Global Journal of Management and Business Research, E: Marketing, Volume 22 Issue 2

promotes information and knowledge sharing, and pursues organizational goals better by influencing what employees do and how they do it" (Jones, 2013, p. 124). Jones also mentions the importance of vertical integration of all subunits. Such structure enables various subunits to interact and exchange information causing the alignment of operational and tactical goals that lead to the maximization of value creation. Finally, the researcher concludes that a customer-centric organization should divide its subunits based on functional tasks. The subunits may be divided based on customer segments if specific subunits can identify consumer needs (Reesink, 2014). Moreover, Gebauer and Kowalkowski (2012) discuss the importance of organizational structure in shaping the customer orientation of an organization. They highlight the importance of vertical integration structure in driving the organization towards a customer- oriented strategy. Then, to create customer orientation, an organization has to either set up and integrate customer teams in the sales organizations of product Strategic Business Units (SBUs) or establish customer- focused SBUs. Such a vertical integration structure requires sharing knowledge and resources between the different teams across all concerned SBUs. In addition, an organization should formulate a customer-oriented frame with all its business partners to ensure the delivery of a benefit to customers (Gebauer & Kowalkowski, 2012). VII. T echnology and C ustomer C entricity Technology includes different software for the analysis of data that is customer-centric. a) Customer Service Technology and Customer- Centricity Schawbel's (2014) interview with Jim McCann, CEO of 1-800-FLOWERS, highlighted the customer experience of 1-800-FLOWERS of customer service technology. McCann highlighted the importance of adopting new technology in the customer-centric strategy of the organization. McCann stressed the impact of the customer service technology to further the organization's customer experience initiatives. He added that the company's customer service agents use the customer service technology in capturing, accessing, and sharing knowledge that improves customer interaction and accelerates customer support. Also, McCann highlights the importance of data analysis provided by technology in building customer loyalty. In addition, he stresses the impact of hardware technology, specifically mobile phones, that organizations should exploit the opportunity to reach customers everywhere and anytime through this medium. Technological interaction engagement with customers is essential for an organization to build customer loyalty, enhance customer retention, and maximize customer value (Jim McCann, as cited in Schawbel, 2014). b) Information Technology as a Strategic Partner for Marketing in Customer Centricity 'Forbes Insights' (2015), in association with TURN, surveyed 162 U.S.-based senior executives. Their report informs that "brand intelligence solutions, customer relationship management systems, consumer intelligence technologies, and data management platforms are enabling organizations to manage better their volumes of data and better understand customers through their behaviors" (p. 4). The research highlights the importance of formulating a strategic partnership between Information Technology (IT) and marketing practices so that a customer-centric organization succeeds. In addition, according to 72% of the respondents, "companies are still focused primarily on knowledge gathering rather than making real and actionable use of their data" (p. 5). In addition, the report stresses the fact that "As data-centric tools become sophisticated and brands become appreciative of data's value, several key changes are taking place" (p. 4). In fact, "nearly half—48%—of participant senior executives answered that they plan to evangelize data discoveries to modify business and strategic objectives" (p. 4). Finally, the reportrecommends that "embracing the newfound power of data takes more than innovative technologies. Advanced organizations establish best practices to glean greater value from their data (p. 8) - as these increasingly recognize the relevance of data- driven marketing, they are investing more heavily in the necessary tools, talent, and technologies" (p. 13). c) Customer-Centricity Challenges and Information Technology Nadkarni (2010) emphasizes that "although companies are aware of the value of customer-centric efforts, less attention has been given to its implementation - especially the key role that the information technology (IT) organization plays in its eventual success" (Para 1).The growth of the customer- centricity strategy resulted in a higher emphasis on finding the organization's overall profitability due to customers and calculating customers' lifetime value. However, Nadkarni (2010) contends that"the analytics required to support such a strategy have required databases designed to enable querying of data across the various customer interactions with the company. The above deviates from the classic approach of efficiently designing databases querying account/relationship information about the customer. Such account-centric databases fall short when one has to find out about all of the customer's interactions with the company" (Para 3). Also, Galliers and Leidner (2003) contend that there should be strategic congruence between the information systems strategy and the corporate strategy. The An Assessment of Customer-Centricity Success Factors: Context of the Lebanese Market 7 Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XXII Issue II Version I Year 2022 ( )E © 2022 Global Journals