Effect of Social Customer Relationship Management on Loyalty: A Case of Kenyatta University Postmodern Library Safaricom Subscribers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of social customer relationship management on loyalty. The objectives of the study were: To assess the use of SCRM by Safaricom PLC. To determine the components of loyalty of Safaricom PLC subscribers. To investigate the effect of SCRM on the loyalty of Safaricom PLC subscribers. The study was informed by the Uses and Gratification Theory to inform the relationship between social customer relationship management on loyalty. A descriptive research design was adopted where questionnaires were issued to a sample of 180 communication students who were registered online users of the Kenyatta University the Postmodern Library (PML). Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 23. Key findings revealed that a significant 60 (37%) were neutral as to whether the respondents believed that Safaricom pays attention to their posts, comments and queries on their social media platforms. A majority of respondents agreed 66 (41%) and 44 (27%) strongly agreed that they recognized Safaricom PLC as a valuable brand to consumers. While mixed findings were observed as to whether the respondents would recommend Safaricom products and services to others over its competitors. This was as identified by 41 (25%) who were neutral while 53 (33%) agreed. The regression analysis revealed that 0.343 (34.3%) of the variation in customer loyalty can be explained by social CRM. The use of social media and its integration with social CRM can serve as useful leverage in generating more brand value for an organization. Therefore, the study recommended that social CRM practitioners should consider the effect that social CRM has on loyalty while making decisions in the organization since the two are correlated.