| Course | MGT 215 Customer Relationship Management |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | CRM strategy paper |
| Length | About 1,085 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MGT 215 Module 1
The Software Was Never the Strategy: Customer Relationship Management for a Chain of Nine Tire and Auto Service Shops
Student Name
Business Administration Program, Aspen University
MGT 215: Customer Relationship Management
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
The Software Was Never the Strategy: Customer Relationship Management for a Chain of Nine Tire and Auto Service Shops
Route 66 Tire and Service, a composite family-owned chain, runs nine shops across the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area that sell tires and perform brake, alignment, oil change and repair work. Two years ago, its owners bought a CRM software package for about $60,000 after a vendor promised it would bring customers back more often. The system now holds records for about 41,000 customers. Yet the share of customers who return within a year has barely moved, from 44% to 45%, and the system's main use is sending the same monthly coupon to everyone. The owners are asking whether CRM was a mistake. This paper argues that the problem was not CRM but how the chain approached it.
What CRM Is
Payne and Frow (2005) argued that confusion about CRM's meaning has led many firms to treat it as a technology project. They defined strategic CRM as a cross-functional approach that unites processes, people, operations and marketing to create value for customers and shareholders through relationships with key customers and segments. Their framework identifies five processes: developing a strategy, which decides which customers to target and what the business will offer them; creating value for both customers and the firm; integrating the channels through which customers interact with the company; managing information so it is available where needed; and assessing performance against goals. Technology supports these processes but cannot replace them.
Diagnosing Route 66
Measured against this framework, Route 66 skipped the first step. The owners never decided which customers they most wanted to keep or what those customers needed. Value creation was defined as coupons. Channels were not integrated: customers who called a shop, visited another and booked online appeared as three different records. Information was collected but not used; service writers did not see a customer's history when the customer arrived. And no one measured whether the system changed anything.
The Perils of CRM
Rigby et al. (2002) studied why many CRM initiatives disappoint and identified four perils: implementing CRM before creating a customer strategy, rolling out CRM before changing the organization to match it, assuming that more technology is better, and stalking rather than wooing customers with unwanted contact. Route 66 fell into at least three. It bought software before deciding its strategy, it changed nothing about how service writers worked, and its monthly coupon, sent regardless of need, felt like noise to customers who had just bought tires.
What the Chain Knows and Uses
| Information recorded | How it is used now | How it could be used |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle make, model and mileage at each visit | Not used | Remind customers when service is actually due |
| Tire size and installation date | Not used | Predict replacement timing and stock the right sizes |
| Services declined, such as worn brakes | Not used | Follow up when safety items were deferred |
| Customer type: household or small fleet | Not recorded | Offer fleets scheduled service and billing |
| Visit frequency and spending | Monthly report only | Identify loyal customers and lapsed ones |
Does CRM Pay Off
Reinartz et al. (2004) studied the CRM processes of companies in several industries and found that firms whose CRM covered all stages of the relationship, from winning customers to maintaining relationships and ending unprofitable ones, performed better on perception-based and objective measures. Investment in CRM technology mattered less than implementing the processes well. The finding supports a strategy-first approach for Route 66.
Choosing Target Customers
Analysis of the chain's records shows two groups worth focusing on. Families with two or three vehicles account for 38% of revenue and visit about three times a year when they are loyal. Small businesses with fleets of five to thirty vehicles, such as plumbers and landscapers, account for 21% of revenue and value fast turnaround and simple billing. One-time customers drawn by tire sales account for much of the rest and are least likely to return.
A CRM Strategy for Route 66
The chain's value proposition will be honest, convenient care for the vehicles of families and small fleets. Service writers will see each customer's history on screen when they arrive and recommend only work that is due, explaining why. The system will send reminders based on actual mileage and tire age, not a monthly coupon, and will follow up within two weeks when a customer declines a safety repair. Small fleets will receive a dedicated account contact, scheduled maintenance and monthly invoices. All channels, phone, walk-in and online, will update one customer record.
Organizational Changes
Following Rigby and colleagues' warning, the chain will change how people work before adding technology. Service writers will be trained to use customer histories and will be paid partly on customer retention rather than only on ticket size, so that recommending unnecessary work no longer pays. A manager at each shop will review lapsed customers monthly.
One Record for Every Channel
Payne and Frow placed multichannel integration and information management at the center of strategic CRM because customers judge a company by every contact, not by one. At Route 66, a customer who booked an alignment online and then called to ask about the price spoke to someone who could not see the booking. The fix is modest: the scheduling page, the phone system and the shop counter will all write to the same customer record, and duplicate records will be merged by phone number and vehicle identification number. Shop managers will be able to see when a fleet customer's truck was last serviced at any of the nine locations. This also lets the chain notice when a family that used to visit three times a year has not returned in eight months, which is the moment a personal call is most likely to bring them back before they settle on a competitor.
Measuring Results
The chain will judge the strategy by the share of target customers returning within twelve months, the number of fleet accounts, the share of deferred safety repairs completed after follow-up and customer satisfaction ratings, compared with the two years before.
Conclusion
Route 66's CRM system failed because it was purchased as software, not adopted as a strategy. Payne and Frow's framework shows the missing steps, Rigby and colleagues' perils explain the failure and Reinartz and colleagues' evidence suggests that doing the processes well matters more than the tool. Choosing target customers, offering them honest and timely service, and changing how employees work can make the system the company already owns finally pay off.
References
Payne, A., & Frow, P. (2005). A strategic framework for customer relationship management. Journal of Marketing, 69(4), 167-176. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.2005.69.4.167
Reinartz, W., Krafft, M., & Hoyer, W. D. (2004). The customer relationship management process: Its measurement and impact on performance. Journal of Marketing Research, 41(3), 293-305. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.41.3.293.35991
Rigby, D. K., Reichheld, F. F., & Schefter, P. (2002). Avoid the four perils of CRM. Harvard Business Review, 80(2), 101-109.
MGT 215 Module 1 instructions, in plain terms
Aspen describes MGT 215 as exploring the aspects and impacts of CRM and how companies establish and maintain customer relationships, and a first paper usually asks what CRM is and how a company should approach it. Look to your classroom for the Module 1 wording; one company's situation is used here to answer the question. Define CRM with research rather than a vendor's description. Explain the strategic choices that must come before technology, such as which customers to serve and what value to offer. Describe common reasons CRM efforts fail. Use evidence on whether and how CRM improves performance. Test the concepts on one actual or invented company. End with a strategy that names target customers, what the company will do differently and how it will measure results.
How this MGT 215 Module 1 example is built
The paper begins with Route 66 Tire and Service, its nine shops and a CRM system that holds 41,000 customer records but sends only generic coupons. Payne and Frow's Journal of Marketing article sets out five processes: strategy development, value creation, multichannel integration, information management and performance assessment. Rigby, Reichheld and Schefter's Harvard Business Review article lists four perils, including implementing CRM before creating a customer strategy. Reinartz, Krafft and Hoyer's Journal of Marketing Research study found that CRM processes spanning initiation, maintenance and termination of relationships were associated with better performance. A table compares what the chain records about customers with how it uses each item. The strategy targets families and small fleets, sends reminders based on actual mileage and tire wear, and trains service writers to recommend only needed work.
Reading the MGT 215 Module 1 grading rubric
Instructors grading an opening CRM paper look first for a definition grounded in research, then for a clear account of strategy before tools, then for evidence and a practical recommendation. This example defines CRM through Payne and Frow's framework and uses it to diagnose the chain's problem step by step. Rigby and colleagues' perils explain the failure in terms a manager would recognize, and Reinartz and colleagues' study supplies evidence that CRM processes, not software alone, relate to performance. The table shows the gap between data collected and data used, which is the paper's central finding. The recommended strategy names its target customers and measures, which makes it testable rather than aspirational.
MGT 215 Module 1 help from the desk
Many first CRM papers describe software features and call that a strategy. Start with who the company wants as customers and what it will offer them, then explain what tools serve that. Another weakness is defining CRM vaguely; use a framework from research. Identify why CRM efforts commonly fail and whether those reasons apply to your company. Support claims about performance with evidence. Be specific about customers, for example which segments are most valuable and what they need. Keep the strategy realistic for the company's size. Finally, include measures, such as retention or visits per year, so the strategy can be judged by results.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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MGT 215 Module 1 questions, answered
What does MGT 215 Module 1 usually ask for?
Aspen's MGT 215 begins with CRM as a business strategy, so a paper defining CRM and explaining how a company should approach it is typical. Check your classroom prompt.
Is CRM a type of software?
CRM software exists, but CRM itself is a strategy for building profitable relationships with chosen customers; the software only supports that strategy.
Why do CRM projects fail?
Rigby, Reichheld and Schefter identified common perils, including implementing CRM before creating a customer strategy and letting technology lead instead of customer needs.
Where can I find a free MGT 215 Module 1 sample paper?
The full paper appears above: a chain of tire and auto service shops whose CRM system changed nothing, analyzed with Payne and Frow's framework, the four perils and a new strategy.
Does CRM improve company performance?
Reinartz, Krafft and Hoyer found that companies whose CRM processes covered the whole customer relationship tended to perform better.