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Green 4 Solutions has built its reputation by building CRM solutions for the Sports Industry, focusing on the commercial and more recently the playing aspects of the game. Using the same Microsoft Technology that appears in their CRM software, Green 4 have extended their offering to a suite of services which range from e-marketing, event booking, ticketing, loyalty, sports administration and Player Performance.

Off the field, CRM plays a key role as a centralized customer database, accumulating data every time there is an interaction with the consumer. To paint the clearest picture it is essential that data from purchase transactions, enquiries and campaign responses are all retained, which can prove challenging if the booking system is held using old or proprietary technology. Moving on the field, Player Performance software unites, harmonizes and simplifies the collation, analysis and output of all the daily/weekly testing that players go through.

Green 4′s client base now includes over 30 English and International Football League clubs, plus some of the country’s most iconic horse race tracks and representations from Rugby Union, Rugby League, motor sports and winter sports, including the two of UK’s largest indoor ski centers.

Olwen Astley, Head of Player Performance at Green 4 Solutions, says that the data capture and manipulation options for clients are customizable based on preference and application. “The data can be collected in various different manners. This can be directly entered into the system itself (which is web-based) or we have created various different portals to simplify data entry (which then feeds directly to the database) and this can be done through computers, handheld devices, iPads, web based phones, to name a few.” Astley’s academic background has allowed her to be directly involved in Green 4 Solution’s distinct CRM services. Upon completing a degree in Sport Science and Management at Nottingham Trent University, she worked directly for Green 4. After a year of working with them, Green 4 was approached by (current customer) Leicester City FC to develop a Performance Monitoring System. Astley was drafted to manage the product due to her academic background in Sport Science. She has since been able to apply her expertise Sport Science and business processes to enable Green 4 to bring this (and other similar) solutions to market.”

Data Collection

Green 4′s services are based on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM engine and enable businesses to integrate all their data into one single system, making it easier to profile contacts and organizations, manage their data effectively and use it as efficiently as possible, either to promote customer offers or identify possible injury risks with your players. With such a high demand for their services, Green 4 Solution has become the primary solutions provider (by volume) of Microsoft Dynamics systems in the UK. “We have chosen the most proven, tested and widely used CRM platform as the “engine” for our Player Performance solution – Microsoft Dynamics CRM . This means that much of the core database functionality is provided ‘out of the box’.” Astley adds that this allows for a much easier integration into a client’s existing Microsoft products, “Being a Microsoft Dynamics Gold Partner and development partner it allows us to seamlessly develop on top of other Microsoft Products.”

Versatility

Green 4 have gone beyond their scope of professional sports organizations to include sports governing bodies, coaching departments, and events & entertainment sectors. With a solid foundation of standards and software delivery, Astley says that they are in a much better position to tailor CRM services, no matter what the client’s environment looks like. “With Player Performance, and all our other software, the fundamental areas have already been created, the additional sections which are specific to the club can then easily and quickly be added to the system. Therefore, offering clubs a solution which completely fits their coaching staff needs, and can be delivered in a speedy time frame. Green 4 has created a standard Player Performance solution which now has the ability to be continuously developed and tailored for various sports, and be deployed throughout a sports organization to cater for various business unit’s needs.” Astley points out that not only does Green 4 provide all their CRM services for data manipulation, but establishes a foundation for future scalability.

Challenges

Designing and implementing CRM frameworks for sports organizations with varying requirements cannot be completed successfully without some challenges. The Green 4 team has to be flexible enough to react to the fluid properties of both technology and client demands. “The key challenges have been to ensure we are constantly adapting to the changing environment we work in – understanding the requirements and ensuring the system can fit this need.” Astley adds that it pays to go that extra mile to ensure the customer’s needs are met, “We went through rigorous development procedures to ensure the system was adapted to the sport industry, spending hands on time with the club to make sure that we were creating a system that was relevant and could cope with the various ways clubs need to be able to log and view information.”

Looking ahead

Astley says that “Green 4 will continue to refine current CRM solution and develop new avenues of data customization, Further down the line; Player Performance will focus on the analytical features of the product. We are currently working on partnerships with specialist organizations that have a wealth of experience in delivering our analysis services to the sporting industry (from clubs to international athletes and organizations). The focus of this is to build in algorithms and red flags into the system, so coaches can be alerted of a potential issue with a player. Being a pro-active system rather than a reactive system is the ultimate aim. The other arm is to offer sport analysis consultancy to help each club enhance their understanding of the data and for this to be built into their system.”

*Originally published in Sports Activated magazine: http://www.sportsactivated.com/March2011