professional sports success story buffalo sabres...

4
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS SUCCESS STORY Buffalo Sabres Win Over Fans and Score Big with ShoreTel CHALLENGE: Implement a modern phone system that improves reliability, enables integration with key business process applications and is easy to manage in a high pressure, highly public environment. SOLUTION: The ShoreTel UC system, comprising 20 ShoreGear Voice Switches and 700 ShorePhone IP Telephones, installed throughout the $127 million, six-floor facility. BENEFITS: Integration of the ShoreTel UC system with the organization’s CRM system provides rich information about callers, making it even easier for ticket office agents to meet customer needs faster, improving customer satisfaction and increasing revenues. Support and expertise provided by ShoreTel through its partner, PremCom, gives the Buffalo Sabres and HSBC Arena the confidence they need for a demanding 24/7 business. The organization requires reliability and ease of management. ShoreTel’s call control software is distributed to every voice switch, which eliminates any single point of failure in the system, and a single image interface makes daily management tasks quick and easy. During peak hockey season, more than 18,000 fans can come to watch the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres face off at their home venue, the HSBC Arena. Located on the waterfront in Buffalo, New York, HSBC Arena is also home to the National Lacrosse League’s Buffalo Bandits, and a state-of-the-art venue designed for all kinds of live entertainment—including concerts by international rock legends such as The Police and Bruce Springsteen, Disney on Ice and Cirque du Soleil shows, and Monster Truck Thunder Slams. Controlled by the Buffalo Sabres and owned by Erie County, the arena and its 80 suites, multiple bars, pavilion and other recreational facilities, is host to all kinds of events and attractions throughout the year. Ensuring that communications throughout this $127 million facility are efficient, cost-effective and reliable, is vital to serving the interests and safety of the local population and the crowds of tourists and visitors that flock to the site. So when the Sabres’ previous aging telephone system became increasingly less reliable—dropping calls and taking longer to find replacement parts as various components failed, Mike Queeno, manager of technical communications for the Buffalo Sabres decided it was time to update the entire telephone system. ShoreTel Strikes a Perfect Face-Off Together with his IT team, Mr Queeno investigated three IP-based unified communications (UC) systems, and narrowed the field down by requesting demonstrations from ShoreTel and Cisco. “We were very hands on in looking closely at each solution demonstration, working with the system ourselves, and talking to customer references,” Mr Queeno said. “It quickly became clear that the ShoreTel solution met all of our main priorities for reliability, cost-effectiveness and its ability to integrate with other business processes.” In addition to reliability, a major requirement for the team’s UC system was the ability to integrate with its customer relationship management (CRM) system, which contains vital business intelligence about customers, campaigns and promotions and other key sales and marketing information. “The ability to put relevant CRM details at the fingertips of our staff, so they have information about the caller that can help them best answer NHL team realizes savings, reliability, and customer relations enhancements with ShoreTel

Upload: duongnhi

Post on 10-Feb-2018

221 views

Category:

Documents


3 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: PROFESSIONAL SPORTS SUCCESS STORY Buffalo Sabres …media.shoretel.com/documents/Buffalo_Sabres_success.pdf · PROFESSIONAL SPORTS SUCCESS STORY Buffalo Sabres Win Over Fans and Score

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS SUCCESS STORY

Buffalo Sabres Win Over Fans and Score Big with ShoreTel CHALLENGE:

• Implementamodernphonesystemthatimprovesreliability,enablesintegrationwithkeybusinessprocessapplicationsandiseasytomanageinahighpressure,highlypublicenvironment.

SOLUTION:

• TheShoreTelUCsystem,comprising20ShoreGearVoiceSwitchesand700ShorePhoneIPTelephones,installedthroughoutthe$127million,six-floorfacility.

BENEFITS:

• IntegrationoftheShoreTelUCsystemwiththeorganization’sCRMsystemprovidesrichinformationaboutcallers,makingiteveneasierforticketofficeagentstomeetcustomerneedsfaster,improvingcustomersatisfactionandincreasingrevenues.

• SupportandexpertiseprovidedbyShoreTelthroughitspartner,PremCom,givestheBuffaloSabresandHSBCArenatheconfidencetheyneedforademanding24/7business.

• Theorganizationrequiresreliabilityandeaseofmanagement.ShoreTel’scallcontrolsoftwareisdistributedtoeveryvoiceswitch,whicheliminatesanysinglepointoffailureinthesystem,andasingleimageinterfacemakesdailymanagementtasksquickandeasy.

Duringpeakhockeyseason,morethan18,000fanscancometowatchtheNationalHockeyLeague’sBuffaloSabresfaceoffattheirhomevenue,theHSBCArena.LocatedonthewaterfrontinBuffalo,NewYork,HSBCArenaisalsohometotheNationalLacrosseLeague’sBuffaloBandits,andastate-of-the-artvenuedesignedforallkindsofliveentertainment—includingconcertsbyinternationalrocklegendssuchasThePoliceandBruceSpringsteen,DisneyonIceandCirqueduSoleilshows,andMonsterTruckThunderSlams.ControlledbytheBuffaloSabresandownedbyErieCounty,thearenaandits80suites,multiplebars,pavilionandotherrecreationalfacilities,ishosttoallkindsofeventsandattractionsthroughouttheyear.

Ensuringthatcommunicationsthroughoutthis$127millionfacilityareefficient,cost-effectiveandreliable,isvitaltoservingtheinterestsandsafetyofthelocalpopulationandthecrowdsoftouristsandvisitorsthatflocktothesite.SowhentheSabres’previousagingtelephonesystembecameincreasinglylessreliable—droppingcallsandtakinglongertofindreplacementpartsasvariouscomponentsfailed,MikeQueeno,

manageroftechnicalcommunicationsfortheBuffaloSabresdecideditwastimetoupdatetheentiretelephonesystem.

ShoreTel Strikes a Perfect Face-Off TogetherwithhisITteam,MrQueenoinvestigatedthreeIP-basedunifiedcommunications(UC)systems,andnarrowedthefielddownbyrequestingdemonstrationsfromShoreTelandCisco.“Wewereveryhandsoninlookingcloselyateachsolutiondemonstration,workingwiththesystemourselves,andtalkingtocustomerreferences,”MrQueenosaid.“ItquicklybecameclearthattheShoreTelsolutionmetallofourmainprioritiesforreliability,cost-effectivenessanditsabilitytointegratewithotherbusinessprocesses.”

Inadditiontoreliability,amajorrequirementfortheteam’sUCsystemwastheabilitytointegratewithitscustomerrelationshipmanagement(CRM)system,whichcontainsvitalbusinessintelligenceaboutcustomers,campaignsandpromotionsandotherkeysalesandmarketinginformation.“TheabilitytoputrelevantCRMdetailsatthefingertipsofourstaff,sotheyhaveinformationaboutthecallerthatcanhelpthembestanswer

NHLteamrealizessavings,reliability,andcustomerrelationsenhancementswithShoreTel

Page 2: PROFESSIONAL SPORTS SUCCESS STORY Buffalo Sabres …media.shoretel.com/documents/Buffalo_Sabres_success.pdf · PROFESSIONAL SPORTS SUCCESS STORY Buffalo Sabres Win Over Fans and Score

PAGE 2

thecall,wasakeygoalforus,”explainedTomMatheny,databasemarketingmanagerfortheSabres.“Efficiencyfeatureslikethesearewhatunifiedcommunicationsareallabout.”

ThesmallinternalITteamwasalsoconcernedaboutreceivingpromptandresponsivesupport,sincehighavailabilityaroundtheclockforeventsandactivitiesatthearenaiscrucialforbothsafetyandcustomersatisfaction.Duringthepresentationandevaluationstageoftheprocess,MrQueenoandhisteamworkedwithShoreTelpartner,Amherst,NewYork-basedPremCom,thatalsoofferfirstcallsupportfortheShoreTelUCsystem.“PremComtooktimetounderstandourspecificbusinessneedsandshowushowwecanoptimizetheShoreTelsystemforourspecificrequirements,”MrQueenosaid.“Theywereextremelyresponsive,andgaveustheconfidencethattheywouldcontinuetoberighttherewhenweneedthem,nomatterhowsmallthequestion.Thatlevelofserviceispricelessinthistypeofenvironment.”

Sabres Score More Than A Hat Trick With ShoreTelInadditiontothesemajorpriorities,MrQueenoandhisteamwerealsoimpressedwiththeShoreTelUCsystem’seaseofinstallationandmanagement,andlowtotalcostofownership.“We’redealingwiththepublicinafairlyhighpressurekindofenvironment,andsimplycan’taffordtohaveourstafftiedupincomplexsystemmanagementtasks,”MrQueenoexplained.

PremComconductedanetworkassessmentoftheHSBCArena,anddeterminedthattheentirebuildingneededtoberewiredwithfiber,whichcameasnosurprisetotheSabresteam.Oncethenewnetworkswitcheswereinplaceanddatalineswereconnected,thedecisiontodeploytheShoreTelUCsystemmovedaheadatfullsteam.

ShoreTelprovidedtheBuffaloSabreswithmorethan20ShoreGear®VoiceSwitchesandabout700ShorePhone™IPTelephonestosupporttheorganization’smorethan530usersthroughouttheHSBCArena.ThenewUCsystemisaccessiblealsointhelockerrooms,luxurysuites,

concessionstandsandmanagementofficesthroughoutthesix-floorfacility.

WiththeShoreTelUCsysteminplaceandShoreWare®PersonalCallManagerintegratedwithMicrosoftOutlook,allBuffaloSabresemployeesarenowonthesamephoneandvoicemailsystem.TheShoreTelsystemprovidesemployeeswithintegratedmessaging,suchascontactscreenpopandcalendarintegration.ShoreWarePersonalCallManagerenablesemployeestousetheircomputerstoeasilytypeinaname,bringupanumber,andmakecallsfromlocalonlinedirectorieswiththeclickofamouse.

“Iknowalotofpeople,likeme,appreciatethatvoicemailshowsuprightine-mail,andfinditaquickandeasywaytostayaccessible,”saidMrQueeno.“Ispendalotoftimeawayfrommydesk,andsincemyvoicemailshowsupinmye-mail,itgetspushedtomycellphone.That’sabighelp.IcanseewhothemessageisfromanddecideifIneedtomakethecallrightawayorifitcanwait.”

Inadditiontopowerfuluserfeatures,ShoreTel’scallcontrolsoftwareisdistributedtoeveryvoiceswitch,whicheliminatesanysinglepointoffailureinthesystem.IntheunlikelyeventofaShoreGearVoiceSwitchfailure,otherswitchesonthenetworkwillautomaticallytakeonthecallprocessingload,socallsareneverdropped.

ShoreWare Contact Center Application Enhances The Fan Experience SincecustomerserviceandmaintainingahappyfanbaseisattheheartoftheBuffaloSabresmission,theorganizationreliesonanefficientandwell-organizedcallcentertorespondtofans’needs.ShoreWareContactCenterapplicationsprovidearangeoffeaturestosatisfytheseneeds,frombasiccallcentertosophisticateddistributedmultimediacontactcentercapabilities.WithShoreWareContactCenter,theBuffaloSabreshaveimplementedenterpriseresourcematchingofcallsbasedoncustomerandagentprofiles.Eachcallishandledquicklyandefficiently,andadvancedreal-timemanagementand

“The savings on things like

long distance are incredible,

but the simplicity, the

ability to do what we can

do with the features on the

ShoreTel UC system that

have improved our business,

and the support we get from

ShoreTel—those are the

things that are really worth

mentioning.”

Michael Queeno ManagerofTechnicalCommunicationsBuffaloSabres

Page 3: PROFESSIONAL SPORTS SUCCESS STORY Buffalo Sabres …media.shoretel.com/documents/Buffalo_Sabres_success.pdf · PROFESSIONAL SPORTS SUCCESS STORY Buffalo Sabres Win Over Fans and Score

PAGE 3

historicalmeasurementtoolsaidplanningandresourcemanagement.Furthermore,integrationoftheShoreTelUCsystemwiththeorganization’sCRMsystemmakesiteveneasierforcallcenteragentsintheticketofficetorespondtocallersfasterandprovidethemwiththemostappropriateinformation.Displaysshowrelevantinformationoncallerswhoarealreadyinthedatabasesoagentsseethecaller’slevelofparticipationandcanrespondappropriately.

ThesekindsofCRMinitiativescangreatlyhelpimprovesalesandincreaserevenues.Forinstance,newcallerscanbepresentedwithappropriatepromotionsandcampaignsdesignedtointroducethemtotheexcitementofaBuffaloSabreshockeygame.Existingfanscanbepresentedwithpromotionsandoffersthatinstillfanloyaltyandenhancetheirstadiumexperience.

“TheShoreTelUCsystemmakesiteasierforagentstohandleincomingcallsbygivingthemcriticalinformationonthecallerbeforetheyevenpickupthecall,”MrMathenysaid.“Wehaveagreatdealofinformationonsomecallers,suchasseasonticketholders.Soiftheycallin,assoonaswepickupthephone,wehaveallthatinfoon-screenandthey’reonthephoneforlesstimebecausewemeettheirneedsquickly.Ourstaffismoreefficientandthecustomer’sexperienceisenhanced.”

Workgroups Help Sabres Stay Ahead Of The GameTheBuffaloSabresteamhasestablishedseveralworkgroupsinShoreWareContactCentertohelpstreamlineefficiency.Theteamstoreisoneworkgroup,andthisenablestheBuffaloSabrestoconsolidateallitsinquirycallstoaspecifiedgroupofagents.Thisgroupcanbeaugmentedorchangedontheflytorespondtopeaksandchangesintraffic.Productivityisenhanced,andcallsareansweredquickly.Thisfeaturealsoprovidesbasicreportingcapabilitiestohelpmeasurecallvolumeandmakeworkschedulechangesasnecessary.

“Inadditiontoeachagentrespondingmuchmorequicklytoeverycaller,supervisorscanmonitoragentscloselyusingtheShoreTelUCsystem,andfurtherensurehighproductivityandcustomersatisfaction,”MrQueenosaid.“Wecanmonitorhowlongcallsareonhold,howlongeachcallistakingandsoon.Ifweneedtomakestaffchanges,wecanmakethemrightaway.Wedon’tneedtolookatacertainshiftandmakechangesforthenextshift—wecanaddstaffimmediatelytoimprovethesituationrightaway.It’sveryconvenient.”

Finally,theHSBCArenaisalsousingShoreTel’shuntgroupcapabilitytoensureallcallsareansweredbyalivepersonratherthanvoicemail.Callsringmultipleextensionsinaspecifiedsequenceorallatonce.Forexample,callsintotheeventsupportteamforaconcertorothereventcanbepickedupatanyphoneinthearena,ensuringthatthosecallsreachsomeonetheyneedquickly,whichisimportantinthistime-sensitivesituation.

CostsavingshavealsobeenahugebenefitfortheTheBuffaloSabresorganization.AsaresultofitsShoreTelimplementation,theSabreshavesavednotonlyontollchargesduetosharingthesamelineforbothdataandvoicetraffic,butalsoonserviceproviderchargesfordifficultconfigurationchanges.

“TheShoreTelUCsystemisaloteasiertoworkon,”MrQueenosaid.“IftherewassomethingIdidn’tknowhowtodowithourprevioussystem,Ihadtoaskaserviceprovidertoperformthetask,whichwasexpensiveandsometimestime-consuming.NowwecandoalmosteverythingonsiteandPremComsupportsusremotely,ifthereisanythingwecan’tdoourselves.Thatkindofpeaceofmindisinvaluablewhenyou’rehostingmorethan18,000peopleinafewhours.”

“The ShoreTel UC system

makes it easier for agents

to handle incoming calls

by giving them critical

information on the caller

before they even pick up

the call. Our staff is more

efficient and the customer’s

experience is enhanced.”

Tom Matheny DatabaseMarketingManagerBuffaloSabres

Page 4: PROFESSIONAL SPORTS SUCCESS STORY Buffalo Sabres …media.shoretel.com/documents/Buffalo_Sabres_success.pdf · PROFESSIONAL SPORTS SUCCESS STORY Buffalo Sabres Win Over Fans and Score

WORLD HEADQUARTERS 960 Stewart Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94085 USA. shoretel.com and shoretelsky.com

+1 (800) 425-9385 Toll Free +1 (408) 331-3300 Tel. +1 (408) 331-3333 Fax for ShoreTel

+1 (646) 230-5000 Tel. +1 (646) 230-5001 Fax for ShoreTel Sky

EMEA +800 408 33133 Freephone +44 (1628) 826300 Tel.

ASIA PACIFIC +61 (0)2 9959 8000 Tel.

Copyright © 2012 ShoreTel. All rights reserved. The ShoreTel logo and ShoreTel are registered trademarks of ShoreTel, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other copyrights and trademarks herein are the property of their respective owners. Specifications are subject to change without notice.

About ShoreTel

ShoreTel is a provider of business communication solutions whose brilliantly simple unified communications platforms, applications and mobile UC solutions promise a new rhythm of workforce engagement and collaboration. With costly complexity eliminated by design from its award winning, all-in-one IP phone system, UC and contact center solution, and its industry leading hosted business phone system, workers enjoy a freedom and self-reliance that other providers can’t match. Users have full control to engage and collaborate, no matter the time, place or device, for the lowest cost and demand on IT resources in the industry. ShoreTel is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has regional offices and partners worldwide. For more information, visit shoretel.com or shoretelsky.com