Customer Relationship Management and Survival of Manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria

Many firms, especially manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs), have ignored the need for good customer relationship management (CRM), which has caused many customer losses. This study examines the effect of CRM on the survival of manufacturing SMEs in Anambra State, Nigeria. This quantitative study adopted a positivistic paradigm and a survey research method. The population of the study was the owner and managers of manufacturing SMEs in Anambra State, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was adopted for data collected from owners and managers of manufacturing SMEs. Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) and other statistics were used to analyse the data. The study found that customer orientation has a more significant and positive effect on the survival of manufacturing SMEs, followed by service quality and customer service. At the same time, complaint handling significantly and negatively affects manufacturing SMEs' survival. The study concluded that CRM significantly affects the survival of manufacturing SMEs in Anambra State, Nigeria. The paper recommends, amongst others, that SMEs should acknowledge customer orientation as an effective strategy in ensuring companies keep abreast of customer needs to satisfy them and ensure survival effectively.