Improving Customer Service for supporters - Arsenal FC

In a nine month project in 2007/08 RXP has worked with Arsenal to establish a consolidated Customer Services team who act as a customer champion on behalf of supporters when they are buying tickets, arranging travel, home shopping or resolving membership enquiries. This has created a ‘Customer Champion’ role within the internal operation to improve the Customer Experence for supporters.

The role of the Customer Services within Arsenal
Arsenal is one of the leading football clubs in both the UK and the world and in 2006 moved into new prestigious ground location at the Emirates Stadium in North London. This superb modern venue provides capacity for 60,000 fans per match – an increase of 22,000 on the previous venue at Highbury - with demand for tickets such that every home match sold out in the 2006/07 season. The club operates a ticketing policy which strives to offer the 200,000 members wider spectator access to matches. The move to the new stadium has dramatically increased the number of customer contacts – across all areas of supporter services. RXP, as an independent customer service consultancy with experience in blue chip call centre management, has been engaged to scope the Customer Services project so that the club manages its operation to meet customer needs, not organisational structure.

Exploiting the Customer Experience
The club have very high targets for the standard of match day experience provided for supporters at Emirates Stadium with its increased capacity, use of electronic stadium access technology and significantly expanded corporate and hospitality facilities. However, the club recognises that the future sales of club products and services can only achieved by providing first class customer service to its supporters. This means reducing the telephone queuing times for callers; avoiding the need for callers to have to ring separate telephone numbers to perform different transactions and making it easy for supporters to self-serve via the web at www.arsenal.com.

Outcomes
Paul Weald, Managing Director of RXPerience comments: “The club recognise the importance of providing an efficient, professional and responsive customer service through a consistent caller experience. We are helping the club to develop the internal role of ‘Customer Champion’ whilst also streamlining the different supporter contact methods by telephone and email.”

Angus Kinnear, Head of Marketing at Arsenal comments: “We want to continue to develop the relationship with our fan base, creating a stronger brand and supporting the introduction of new supporter services in 2008 and beyond”.

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