Emotional Intelligence Towards Customer Relationship Marketing

Abstract

The chapter adopts a theoretical approach to exploring the existing literature on emotional intelligence models and customer relationship marketing concept with the aim of proposing a ‘new' conceptual model interlinking emotional intelligence (EI) and customer relationship marketing (CRM). The proposed conceptual model will then be re-developed on the basis of the findings that will emerge from a qualitative case study research carried out in the Lebanese retail banking sector. The fact that the focus of this study is on the Lebanese market could potentially ‘fuel' the topic with more controversy due to the impact of the Lebanese culture affecting both the banks' organisational culture and the front-line employee behaviour. Based on an extensive search of literature, one can conclude that EI significantly affects the retail banking sector. The research study aims at interlinking EI theory with frontline employee behavior in the context of CRM through combing existing models, theoretical research and secondary data.