Ross County have installed new technology with the aim of making Victoria Park’s ticketing and arrival system as smooth as Old Trafford’s.
Launched in time for Sunday’s Scottish Premiership showdown with champions Rangers, the Staggies have put in place a new system which is intended to make each fan’s step-by-step process from buying a ticket to sitting in their seat hassle-free.
County chief executive Steven Ferguson is pleased with the new system and is sure it will be worth the time and investment.
He said: “The new ticketing system with electronic turnstiles is going to go live for the first time on Sunday.
“It has been a lot of work for the commercial department, and it has been spoken about for a while in regards to fan experience.
“We want it to be more user friendly, so we needed to look at it and thankfully we’ve been able to do that.
“We’ve worked with ticket.com and SKIDATA to come up with a system that’s more user-friendly.
“Supporters can now see a map of the stadium and pick the seat that they want, have an option to print their ticket at home if that’s what they want or, if they don’t have access to a printer, they can get it posted out to them or collect it at the stadium.
“We’ve taken time to take stock in a number of things over the last period, and this was a big thing we wanted to get in place for our supporters.
“It makes things a little bit better for them from the start. The process between purchasing their ticket and coming to the stadium is a lot slicker and easier to do.”
Improving fans’ experience
The former co-manager is thrilled County have got in line with many major clubs, including Manchester United, in running a system like this.
He added: “This was one of the things that the commercial department especially has put a lot of time and effort into, and to be fair the club has invested in it as well.
“We want to continually try and improve that fan experience – and buying a ticket and getting into the ground is just one part of that.
“I believe it’s the same ticketing system as it is at Old Trafford, and other clubs put in to get it the same time we did, so it’s a tried and trusted process and it’s one that we’re delighted to have in Dingwall.”
‘Step in the right direction’
Ferguson explained the club recognised there needed to be an improvement in terms of how fans bought tickets, so that it was seamless from start to finish.
He said: “We’re looking at how we can improve that fan experience, and that has been one of the things that wasn’t slick.
“It was a bit clunky and difficult to manage in the office and in reception.
“That back office bit, the systems that we were using were outdated and antiquated. When you’re dealing with the numbers that we’re dealing with playing in the Premiership, it really needs to be better than that.
“It’s a step in the right direction. Like anything else, it will take a bit of getting used to.
“Folk will be used to doing what they’ve done for ages, and there has been a change to that, but overall I know it will be much better in the long run.
“It will give us a better platform to monitor where people are in the ground and what we’ve got available, so that nobody’s going to miss out.
“We’ve got a better handle on that now, so it’s a positive step off the field for us.”
