管理關鍵顧客群的歷程方法： 排整賣方價值主張與買方所需價值

Abstract

近年，在工業性市場中，有越來越多的企業透過關鍵顧客關係管理，期望在市場中獲利，也有日益增多的學術研究去關心關鍵顧客管理的議題，即使如此，卻鮮少有研究去關注一家廠商，是如何在資源有限的情形下，去同時照顧數個相異的關鍵顧客，並兼顧合作關係的長久發展，為了解決這些議題，本研究針對關鍵顧客管理的基本特性：時間波動性、二元互動性及顧客異質性，以雙方相互排整的理論視角，透過個案研究方法，實地與企業進行訪談觀察，進而瞭解一家企業如何去同時建構並維繫數個攸關其生存的顧客關係。 研究結果發現，雖然企業在關係初始期，即會根據顧客對企業的貢獻，去進行顧客重要性的區分，再針對篩選出來的重要顧客投入較多的心力，但這些關鍵顧客的重要性，是會隨著每一階段的合作成果、雙方互動的觀感與權力對稱性的變化而產生異動，進而使企業去動態地調整對於這些顧客的投資。因此本篇研究進一步提出不同的雙方價值排整模式：投機型、被動型、相互支持型與補償型排整。在這些不同的排整模式中，建構出影響排整過程中關鍵因素的八個研究命題。在理論貢獻上，本篇研究補強了過去研究裡，常被忽略的顧客異質性與互動二元性之階段性變化，與這些排整關鍵因素在不同階段間的相互影響。在實務貢獻上，我們也讓管理者瞭解，在每一合作階段可特別注意，或提供雙方績效衡量的標準。

Increasingly, firms in industrial market implement key account management (KAM), yet, little is known about how they manage a group of heterogeneous key accounts. Furthermore, the management of these seemly homogenous key accounts needs to address the dyadic interaction over time. To address thses three important characteristics of KAM (i.e., temporality, dyadic interactions and account heterogeneity), the present study employed a case study approach to investigate an industrial seller’s KAM practice. More specifically, we adopted the concept of alignment, which has been rooted in strategic literature to complement and extend the current KAM knowledge. Drawing upon the literature and field data, the study outlined four different alignment patterns, i.e., opportunistically connecting alignment, passively matching alignment, mutually supporting and compensatively supporting alignment in accordance with type of relationships developed in each phases with individual key account. Further, the study developed eight propositions based on bringing together the alignment patterns and the existing theoretical understanding of and empirical findings on inter-firm relationship. From a managerial point of view, we informed key account managers of activities that effectively improve value alignment and adjusted her efforts adjacent to different relational phases. From a theoretical perspective, the study deepened our understanding of how key accounts’ heterogeneity, dyadic interaction and interrelated activities in different relational stage would synthetically influence efficiency and effectiveness of a KAM process.