Battlefield or Coexistence? Customer Knowledge Creation in the Financial Management of a B2B SME

Abstract

Firms often seek new knowledge from external sources like customers to enhance customer satisfaction. This requires the efficient management of customer knowledge, not only in the firm’s marketing but also in other functions to provide enablers for overall customer experience. This paper addresses the question of “how is customer knowledge created in the financial management process of B2B SME?”. The phenomenon is empirically explored using a case study research strategy that was carried out by the semi-structured interview research method and theory-guided analysis. The case SME sells and develops well-being service solutions in the B2B market in Finland. The business is characterised by credit sales and the subsequent accounts receivable, which initially puts customer understanding at the forefront to enable better decision-making in managing customer risks. The paper concludes that the creation of B2B financial knowledge in an SME seems to vary related to the characteristics of the O2C process resulting in diversified understanding of the financial position and customer behaviour of B2B customers. The SME’s process of creation of B2B customer financial data varies due to the knowledge needs emerging in different phases of O2C processes. Whereas the routine process seems to rest on the use of a customer’s explicit financial data gathered mainly from inside the company, an unexpected process, which is typically by face-to-face encounters with customers, increases a need for tacit knowledge embodied in employees. Based on the empirical findings, the study concludes that customer knowledge creation plays a critical role in the financial processes of a B2B SME. This further indicates that the management of customer knowledge and the finance of B2B firms match each other nicely, forming a coexistence rather than a battlefield.