Rookie Quebec major junior hockey league team taps NetSuite for ERP, CRM and e-commerce
Toronto — August 18, 2005 — The Saint John Sea Dogs said today that it has standardized its business operations on NetSuite, which is an on-demand business management software platform.
The newest team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Saint John Sea Dogs will use NetSuite to run its business, from powering its back-office to managing sales.
As a start-up hockey franchise, the Saint John Sea Dogs needed to be lean and nimble, both on and off the ice. Consistent, targeted communication to its season ticket holders and potential fan base was imperative. To get business processes and customer service running in full form in time for its franchise opening game on September 16, the team turned to technology for help. The Sea Dogs evaluated various software packages and found that NetSuite provided everything they needed under one umbrella.
The franchise will use NetSuite for its entire back-office, including financials, customer data and product inventory, tying all touch points into a central repository. In addition, NetSuite's customization technology, NetFlex, is expected to help the Sea Dogs integrate with Harbour Station's online ticketing system.
Finally, the system will provide marketing automation and integrate purchase history with customer information, which will allow the Sea Dogs to target promotions to fans based on past purchase history. NetSuite's on-demand model itself creates additional efficiencies for the team.
Whether traveling to away games, at home for home games or scouting during the off season, business critical information can be accessed from any Web browser, thus eliminating lag time, NetSuite said. The hosted system also allows scouts, who are based throughout Eastern Canada, to access calendars and enter expense reports. Therefore, procedures that have traditionally taken up to weeks to complete now can be done in real-time.
In preparation for our inaugural face-off on September 16, we wanted to ensure all of our back-office operations were in order, and we looked for a solution that would serve as the gathering point of all information, said David Turk, executive director for the Saint John Sea Dogs. The puck stopped with NetSuite, so to speak. We don't have an internal IT staff, so NetSuite's on-demand model was particularly attractive. It allows us to concentrate on our core business: getting fans into seats and winning games.
Steve Frappier, director of sales for NetSuite Canada, commented, We are thrilled to sign the Saint John Sea Dogs as a customer. NetSuite understands the challenges that start-ups endure to get their business started to prepare for opening day. We look forward to helping the Sea Dogs start their inaugural season on a winning streak.
