Technology readiness of B2B firms and AI-based customer relationship management capability for enhancing social sustainability performance

This study contributes to the extant literature by empirically investigating the influence of Business-to-Business (B2B) firms’ technology readiness on information technology capability and artificial intelligence-based customer relationship management (AI-CRM) and finally, on relationship performance and social sustainability performance. We leverage primary data from 217 samples and examine the firm's social sustainability performance. Drawing on the paradigm of dynamic capability view, we found that a B2B firm's technology readiness has a positive relationship with information and communication technology and AI-CRM capability. Information and communication technology capability also has a positive and significant relationship with AI-CRM capability. B2B firms' relationship performance has a significant and positive relationship with social sustainability performance. A key finding of this study is that a B2B firm's information and communication technology capability mediates between technology readiness and AI-CRM capability. Additionally, industry dynamism also moderates the link between information and communication technology capability and AI-CRM capability.