Retail Solutions - Arsenal scores with telesales kit from Avaya

Premiership football champions Arsenal have signed Avaya to provide a contact centre system and IP telephony for the club's home shopping operation.

The company's telesales arm has seen more than 60,000 orders for merchandise in the past year. The new system and infrastructure will allow Arsenal to manage customer relationships more effectively, with instant reporting on enquiries and transactions.

IP telephony will allow Arsenal to run voice and data communications over the same network, using the same technology that runs the Internet. It gives call centre staff instant access to shopper records and stock availability as customers call in.

Arsenal commercial director Adrian Ford said: 'We want to provide fans with first-class customer service. This contact handling technology is key to this strategy and will allow us to further develop our home shipping offering.'

The call management software will provide information to help track missed calls, and will identify seasonal peaks to minimise waiting times and help to plan marketing activities such as outbound calling.