Coventry City FC launch smart ticketing scheme

The championship side has invested in a new ticketing and CRM system, TALENT Sport, designed especially for sports clubs and developed by Software4Sport, in order to launch a range of new services for supporters and build revenue for the club. The system is built in a modular structure, so on top of the core ticketing and CRM, with integrated modules such as web sales, marketing and automated telephone sales.

The club has also launched a new SMARTcard scheme using SkiData technology, in order to have greater control over security and stadium access.

Ken Sharp, Commercial Director for Coventry City FC says, "We had two key goals in mind for the new system - firstly to deliver a higher level of service to our customers. Secondly, we wanted to reduce our operating costs and develop revenue from tickets, merchandise and sponsorships in order to help us invest in the club and get us back where we belong - the premiership. We reviewed all the systems on the market and selected TALENT Sport because Software4Sport have a good reputation for delivery and integrating TALENT Sport to smartcard schemes. Secondly, because the system's web and automated telephone sales facilities are easy to use and very flexible."

Since going live with TALENT Sport at the start of the season, the club has launched a new web sales service which allows supporters to buy tickets directly from the club's website. Tickets bought online can be printed at home and provides admission on matchday using the club's new SMARTcard barcoding technology. The club will soon launch TALENT Sport's Automated Telephone Sales (ATS) module which will let supporters book tickets 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for home fixtures.

Glenn Jackson, Managing Director for Software4Sport says, "In a sports club, the ticket office faces incredibly tight timescales in which to sell thousands of tickets. Often, this means that they have to hire and train temporary staff to cope with the demand - which can be expensive. Automated Telephone Sales helps clubs to reduce queues by channelling routine calls through an automated route. Coventry will be able to order additional lines whenever it is getting busy. Afterwards, they can switch them off when the queues have gone down, so they are only paying for what they use."

The club is leasing the TALENT Sport system and the hardware that it runs on, for a low, fixed quarterly fee, instead of buying both outright. Glenn Jackson says: "Cash flow for sports clubs is unpredictable. You can't be sure what league you'll be in next season, or what your income will be. A hosted solution is ideal for clubs who want to avoid upfront capital costs and spread their payments out. It is also great for clubs who have limited IT resource in-house. It is really starting to take off in sport and we think it'll get bigger and bigger as more clubs realise the cost benefits."

All turnstiles at the ground now have electron readers which provide lighted radio frequency entry identification for access to the stadium. Season ticket holders have now all received SMART season ticket cards, instead of the traditional paper booklet. Non-season ticket holders will also use the SMART technology - any match tickets sent by the club or printed out at home contain a barcode to provide access at the turnstiles.

The introduction of the SMART cards is a platform for the club to introduce other innovations such as a cashless stadium and car-parking facilities. Ken Sharp says, "The new smartcard scheme will help us to take a direct marketing approach to include monthly payments, retail sales tracking and a new flexi card arrangement."

Other football clubs using TALENT Sport include Liverpool FC, Rangers FC, Manchester City FC, Bradford Bulls, Burnley FC, Panathinaikos FC, Natal Sharks, Newcastle United FC, Reading FC, Durham CCC, Leeds United FC, Leicester Tigers, Crewe Alexandra FC, Newcastle United FC, Saracens and Sunderland FC.

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.