Showroom CRM framework: a multi-channel integrated retail system for an authorized automobile dealer

The multichannel integrated concept is the core of the customer relationship management (CRM) systems of today's business. This thesis is a case study of an authorized automobile dealer who faces a critical problem of sales that do not meet the dealership target due to customer dissatisfaction with the dealer's service. Sales and customer satisfaction are two important measures in maintaining the dealership status. The problems faced by the dealer are varied and scattered around the sales process, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Moreover, the automotive ecosystem is hit by three major forces: changing competition, technology advances in digital and
connected ecosystems, and increasingly sophisticated consumers. These three forces force the dealers to change their retailing sales style from traditional retailing system to the multi-channel integrated interactive sales retailing system. Therefore, the complexity of the dealers' problems requires a deep analysis of the whole retail
system. The study is using the iceberg model of the systems thinking theory as a tool to uncover the root causes of the problems. An innovative tool has been developed and named the Iceberg Problem Solving Tool (IPST), to practically apply system thinking and has been used to identify the root causes of the problems. The study is a qualitative case study by action research (AR) approach. The data collected by interview all levels of the dealer management and operations. The action research cycle (Identity, Plan, Act, Observe, and Reflect) is repeated three times using the "IPST" to result in the proposed framework. The framework is an integrated solution to cover the gap between the organization's requirements and the available CRM models. The integrated framework, the "IPST" tool, the iterative Sales process model, and the CRM iterative Process model are significant contributors for academics and practitioners in the industry.