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Case Study | Henley RUFC
Making the club work
smarter, not harder
Further developments in mind
Martin’s always looking to the next step, and he’s already
got some plans: “Once we’re reassured the access
system’s bulletproof, it is a logical progression to integrate
the ticket office into the network.”
He explains: “Not only would this ‘tighten’ the whole
ticketing process, but potentially the costly pre-printed
“In the meanwhile, within a few more weeks we’ll soon
see where things stand in terms of the new EPoS system’s
impact on the club’s bar sales uplift, the impact on
gross and net margins, and the fuller appreciation of the
advantages we’re expecting to recoup with our paperless
and cashless approach to match tickets.”
Keeping Henley RFC up with the future
tickets could be replaced by tickets printed on demand Martin’s excited by the way that innovative use of
directly from the EPoS till printer. Open Solutions have technology can give exponential rewards, but his main
also shown us an exciting mobile handheld device that focus is on the advantages technology can deliver for
can read both barcodes and smartcards – now that really Henley RUFC, which as he’s indicated, is a community
would be very useful and could be readily integrated! It’s rugby club where the numbers really matter.
With the latest loyalty and EPoS technology from Open Solutions, Henley
RFC’s membership secretary Martin Bidlake-Corser has been transforming
the way the members benefit from their relationship with the club.
all about building and exploiting what we as a club have
got – and working smarter not harder!”
Having integrated Open Solution’s CHIPs
platform with their own membership database
and web portal, streamlining the way
the club manages itself, Henley RFC’s
members now have branded ‘smart’
membership cards to run a bar account
and their season tickets, plus the ability
to top up their club cards online via their
smartphones. How many rugby club
members can do that!?
As he comments: “What we can say is that each step we
take with developing new features with Open Solutions
and our other partners, and each time we install new
“We have
also implemented an automatic
technology, our goal is to improve the bottom line and
email alert increase
system
informs
managers
our that
productivity
– as team
I’ve said,
it’s about working
of renewals
this
is very important for
smarter etc;
instead
of harder.”
managing
our 450
plus strong
Mini and
and
He comments:
“It’s evolution
not revolution,
as a club
Junior with section
and
assists
with
RFU
bold ambitions but limited resources it’s all about
getting the ” very best return on our investment. The Open
registration.
Solutions software
recognise this and
and see
value
in working with us
“The
the
hardware
to make a big difference, a difference our members and
from Open Solutions been brilliant and
visitors value.”
very robust, but even more relevantly,
as we’re a community club and this sort
“Best of all, it’s clear that our members appreciate
of thing
doesn’t come cheap, the uplift
the way Henley RFC’s doing so much more online now,
Exploiting new technology to make
in sales
needed
to have
positive
impact
but which of course
is no a more
than the
younger – by
things easier
on the club’s
profitability.
on
which I overall
mean anyone
under 40! - Building
smartphone-toting
and over
app-friendly
generations
expect! This
vital if
this success
the past
two seasons,
we is felt
Henley RUFC exploiting
is to engage the
with smart
them and
attract more
With just under 700 members and just two
confident to consider
card’s
of them in the future.”
Martin
Bidlake-Corser Membership Secretary,
Henley RUFC
salaried employees for their bar and catering
facilities,
functionality
in assisting
match day gate management”.
the members who manage Henley RFC on a voluntary basis
always knew that the right technology would make things Finding the right partner: Open Solutions
easier to manage their increasingly complex and regulated
club.
Martin evaluated a number of systems before deciding on
As Martin Bidlake-Corser explains: “Previously, the club’s Open Solutions: “With any software, especially now with all the
systems were unconnected and paper based. We had stand- potential new opportunities that online and mobile technology
alone cash tills, and membership cards all had to be printed, can bring, we wanted a technology partner that could not only
filled in by hand and laminated. Our membership database provide us with the systems we needed now, but the capability
software didn’t ‘talk’ to the proprietary website we were then of helping us develop new ideas as well.”
using, and frankly, it was all becoming far too time consuming
“With my IT background, what I really liked about Open
and laborious. Just to make matters worse of course, by doing Solutions was that when we asked about having something
things manually any management information risked being new that didn’t come as standard, they never say ‘No, we
plagued with errors.”
can’t.’, they say ‘Let’s see what we can do.’ If it’s an idea they
For
more
information think
talk to will
our benefit
Sales Director
He continues: “More to the point, while we
were
struggling
their other customers, they’ll do it. That’s led
Les
Lawrence
on 07966
120603
with all the paperwork, there were all sorts of
things
the club
to our
members being able to top up their bar cards online via
couldn’t do until it had the right kind of technology.”
their smartphones, wherever they are and at whatever time it
01732 367 227
[email protected]
www.opensolutionsinternational.com
“For example, by developing a secure membership
portal
happens
to be.
”
1 Derek Ashton Court,
77 Mottram
Road, Stalybridge,
Cheshire,
SK15 2LY
linking to our revised database and Open Solution’s Loyalty
card platform, members can now confidently join, renew, Fully integrated membership, EPoS and card technology
(paying by credit card online through STRIPE) and update does so much more
their personal data without staff involvement, reassured that
their membership accounts and loyalty cards and balances are
Martin explains: “The new Open Solutions technology
kept secure and fully in sync.
combines our membership database with the EPoS and
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