Harte Hanks powers sports league’s digital fan experience overhaul
TEXAS, UNITED STATES — A professional sports league has tackled its customer support challenges head-on with a cutting-edge digital transformation. Partnering with Harte Hanks, the league streamlined its fragmented systems, slashing resolution times and boosting fan engagement.
Unified technology drives efficiency and fan satisfaction
The league’s outdated and disjointed customer support systems were struggling under the weight of rising fan inquiries. With seven disconnected technologies in place, response times lagged, and insights into customer needs were limited.
The lack of integration meant agents couldn’t efficiently track or resolve issues, frustrating fans and straining resources.
Harte Hanks stepped in, implementing Oracle customer experience (CX), a centralized customer relationship management (CRM) platform that consolidated support channels—phone, email, web, and a Knowledge Base. This change not only enhances the resolution speed of issues by 20% but also allows for easy tracking of fan interactions.
The league’s VP of Operations reported a 62% increase in support contacts during the season. Such emphasis on the new system’s ability to cope with the spike without affecting service quality is noteworthy.
Digital-first strategy reduces costs, boosts engagement
Aware of the change in the behavior of fans, the league prioritized shifting the support interactions from expensive telephone conversations to digital channels.
By pushing live chat and email, they achieved a 22% increase in digital interactions, cutting operational expenses while maintaining responsiveness. The strategy also included scalable onshore and offshore teams, ensuring consistent support during peak demand.
The revamped self-service portal proved particularly successful, with sub-70% exit rates, showing fans stayed engaged rather than abandoning the site.
Additionally, the 1.0:1.4 ratio of subscribers to Knowledge Base usage highlighted fans’ growing reliance on self-help tools. This shift not only eased pressure on agents but also empowered fans with instant solutions—a win for both efficiency and user experience.
The league’s collaboration with Harte Hanks has now defined a new standard in customer support in sports and demonstrated how focusing on a unified digital-first approach can improve operational efficiency and fan happiness.
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