When integrating a customer relationship management (CRM) capability into an existing digital ecosystem, cleaning and consolidating data becomes a high priority. For sports entities that are dismantling data silos as part of their digital renovation, whatever their size, revenue, or digital maturity, it is important to be able to establish strict processes for simplifying their datasets and a framework built to support their new CRM system from its inception.
A single sign-on (SSO) is a solution that enables users to access multiple applications and systems using a single set of login credentials. As part of its integration into the rights holder’s digital framework, it eliminates the need for users to remember multiple usernames and passwords, making it easier to navigate the organization’s various applications, advocating a more user-friendly process.
Among its benefits, the SSO also enhances an organization’s data-collection capability. By making an entity’s entire digital portfolio available via a centralized location, the rights holder not only makes it easier for users to adopt and navigate new applications, but also helps to consolidate members’ data via a unique user log-in, which provides the organization with a complete overview of the user journey across multiple platforms.
Furthermore, the SSO can provide sports organizations with other tangible benefits, such as:
1. User productivity and longer time spent online, whereby the SSO simplifies the log-in process and offers the user ease-of-access to the entity’s entire product portfolio without having to set up multiple accounts.
2. Enhanced systems security by reducing the risk of password-related breaches and improving the entity’s visibility and control over user access. User authentication also adopts end-to-end encryption via the cloud, reducing the threat of phishing scams and data leaks.
3. Reduced operations costs by minimizing the need for password-related support and cutting down a technician’s time spent attending to encryption issues. Users can also reset their password once, knowing that the new password will automatically apply to all applications.
4. Simplified auditing and data compliance by providing a centralized authentication and access-control mechanism that enables administrators to monitor user access from a single console, rather than across multiple datasets.
The power of an SSO is demonstrated throughout our World Cup Data Report 2022, published ahead of the Qatar 2022 men’s FIFA World Cup. As part of proprietary analysis of the digital transformation efforts of FIFA’s 32 members associations (MA) that participated in the tournament, according to our findings, at the time of publication, fewer than one in five of the federations we assessed collected user data via an SSO, albeit every single one collected fan data in some shape or form.
Among the MAs that demonstrated high digital maturity, the French Football Federation (FFF) scored full marks for its digital inventory and data-collection capability, while providing users access to its entire digital product portfolio, including its official website, mobile app, over-the-top (OTT) streaming service, plus its dedicated ecommerce and ticketing platforms via one unique subscription.
In return, this “helps the federation to track the user journey across all its data channels”, explains Motasem El Bawab, N3XT Sports’ Chief Information Officer (CIO), and rules out the need to clean multiple data points for individual users, which would otherwise impact the organization’s operational efficiency and ability to personalize the distribution of products/services to its fans and stakeholders.
CASES STUDY | LALIGA LEVERAGES SSO ACROSS LEAGUE’S DIGITAL MEMBERSHIP
Personalizing the user experience (UX) is a common objective for sports organizations when it comes to growing and retaining audiences. For entities modernizing and simplifying their data frameworks, the introduction of an SSO within multi-stakeholder membership platforms is helping to create a more agile ecosystem. While the implementation of an SSO can draw benefits for sports organizations of all sizes, larger properties made up of multiple parties, such as leagues and confederations, are able to extend the fan journey beyond the confines of their own digital portfolio to include those of their stakeholders, too.
By way of example, LaLiga Ecosistema, a network created by the organizing body for top-flight Spanish football, allows users to access all the assets across the LaLiga ecosystem and those of its affiliated clubs and other stakeholders via a unique fan profile. This piece of ingenuity leverages the SSO in a sophisticated way, not only granting the user freedom to roam Spanish club football’s collective digital assets using the same user profile, but also gives stakeholders a more complete overview of the LaLiga fan – in real-time – whenever they log into a new platform/asset.
Among the assets that make up LaLiga Ecosistema, the SSO grants fans access to a raft of LaLiga-owned and club-based direct-to-consumer (D2C) products, including the LaLigaSportsTV streaming service, LaLiga Fantasy Marca and LaLiga Fantasy ONE mobile apps, as well as a host of mobile and web platforms owned by clubs in the LaLiga Santander top-flight and LaLiga SmartBank second division – all made available using a centralized authentication capability.
Speaking on the subject of data collection and the sports industry’s “drive to understand fans”, Olivia Archanco, Consumer Strategy Director for LaLiga Tech, the league’s technology subsidiary, says the pursuit for data aggregation among clubs, competitions, and sponsors will “likely hatch new marketplaces” while future leaders will be those who “master data sharing and publishing”.
WHAT’S N3XT?
Introducing an SSO capability into a sports entity’s digital ecosystem can be a complex process, especially for those thinking about giving their data framework a spring clean. However, with the right direction and expertise, consolidating the UX via a single user log-in and centralized digital touchpoint lays the foundations to integrate new technologies in the future.
While multi-stakeholder leagues such as LaLiga are further along their own digital transformation journey, there are individual clubs and properties that are introducing a unique user login solution into their organization’s data framework. For example, in May last year, English Football League (EFL) outfit Blackpool FC rolled out its dedicated SSO service, Seasiders Sign On, which grants subscribers access to live-match streaming, ticketing, ecommerce, and the official club website via a single user account.
This highlights just how quickly the football sector, within the wider sports industry at large, is willing to innovate its data-collection capability at all levels of the game; within clubs, leagues, and federations. To learn more about sport’s data transformation, please download our 2023 Digital Trends in the Sports Industry and Digital Roadmap 2030 reports.
Our team at N3XT Sports works tirelessly to develop and implement digital strategies across a multitude of sports properties at federation level, competition level, and club level. To learn more about how digital transformation can support the growth of your organization and optimize your data-collection capability, fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch. Our goal is to drive the digitalization of the sports industry and our clients.