2013): 104-111.