Okay, I understand.
You've provided the context for your study, specifically focusing on the Commercial
Bank of Ethiopia, Farisi Branch in Ambo Town, and now you need to define the key terms used in your
study. Based on the information you've given, here are the key terms that should be defined, along with
definitions suitable for your research proposal:
1.9 Definition of Key Terms
Given the context you've provided, here are the key terms you should define, along with proposed
definitions:
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM):
• Definition: Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a strategic approach and a set of processes
and technologies that organizations use to manage and analyze customer interactions and data
throughout the customer lifecycle. The main aim of CRM is to improve customer service relationships,
assisting in customer retention and driving sales growth (Buttle & Maklan, 2019). In the context of this
study, CRM refers to the specific strategies, processes, and technologies the Commercial Bank of
Ethiopia uses to manage its relationships with customers.
• Why it’s important: This definition is important because it highlights that CRM is a broad concept
involving strategies and technologies and that your study is examining a specific bank's approach.
• Customer Needs:
• Definition: Customer needs are the specific requirements, wants, and expectations that customers
have when interacting with a product or service, or a service provider like the bank. In this study,
customer needs include expectations regarding banking services, responsiveness, accessibility, and
overall service quality (Kotler & Armstrong, 2018).
• Why it’s important: This clarifies that you are focused on the customers' specific requirements when
interacting with the bank, rather than a generic idea of customer needs.
• Touch Points:
• Definition: In the context of CRM, touch points are any point of contact or interaction between a
customer and the bank. These can be physical (e.g., branch visits, ATM usage) or digital (e.g., mobile
app, online banking, phone calls). Identifying and managing touch points is critical for optimizing
customer experience (Lemon & Verhoef, 2016).
• Why it’s important: You will likely use the term ‘touchpoints’ frequently, so you need to clearly state
what they mean in your study.
• Customer-Oriented:
• Definition: In this study, 'customer-oriented' means that the bank’s actions, decisions, policies, and
processes are primarily focused on meeting the needs and expectations of their customers, with the aim
of enhancing their overall experience and creating long-term relationships. (Sheth, Parvatiyar, 2000).
• Why it’s important: This shows you will be focused on how the bank approaches customers, and how
customer centered it is.
• Service Quality:
• Definition: Service quality refers to the perceived level of excellence or deficiency of the service
provided by a service provider. In banking, it includes elements like reliability, responsiveness,
assurance, empathy, and tangibles, which are essential for meeting customer expectations and fostering
loyalty (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry, 1988).
• Why it’s important: This will be part of your assessment of the bank's performance, and it’s
important to clearly state what service quality means in this context, specifically in a banking service
setting.
• Corrective Action:
• Definition: In the context of this study, corrective action refers to the specific steps or measures
taken by the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia to address any weaknesses or areas of improvement that are
identified in the CRM system and service delivery, with the goal of enhancing customer relationships and
satisfaction.
• Why it’s important: You have mentioned that one aim of the study is to suggest how the bank can
make changes to its systems.
• Customer Satisfaction:
• Definition: Customer sa
