Developing a marketing information systems (MKIS) model for South African service organizations

Abstract

Information is one of the most important resources in organizations today. The role of Marketing Information Systems (MKIS) is to facilitate the efficient and effective use of information in marketing decision-making. Service organizations are especially reliant on decision-support information, due to the complex nature of their environment. However, indications are that they are not utilizing information to their best benefit, despite the considerable advantages they might gain from it. In fact, it could be said that service organizations often seem to lack a culture of market orientation. In measuring the satisfaction with the quality of market intelligence, it becomes obvious that marketing decision-makers are generally dissatisfied with the results of MKIS. Some of the reasons are: • The 'disconnect' between information technology and marketing in organizations, which results in marketing decision-makers not getting information in the format they require, and feeling as if their requirements are not taken into account when MKIS are developed. • The lack of availability of usable customer and competitor data, which are regarded by marketing decision-makers as the most important categories of information. • The focus on generating data, but not adding value to it. Marketing decisionmakers have indicated that they require analysis, and not raw data. In order to bridge these problems, South African service organizations need to focus on the successful integration of MKIS into the organization. This requires an understanding of marketing decision-makers' requirements, closer cooperation between IT and marketing and the establishment of a culture of information sharing.

lnligting is een van die belangrikste hulpbronne van hedendaagse organisasies. Die rol van bemarkingsinligtingstelsels (BMIS) is die fasilitering van die doelmatige en effektiewe gebruik van inligting in bemarkingsbesluitneming. Diensorganisasies is veral afhanklik van besluitsondersteunende inligting, as gevolg van die komplekse aard van hulle omgewing. Tog is daar aanduidings dat hulle inligting nie tot die beste voordeel aanwend nie, ten spyte van die aansienlike voordeel wat hulle daaruit kan trek. In werklikheid kan dit gestel word dat diensorganisasies skynbaar nie 'n markgerigte kultuur het nie. In die meting van tevredenheid met die kwaliteit van markintelligensie blyk dit dat bemarkingsbesluitnemers in die algemeen ontevrede is met die resultate van BMIS. Sommige redes hiervoor: • Die gaping tussen inligtingstegnologie en bemarking in organisasies, wat daartoe lei dat bemarkingsbesluitnemers nie inligting ontvang in die formaat wat hulle vereis nie, en voel dat hulle behoeftes nie in ag geneem word wanneer BMIS ontwikkel word nie. • Die gebrek aan bruikbare inligting oor kliente en mededingers, wat deur benarkingsbesuitnemers beskou word as die belangrikste kategoriee van inligting. • Die fokus op die genereer van data, sonder om waarde daaraan toe te voeg. Bemarkingsbesluitnerners het aangedui dat hulle ontleding vereis en nie slegs 'rou' data nie. Ten einde hierdie probleme te oorbrug moet Suid-Afrikaanse diensorganisasies fokus op die suksesvolle integrasie van BMIS in die organisasie. Dit vereis begrip vir bemarkingsbesluitnemers se behoeftes, nader samewerking tussen inligtingstegnologie en bemarking en die daarstel van 'n kultuur van gedeelde inligting.