Reinventing the Traditional Hockey Game Experience, One Interaction at a Time

A lot has changed since the Ottawa Senators returned to the NHL in 1992. Hockey has changed, technology has changed and fan expectations have changed.

One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is our commitment to delivering a best in class fan experience for our loyal supporters to keep them coming back.

Each year, more than 750,000 patrons attend Ottawa Senators home games. Customers are demanding greater interactions, better access and more personal experiences. Indeed, expectations are changing and we’re now connecting with our fans–not just at the rink, but beyond it.

Technology has provided an opportunity for the Ottawa Senators to connect with customers in new ways and to raise the bar on our customer experience and service.

A year ago we unlocked how we would heighten our engagement with hundreds and thousands of customers. We partnered with salesforce.com, a leader in cloud technology, mobile, social and helping companies connect with customers in a whole new way, and began a game-changing process for our fans.

Using salesforce.com’s powerful platform, we integrated its Sales Cloud and Service Cloud into our systems. This put all customer information in one location, allowing us to create customized experiences every time. The cutting-edge technology provided us with easy access to customer ideas, feedback and suggestions, giving us the ability to not only listen to our fans, but implement changes that have real impact on their experiences.

Take for example our community that will launch just in time for the start of 2014/2015 NHL season. Using salesforce.com’s Community Cloud, we’ve created a digital portal for our customers, which allows users to access information on players, games and local events as well as share on-site food preferences, parking suggestions and ideas for the club. Never before has our relationship with our customers been so intimate.

We’ve begun a five-year journey, #SensVision25 leading up to our 25th anniversary in the 2017-2018 season. We’re planning to enhance fan experiences in coming seasons through a series of technological and physical changes including increased mobile options, free Wi-Fi, changes to the arena bowl and an upgraded parking experience at Canadian Tire Centre.

With the help of salesforce.com we’re changing the way hockey fans interact with Canada’s favourite sport.

By: Chris Atack

Director of Service & Retention at Ottawa Senators Hockey Club