Challenge
Creating a Best-in-Class Digital Experience for the Youth
Sports organizations of all shapes and sizes face a major shift in the new economic environment where digital transformation calls for new opportunities in customer engagement and retention. Adopting agile technology that benefits customer service, streamlines operations, and drives revenue is the first step for achieving greater success.
PlayOn! Sports is a digital media platform that helps schools modernize the way they manage events. The company offers advanced capabilities in video production via streaming equipment that covers more than 30,000 high school sporting events per year. As with any digital media provider, PlayOn! Sports is extremely focused on continuous coverage expansion and strives to find new ways to improve customer engagement.
Solution
Automation with Precision
The first step in improving customer engagement and communication strategy was to find a solution that would automate the scheduling process for equipment installation at each school location. Previously, the company relied on outdated manual tools prone to scheduling errors and inconsistencies that often resulted in unhappy customers and missed revenue targets.
An automated scheduling platform seemed like the best way forward, and PlayOn! Sports narrowed it down to SUMO and one other vendor. The decision was made, and PlayOn! Sports signed up with SUMO.
“The Sumo Scheduler is helping us reduce the effort currently required to broker installation dates with our clients. It is also helping to accelerate our installation capabilities which needed to double over the past year.”
– Vince Maggio, VP of Operations
Customers are encouraged to self-schedule through automated email links that are seamlessly integrated with native Salesforce, so the management team can have full transparency into the number of installation appointments in a single pane of view.
Prior to the introduction of SUMO, blackout periods based on a client’s timezone were hard to estimate. This resulted in delayed equipment shipments and missed installations. With the help of SUMO, the company is now able to accurately calculate blackout periods and ship the correct equipment to the right school at the right time without having to rely on manual effort.
Results
Results from Day One
PlayOn! Sports started seeing the results of its work with SUMO almost immediately. Appointment automation made it possible to completely eliminate manual errors, thus improving client engagement. The introduction of automatic scheduling links streamlined the supply chain and dramatically reduced installation delays since they were sent out right after the equipment was shipped.
The company is now enjoying greater success with a more tailored approach to customer communication. Installation contractors can easily update their availability through the online community in a 360-degree view. Additionally, connecting schools with installers has never been easier with the new automated scheduling system which offers calendar integration and automated appointment reminders.
With SUMO staying on top of its product development, PlayOn! Sports enjoys the latest technology advancements in customer engagement technology including analytics, custom email templates, reschedule status, advanced phone options, and 24-hr support.
Looking into the future, the company plans to continue helping its clients connect with installers faster giving them clarity, confidence, and control over sporting events. PlayOn! Sports believes that the partnership with SUMO will allow them to continuously accelerate installation capabilities and connect with each customer in a highly efficient and profitable way.
