Employees’ Customer Service and Customer Relationship Management Perspectives in the Digital Era: A Case Study of Tour Companies in Fort Portal City, Uganda

Customer service management and customer relationship management are key practices that contribute to the overall customer experience and sustainable competitive differentiation. This study undertaken in Fort Portal City located in Western Uganda, examined tour company employee’s knowledge of customer service management (CSM) and views on customer relationship management (CRM). Using a structured questionnaire, data was collected and subjected to a Likert scale analysis and a chi square analysis in R studio to determine the relationship between respondents’ sex (male, female) and their views on how CRM and CSM enhance tour companies’ business performance. Results of chi-square tests revealed a significant relationship between gender and the view that tour companies prioritized application of digital technologies in CRM. Results further reveal that employees have limited understanding of customer service and customer relationship management practices especially the use of digital platforms in their business operations. This gap in knowledge curtails tour companies’ business performance and service delivery. There’s need for them to equip their employees with knowledge and technology for customer service and customer relationship management to enhance their service delivery and business performance. In addition, they need to adopt the framework for mainstreaming CSM and CRM in their businesses for long-term sustainability and a functional relationship leading to customer satisfaction and value.