The role of Customer Knowledge Management in creating competitive advantage in Small and Medium Enterprises; (case study: in the industrial city of Khorramabad)

CKM is a combination of KM and CRM. The CKM is important to develop the business strategy of the organization and as a result to improve organizational activities and achieve competitive advantage. Nowadays in close competitive conditions, the organizations are following this concept that '' Implementation of CKM plans can be a factor to cause competitive advantage for them?” So it seems necessary to research on CKM in SME's and its role in competitive advantage. The main aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between customer knowledge management with components gaining customer knowledge, transform customer knowledge, using customer knowledge and support customer knowledge and competitive advantage with components Differentiation and Low Cost in SME's. So in this research, a conceptual model was offered that is a combination of elements of CKM and competitive advantage. The questionnaire was designed and distributed among managers and senior ‎staff and ‎P.L.S software were used for data analysis. The main hypothesis was confirmed with G.O.F criteria 75%, and from 8research hypothesis 6cases were confirmed and 2cases were not confirmed. The relationship between gaining customer knowledge and transform customer knowledge with cost leadership were not confirmed. The relationship between using customer knowledge, support customer knowledge with cost leadership and gaining customer knowledge, transform customer knowledge, using customer knowledge and support customer knowledge with Differentiation are confirmed. The results of this research can be used to increase customer orientation in organization, the importance of customer in competitive advantage, improve performance of organization and reduce the costs.