Liverpool FC has signed a multi-year deal with comms firm Mitel as it continues on its quest to boost the customer experience and satisfaction levels.
The idea behind the union is to make use of the cloud and communications platform to ensure fans can interact with the club using whatever medium they choose, whenever suits them best. That also includes a self-service element should fans so wish.
By focusing on Omnichannel, LFC hopes to be able to offer fans a better experience regardless of how they choose to interact with the club. The key reason, LFC CEO Peter Moore says, being because fans are the heart and soul of what makes the club successful.
He stressed the LFC is focused on three key areas: engaging fans, driving growth and investing in technology.
"We couldn’t be happier that you are part of our family,” Moore told a room full of assembled Mitel executives, partners and press.
"We can’t do this [the fan-centric vision] without technology partners. We can do it through technology and with unified communications. I know you’re [Mitel] going to make our lives and our families’ lives better."
Moore claimed the club has a whopping 771 million fans around the world. However, with a home stadium capacity of just shy of 55,000, most of them will never get to see their team play at Anfield.
"We are powered by a global pulse and that is both a challenge and an opportunity for me… We are by far the most watched team in the world," he said.
"How do we manage that emotional conflict between the lad from Bootle and the lad from Bangkok who both believe they deserve a ticket?"
The partnership, the financial terms of which have not been disclosed, will also have wider benefits that help enhance efficiency for those working in Anfield stadium itself as well as LFC’s head office, training grounds and retail facilities.
Employees will have the necessary tools at their disposal to work anywhere on any device to communicate with their peers and customers alike.
Moore is not shy about claiming it is the most-watched football club in the world and while the stats themselves may be contested the sentiment cannot.
"We are the number one tourist attraction in the city. The Beatles are big… So, one of the challenges I have as CEO is how do I take this incredibly unique football club [to the next level]?" He said.
"Football means more to the people in this city than it does anywhere else in the world. We take enormous pride in the fact that we have received - for the third year in a row - the Visit Football awards for the best stadium to visit… For those who work for the club, it means more than just a job. It’s not a 9-5. It is something very special."
The partnership will involve the integration of Salesforce CRM to provide one single view of the fan so their comms history with the club is visible to agents regardless of the channel utilised. This, LFC hopes, will position it to offer a much more tailored fan experience.
"We have both evolved and both changed. You have to evolve, you have to grow, you have to change and you have to be prepared to bet on the future," said Graham Bevington, Mitel’s executive vice president of business development.
"Customer experience is at the forefront of everything Liverpool does. And it’s at the forefront of everything we think about."
Moore added: "I couldn’t be more excited about the partnership as to what you bring to what we need."
