Coping with earthquakes and COVID-19: A perspective of customer relationship management

Abstract

This study describes Customer Relationship Management (CRM) resiliency activities carried out in Puerto Rico by small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) during a series of earthquakes and the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of the study is to provide strategies to help businesses move forward and cope with negative effects of unexpected disruptive events. The data gathering process comprised 121 firms surveyed and 7 in-depth interviews with business owners and managers operating in Puerto Rico. Results reveal that reinforcing customer communications, followed by distribution and logistics re-engineering were some of the CRM resilience strategies frequently used by SMEs. By backing up their Critical Infrastructure (CI), businesses avoid telecommunications interruptions and stay in communication with stakeholders mainly via satellite and mobile Wi-Fi connections.

Keywords

• customer relationship management
• resiliency
• puerto rico
• covid-19
• earthquakes