Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore marketing analysis by developing a customer loyalty approach for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the service sector, based on customer relationship management (CRM) in the context of an emerging economy. Design/methodology/approach: This study analyzes different models of CRM in the literature and defines a loyalty approach for SMEs in the service sector. It is characterized as exploratory research, with a qualitative approach. A systematic review of the literature is undertaken as the starting point for achieving the main objective of the study. Findings: The need to develop a framework for an approach to customer loyalty for SMEs based on CRM and to make it operational. Research limitations/implications: It is a qualitative and exploratory study, applied only to a company’s two main clients. Practical implications: The contribution of this study is that it offers SMEs consistent guidelines on how best to conduct relationship management with their customers by using a systemic methodology that can be adapted to the requirements of more effective interaction between a company and its customers. It also provides coherence to the purpose of meeting customers’ needs. This is an action strategy that focuses especially on the use of tools, such as SERVQUAL, Kano and SWOT analysis, and thereby increases the competitive profile of organizations in this sector. Originality/value: This study is a new approach to customer loyalty for SMEs in the service sector, which integrates elements of CRM strategy and implementation.

This paper puts forward a framework that assists managers to prepare action plans using attributes of Kano’s Model and to order them by utilizing multi-criteria decision analysis. The framework was applied in a company, a division of which provides a vehicle tracking service. Data were collected on its top 10 customers, all of which are large companies. The results show the proposed framework contributes to the decision-making process, since it enables the order of the actions to be rationalized, and takes the multiple criteria relevant to the company into consideration. Moreover, the fact that it is difficult to rank the 20 actions needed without the approach proposed in this article reinforces the need for and the importance of the framework and other complementary contributions in order to overcome this difficulty.

Changes in the global scenario of healthcare segment have influenced the organizational dynamics. The patients have more options of service providers, and regulatory agencies have demanded the maximization of service quality, improvement of performance indexes, and expansion of service offerings. The purpose of this study is to identify which variables affect client loyalty in relation to the services provided by medicals and dentals clinics, analyzing how these measures can be used to group patients to identify the variables that are decisive for such classification. So, this study evaluated loyalty of the patients through 21 indicators. Data multivariate analysis was used to identify latent factors, to verify how customers could be classified and to identify the most relevant variables. Two latent factors were identified; three clusters by grouping them into loyalty levels and eight indicators. The determinants of satisfaction, brand value, affective commitment, loyalty intent and perceived value were the most relevant for classification. This study contributes to the analysis of the influence of determinants on loyalty intentions. The classification function can be used in health segments to predict patient behavior, and can guide managers in adapting important factors to patient loyalty.

Service quality is crucial to consumer loyalty. However, it is challenging to understand and meet customer expectations effectively. Translating customer feedback into actionable insights in the service industry poses difficulties, particularly without a systematic approach that balances customer requirements with business constraints and strategic objectives. This study proposes an approach that integrates customer perspectives into multi-criteria decision models by utilizing the fuzzy Kano model to capture service perceptions and minimize response uncertainty. It also uses 5W2H and PROMETHEE II to formulate service improvement actions and establish prioritizations, providing a structured framework for managerial implementation. When implemented in the food truck sector, this framework proves effective in addressing unique challenges, enhancing service quality, boosting customer satisfaction, and fostering loyalty. This study offers a valuable contribution to management by presenting a replicable model that aids managers in making strategic decisions, aligning customer perspectives with management efforts, and providing insights for continuously improving initiatives within the food service industry.

Purpose: The Six Sigma project aims at a continual reduction in process variation, eliminating defects or flaws in products and services, optimizing processes and reducing costs. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate improvements in customer service index (CSI), product cycle time and inventory turnover after implementation of a Six Sigma project.Design/methodology/approach: This research focused on the value stream mapping of a company process, performed by a multidisciplinary team that implemented a pull production system, the standard operational procedure in machines that were process bottlenecks, and the kanban system.Findings: After three months of implementation, the authors observed an 11.7 percent reduction in product cycle time, increase in customer service index (CSI) from 93.9 to 97 percent and increase in inventory turnovers from 4.9 to 9.Originality/value: The project was in accordance with the competitive strategy of the company, which is focused on customer satisfaction and cost reduction.

Problem statement: The Higher Education Institutions (IHL) have intensified process of introducing undergraduate and graduate courses to more remote regions, which expanded the scope of what these institutions and allowed the formation of population of these regions. This expansion (whether by on-campus or distance learning) presents new challenges for university management and integration of the players involved in this process. The purpose of this article was to demonstrate importance of information systems for university management and integration, focusing on decentralization and expansion of IHsL. Approach: The investigation was descriptive and the article is practical in nature. A case study was conducted at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil). The research proposal of article was to answer the following question: How does an information system contribute to managing university expansion? Results: Results showed the relevance of integrated management systems, given university expansion and broadened horizons observed in recent years. The system analyzed proved to be extremely efficient, since practically all university activities can be monitored and evaluated. Conclusion: It was concluded that using integrated management systems during higher learning expansion maximizes this process, resulting in credible and rapid procedures that are more efficient and more effective.