GAME CHANGERS: SSO (Single Sign-On)

GAME CHANGERS is a series of articles in which TISA presents its most cutting-edge solutions for sports entities to reach a new level of digital transformation.

As technology continues to evolve, it has become increasingly important for football clubs to keep up with the latest innovations in order to improve their performance and stay ahead of the competition. 

In this series, we will be exploring a range of innovative digital solutions that are helping football clubs to achieve their goals, both on and off the pitch.

From improving fan engagement to streamlining operations and boosting performance, these solutions are transforming the way that football clubs do business. So whether you’re a fan, a club owner, or simply interested in the future of digital technology in football, you’re sure to find something of interest in this series.

SSO (Single Sign-On)

Imagine you are the head of digital in a sports club managing a complex digital ecosystem built of various modules – website, mobile app, CMS, fan store, ticketing system, WEB 3.0 wallet, social media and a gaming centre. Quite a few things to handle, isn’t it? 

You care about your fans. You would like to give them the best experience possible. What is one of the must-haves you can’t omit? SSO! 

From the fans’ perspective, SSO is a tool that facilitates the process of registration. One login, one password. That’s all that supporters need to create their unique Fan ID. A key to the entire ecosystem of your organisation.

Look how convenient it is! By registering to only one application, your fan can log in to all other related platforms. Imagine a new user entering your ticket service that immediately has the option to log into your store. Motivating to buy more products from you, isn’t it?

This is also exactly what Legia Warszawa and Ekstraklasa does, thanks to TISA’s innovative products. Sounds cool? Check what other benefits it brings.

What is SSO?

​​From a sports club’s perspective, SSO forms one of the instruments for identity and data management. Thanks to it, all the applications and systems that are connected within one sports organisation collect and process data to one place.

Sports fans engagement is cyclical. It grows to exorbitant sizes on the Match Days. It drops significantly between them. Activating fans outside of the Match Days is one of the key elements in attracting new sponsors and business partners.

The more convenient your digital solutions are, the easier it is for your fans to interact with you, the higher your chances to actively engage them in the club’s everyday life.

Discover the power of SSO:

• Collect all the data about your users in one place;
• Send supporters personalised messages adjusted to their interests;
• Boost fan engagement between Match Days;
• Allow your fans to have one login and password to your whole digital ecosystem no matter how complex it is;
• Integrate your SSO solution with external third-party service providers;
• Enhance the security of your fans by reducing data & access breaches;
• Manage your users better;
• Increase revenue and brand loyalty.

With SSO, communication with the members of your community will become better than it has ever been before. Get ready to elevate your fans’ experience!

6 SSO Benefits for Sports Clubs

If you were to look at the SSO as an iceberg, the possibility of activating fans outside the Match Days would only be the peak. There are many hidden advantages of implementing SSO in your organisation. Check them out. 

1. Data-management Platform ⇒ Data-driven Club

Thanks to SSO implementation, we collect all data on fans in one place, which means we obtain a classical data-management platform. It brings us closer to making decisions based on real figures, which eventually will help us become a data-driven club. It’s an innovative approach that you can boast of to the world.

2. Improved personalisation ⇒ Improved marketing and sales actions

By possessing data about fans, you can use them to improve your marketing and sales activities. By carefully segmenting your supporters, you’re getting closer to choosing the best approach to meet their needs. Knowing the user’s movement, you can offer various elements that will increase fan engagement, monetisation and sales. Such targeted marketing will lead to a rise in total revenues from merchandise, sponsors and Match Days.

3. First-party data > Third-party data

Major browsing platforms (Safari, Firefox, Google) are on the way to make searching on the internet as private as possible. It will become extremely tough to track and target your users if they use multiple platforms and devices. Collecting first-party data instead of third-party will be a game-changer essential to adjust to a new reality.

4. Data visualisation

Once integrated, SSO becomes your primary source of truth for customer data. It’s so important to process data in the way it’s understandable to every employee in your club. Collecting data and reorganising it is just the first step. The next one is to visualise it so that it’s usable by “non-data people”.The more employees understand the data you have, the greater the chances of your club coming up with new, successful solutions.

5. Scalability of SSO = becoming more attractive to new business partners

Single Sign-On can be used in a scalable manner. We can add an infinite number of new applications to an already existing system. This makes us much more attractive to potential new business partners as we facilitate the everyday interactions between supporters and sponsors. It might constitute a break-even point in your negotiations with new brands willing to invest in your organisation!

6. Lower cost of data maintenance

Imagine you are an ever-expanding sports club without SSO. What does this mean for you? One, two, three, four, five, six (maybe even more!) databases.Now imagine you have SSO. What happens? You’re right! Your cost of data maintenance drops significantly. No longer do you need to have several databases – you store everything in one.Savings quickly offset the relatively high cost of the initial investment in SSO. In the long-term, lower costs of maintenance save you more money than integrating third-party platforms.

4 SSO Benefits for Sports Fans

We already know the greatest advantage coming from SSO to your supporters. One login, one password. To any system in your club you need. 

What other benefits may the use of SSO bring to your fans? 

1. No need to remember various passwords -> fewer issues

With Single Sign-On, users have only one set of credentials to remember, which reduces the number of support requests. The more complicated the systems’ access, the larger amount of time you need to spend on solving the issues that your fans may have. Fortunately, SSO is the solution to the problem that allows you to redirect your human resources to other areas.

2. Data is secure

All the data that supporters share with TISA is safe. We use so-called “Amazon elements” which base their mechanism on the series of keys for security.

To visualise it, imagine two sets of bags. One bag contains sensitive data, and the other is full of dry data that cannot be used without context. Our keys link these sacks. Thanks to it, we know which data matches which user. It’s impossible to be intercepted by any outsider.

We should realise that many websites don’t store our data safely. That’s why, from time to time, we read about the leakage of sensitive data in more or less known websites and platforms. Use SSO in sports clubs to stand out!

3. New application? Use the “Login via Sports Club” button

Suppose you (or your business partner) launches a new application. SSO is scalable, which means you can connect an infinite number of new elements and systems to it. Thus, whatever new app appears, your fan will be able to apply the “Login via Sports Club” button to use it. It’s very convenient!

4. Gamification = Appreciation

Collecting all data in one place allows you to introduce new solutions i.e based on Gamification. By analysing who makes the greatest contribution to the development of your club, you can appreciate these people with additional “points” that they will be able to exchange for prizes related to your club.

Not only will it enhance your fan experience, but it will also have a positive impact on motivating your supporters to be more active in the club’s everyday life. Additional discounts, promotions, exclusive information and content. That’s what you can offer to your most devoted supporters!

Revenue expansion ideas

Looking to boost your sports club or league’s revenue? SSO is the perfect tool for you! Here are four ways you can use it to increase your profits:

• Revolutionise your e-commerce platform with SSO, making it a breeze for fans to purchase tickets, merchandise, and other products with fewer steps, increasing revenue.
• Leverage SSO to collect and analyse user data across multiple online services, and personalise advertising and promotional offers for individual fans, increasing conversions and revenue.
• Unleash new sponsorship opportunities and boost online engagement with SSO. By improving the user experience, attract more fans to your online services, resulting in increased visibility and sponsorship opportunities, driving additional revenue.
• Unlock premium content and elevate the fan experience with SSO’s ability to offer exclusive content access, such as live streams or behind-the-scenes footage, for an additional fee, creating a new revenue stream for your club or league.

What’s the best strategy for you?

There is no unique answer to such a question! Each sports club, league or federation is different. All over the world, we have different communities with different backgrounds, emotions, habits, financial resources and willingness to pay for digital assets. 

We suggest organising a meeting to discuss various strategies that can meet your needs and expectations. We have over 100 sponsor activation ideas – SSO being one of the tools to achieve it.

If you would like to know more about what TISA can offer you, check our website or contact us directly. We will be happy to discuss your case!