RELATIONSHIP MARKETING VERSUS CALL CENTER OPERATION: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MOBILE PHONE SERVICE PROVIDERS COMPETING IN THE STATE OF SÃO PAULO (BR) <BR> DOI: 10.5585/remark.v8i1.2129

Abstract

Customer interaction strategies based on Relationship Marketing approaches have been adopted more frequently due to the growth of its relevance released by the firms and its knowledge about the market. The acknowledgement of such trend was the fundamental reason to investigate the mobile phone operators and their strategic behaviors and perspectives related to their communicated positioning and relationship practices, operationally conducted by telemarketing units. Then, a platform of comparison has been built taking into consideration brand/business positioning and direct marketing procedures. A conceptual structure related to the organizations was developed considering the bases presented in theoretical foundations, also associated to a critical revision of the recent history of telecommunication in Brazil. In this context, this exploratory nature paper based on qualitative research with managers and professional people working directly with the market, examines the companies comparatively, using the content analysis of the interviews. The investigation offers a comparative evaluation among Call Center operations, positioning, strategies and objectives of the organizations.