sandy Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 I have dealt with Anna about player sponsorship in the last few weeks. Really helpful and she made the whole process really smooth. No complaints from me either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediocre Pundit Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) I think some people are missing the point here. The club is generally very good on a reactive / transactional basis. In my opinion they are pretty amateur on a proactive / strategic basis. ETA: the "very good" tends to be when speaking to a person - there is still plenty of anecdotal evidence of reactive / transactional issues when dealing by email (lack of responses), logging into TAG, trying to join the Centenary Fund, trying to use ptfctickets etc... Edited August 28, 2015 by Mediocre Pundit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesusTejero Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 I received an email and a letter about renewing player sponsorship. Why would you need a reminder if you wanted to do it again? It happens every year? Do you need a reminder to renew your season ticket? I don't buy this thing about the admin being a shambles. My dealings are courteous, timely and effective. If it's easy to get other fans to attend, lets hear it. I'm intrigued. Nah you're right. Best not to bother with customer engagement or fostering and nurturing loyalty, or with making people feel valued. I don't think anyone said the club was a shambles. What there is, in my opinion, is a lack of leadership and an accompanying lack of engagement with fans, which contributes to (when added to other factors) poorer crowds and thus, consequently, less money for Archie to spend. Given that, in a previous monkey-based life, you were one of the most vitriolic posters on the forum, your backing of the club even when it's obvious to most people that there's a number of serious organisational and leadership issues at the club, is odd. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Not to be negative, but personally, the only problem I'd have with an "upgraded" season ticket is trusting whether there would be any real benefit to it. As discussed to death on here on numerous threads, the farcical elements of TAG (its not all bad, in fairness) plus the additional benefits which were meant to be with this seasons tickets (where are the discounts at retailers?) would make me skeptical in believing anything promised with an upgraded season ticket would actually be delivered. To elaborate on my idea of an upgraded ST I would keep it simple, both away from and completely separate of TAG. Something along the lines for an extra £x a designated day in hospitality, ideally where the ST holders pick their MotM etc. This could be an unfashionable game where no hospitality was planned. If exclusive to upgraded ST holders you could throw in a chairman/manager Q & A after the game. Some further fundraising within the ST Day, albeit in a small way, could be organised. Most importantly, this wouldn't be anything like TAG, which is as much a concept as anything of substance. It would simply be what it says on the tin. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneteaminglasgow Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 A "season ticket plus" idea could be a good shout. I don't know how workable it would be but say if you pay an extra 50 quid to get 2 "free days" in hospitality and a bit of merchandise thrown in or something along those lines? Again, I don't know the specifics but it could certainly be something and it would get a bit more money in the club up front if done properly. We should also expand the 3/5/7 match ticket deals. I know we have (or had) them but if we offer 3 matches for £55 as opposed to the £66 they would be then it could be a good incentive to get a few fans along to games they wouldn't normally bother with. Again, I have no idea of any of these are workable or practical but just some ideas off the top of my head. On a separate note, I seen recently that firhill was going to host a woman's international. I'm guessing we'll recieve some form of payment for that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Scimmia Rossa Posted August 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) Customer engagement? I receive at least one email a week from the club. I receive text messages. The website is updated daily. The twitter feed is one of the best i've seen from a club of our stature. We are now piloting online commentary. what else do you want Ian? Let's hear it. Specific stuff. Not generalist ramblings. As for player sponsorship, last time i looked, most were already sorted? The club did a reminder. Most of us seem to have received it. There was a page long thread on here about it too. Aye, i was pretty scathing in the past because it was light years from what we have now. What are these "leadership issues"? So it's an online thing then? Edited August 28, 2015 by La Scimmia Rossa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norgethistle Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Like Fawlty I was a TAG plus member last year and have been unable to renew or upgrade it , I was also a player sponsor and heard nothing about renewing it or had any contact on it , so that's nearly £400 the club have lost out on I was a Tag+ member then bought a ST, was informed I was now bare Tag, although I'm still Tag+ have 2 numbers now (although both ST and Tag+ bought via the ticketing site at the same login). Mailed the club and Tag never got a response (Tag+ still works thankfully) My Dads been trying to log into tag for over a season now (ST holder) and club hasn't responded to any mails. I've used the "Contact Director" on Tag+ never got a response. My Dad renewed his ST the day it came out, then was sent 2 more reminders, even after calling them to state he already had paid. It's these basic things that stem the income streams as folk just give up trying to give the cash across. To be fair to Maxi though anytime I've contacted him directly I've got an answer that day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-T-118 Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 good to hear jaf who did you sponsor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norgethistle Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Customer engagement? I receive at least one email a week from the club. I receive text messages. The website is updated daily. The twitter feed is one of the best i've seen from a club of our stature. We are now piloting online commentary. what else do you want Ian? Let's hear it. Specific stuff. Not generalist ramblings. As for player sponsorship, last time i looked, most were already sorted? The club did a reminder. Most of us seem to have received it. There was a page long thread on here about it too. Aye, i was pretty scathing in the past because it was light years from what we have now. What are these "leadership issues"? So it's an online thing then? Colin customer engagement means answering mails and returning calls in a timely manner. Twitter updates and blanket mails are all well and good but they are one way, your passing information without getting or responding to feedback. As we're loosing fans we really need to get that feedback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_mac Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) Many people have already outlined what the problems are Colin but I'll outline some for you. Get the season tickets on sale MUCH earlier, many clubs have the forms sent out in February/March. Additionally, make the 3, 5, 7 and 9 game package available all year round, this opens up the market to people who can't afford a season ticket but still want to help provide funds to Archie in pre-season. Get the centenary fund properly sorted out. Would be interested to know how many folk cancelled their direct debits when the draws weren't being made and it was generally being poorly run. Get it sorted out properly and give it a full re-launch to attract new subscribers. The Supporters Federation seems to have ground to a halt once again. There were some preliminary meetings held but all seems to have gone very quiet. Let's not forget that this was launched the night of the Morton game in April 2013. Get the onethistle marketing campaigns going again. These proved very successful and cost the club absolutely nothing as they were run by volunteers. The club decided they wanted to bring people in on salaries to do a job that was already being done very well by volunteers. Effective deployment of resources? The social media presence is great and we do well for a club of our size, but it's not translating in to more people through the gates because other areas of the operation aren't complementing it. Edited August 28, 2015 by ian_mac 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Scimmia Rossa Posted August 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) As i said, all of my emails and calls have been dealt with in a timely manner. Most seem to agree? I agree re the ticket interface. I don't like it and tend to phone to add tickets but it seems to work for most. I've always had my tickets on time. The Tag thing should be ditched. Free content is where it's at now. Very difficult to geberate revenue from a few videos etc. make it free to view on website. Onethistle marketing? What are these? How do the differ from what the club does? Why do we need a seperate group doing this? I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the tannoy. This is the single most irritating thing at the moment. Imo Ian, if you don't know who the drop on crowds is made up from, how can you say social media isn't working? it's just made up. There's no evidence to back uo your statement. The players already tour local schools. The problem is that kids for free isn't what it was. Most club's now have caught up. Some of their deals are actually more attractive. Thistle are not just competing with Celtic and Rangers. Kids are Barca, Real, Munich, Juve and any number of English team supporters. I think we need to face up to reality. There aren't loads of kids out there waiting to be turned into Thistle fans. Edited August 28, 2015 by La Scimmia Rossa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_mac Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 We also need to really start shouting about the kids for free thing again. Why not have a full month of touring local primary schools to promote the initiative. Players can take it in turns to attend each school. Furthermore, why not have an open day at Firhill specifically for primary school kids. Have the players training on the pitch for a while and cub officials giving tours of the stadium throughout the day. Much like we did during the summer for season ticket holders but make this one specifically for primary school kids. Give them a great day out and get the kids nagging their parents to take them along to the next game. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_mac Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 No evidence to back up my statement? I already said that our Social Media is good and one of the things we do well. But it's success is being countered by failures in other areas, hence the drop in crowds. I've backed up everything I've said pretty well so please stop saying otherwise when the evidence is there above. If you want people to engage with you on here you really need to think about how you go about things Colin. You asked me for suggestions and I've given you several - simply replying with more questions in the hope that some of them trip me up is pretty tiresome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Scimmia Rossa Posted August 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) So the drop in crowds is due to a failure on the club's part? Were is the evidence for that Ian? You are just saying stuff. Making it up. Specifically what is the club doing wrong and specifically how many people has that turned away? What categories were they? Kids? Adults? Concessions? You'll have the numbers right? Thanks for the engagement advice. Engagement seems to be your word for the day. Right, i'm off to enjoy my weekend. Here's hoping that striker signs. After all, that's what the thread is about. Edited August 28, 2015 by La Scimmia Rossa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B C Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Where are we losing fans our support is pretty much the same all the time barring the odd title winning season or the Campbell era? We are technically a diddy club like Morton, Raith and St Mirren and look where they are. Thistle Have no divine right to be in the SPL every year 3 seasons is great so far. Too many bumping gums here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinolasBald Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 You asked me for suggestions and I've given you several - simply replying with more questions in the hope that some of them trip me up is pretty tiresome. So the drop in crowds is due to a failure on the club's part? So these crowds that have melted away, what categories were they? Kids? Adults? Concessions? You'll have the numbers right? Were anyone of then disenchanted Rangers fans who decided to go back? Missing the point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoda-jag Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 hopefully if the striker signs, he won't perform as badly and have as much of a mare as some have lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopeless Unbeliever Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Enjoying the spectacle of RM of all people constantly defending the club. That said I generally agree with him. The fact is resources off the pitch are limited due to trying to focus as much on the playing side as possible. It's a very difficult balance to get right when you've got 2,000 supporters. In reality the off field operation is a very small business with a very small but passionate, dedicated and demanding customer base. Some things could always be better but they could also be a lot worse. It's a hellishly tough thing to do and something I would never have the slightest interest in doing myself. Good luck to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambies Lost Doo Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 We have a small number of club staff. Lots of people say more needs done. There are no resources. No fans offer to help or engage. The cycle continues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesusTejero Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Enjoying the spectacle of RM of all people constantly defending the club. That said I generally agree with him. The fact is resources off the pitch are limited due to trying to focus as much on the playing side as possible. It's a very difficult balance to get right when you've got 2,000 supporters. In reality the off field operation is a very small business with a very small but passionate, dedicated and demanding customer base. Some things could always be better but they could also be a lot worse. It's a hellishly tough thing to do and something I would never have the slightest interest in doing myself. Good luck to them. I completely agree with your point about the limited resources etc. But that is all the more reason for ensuring that anything we are able to do is done well, and I just don't think it currently is. It's also all the more reason to engage properly with fans, to involve them in developing the club's products (whether that's things like TAG or whether it's just the matchday experience more generally), and to give them an actual voice. Ian Mac mentioned the much-vaunted yet now seemingly non-existent Supporters Federation - what is the club doing with this? It's the perfect vehicle for the club to work together with the fans to improve the overall experience of coming to Firhill and of supporting Thistle more generally, yet it isn't being used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 We have a small number of club staff. Lots of people say more needs done. There are no resources. No fans offer to help or engage. The cycle continues. Is that true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fawlty Towers Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) If I could do something it would be to print this and have posters all over the office and people's desks: "A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider to our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to do so." Edited August 28, 2015 by Fawlty Towers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potty trained Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 If I could do something it would be to print this and have posters all over the office and people's desks: "A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider to our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to do so." ^^^^^ Sexist :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 "A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider to our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to do so." Still won't get you a pint any quicker in a Wetherspoons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metz Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Don't mind admitting it but don't really follow the gist of this thread. Commented previously if you truly are a fan then get out and support the team, buy a season ticket if you can or at the least get to as many games as you can. If you are not going to the games don't hide behind the state of the bing, the website, responses to e-mails, poor tag, the club shop, the main stand etc etc etc they don't really matter. What really matters is the paying punter through the gate and you not contributing hurts the club more than the issues you are complaining about. If you really are a fan stop whinging and get out and support the team, if not do me a favour and refrain from commenting on this forum its for Jags fans after all. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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