CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT AND CUSTOMER RETENTION OF SELECTED COMPUTER BUSINESS CENTERS IN AKWA IBOM STATE UNIVERSITY, OBIOKPA CAMPUS

This study investigates the effect of customer relationship management (CRM) on customer retention at the computer operating centres within Akwa Ibom State University, Obio Akpa Campus. The research specifically assesses three key CRM components: the frequency of customer interactions, customer feedback management, and service customization. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the influence of these factors on customer retention at the university’s computer operating centres. The specific objectives include examining the effect of the frequency of customer interactions on customer retention, assessing the impact of customer feedback management, and exploring how service customization contributes to customer loyalty. The study utilized a sample size of 375 students from various faculties within Obio Akpa campus. Regression analysis was employed to test the hypotheses, and the results show that all three independent variables have a significant positive relationship with customer retention. Specifically, the frequency of customer interactions had an unstandardized coefficient of B = 0.570 (p = 0.000), customer feedback management had B = 0.607 (p = 0.000), and service customization showed B = 0.414 (p = 0.002). These findings suggest that increased frequency of customer interactions, effective feedback management, and personalized service offerings significantly enhance customer retention. Based on these results, the study recommends increasing the frequency of customer interactions, improving customer feedback management, and offering more customized services to better meet the needs of customers. This research contributes to understanding how CRM practices can effectively boost customer retention in educational and service settings.