Toward Greater Sufficiency in Customer Relationships

Theoretically speaking, the aim of customer management is to develop long-lasting business relationships. This can be achieved by building customer value over time. This chapter contributes to the debate on what future customer relationships could (or should) be based on the concept of sufficiency. It discusses the potential role of customer relationship practices in the systemic collapse of today’s consumer society and invites the reader to reflect on a few customer relationship practices. The chapter draws up proposals for more sufficiency in customer relationships and asks the reader about the role that customer relationships could play in the transition to a more sufficient consumption model. It also shows how customer relationship professionals, experts in customer engagement, can work to support the transformation toward more sufficiency in consumption practices. The chapter advocates more responsible customer management practices, without calling into question their validity and relevance in the vast majority of cases.