Fresno State Athletics
Customer Service Is Top Priority For Hayden
7/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
July 13, 2005
FRESNO, Calif.- There is an individual at Fresno State who prides himself on making sure you have the best possible experience while attending a Bulldog sporting event.Ironically, he has no impact on the outcome of the game. Chances are you will not see or talk to him during the event. There are probably occasions when he is so wrapped up in his work, he would not even be able to tell you the score.
Yet in most cases, his performance might have a direct effect on your decision to return.
When dealing with the public, customer service and effective communication are the main priorities. And it is with that same frame of mind that director of ticket operations Russell Hayden approaches his position at Fresno State.
According to Hayden, who oversees all aspects of the ticket office and supervises a staff comprised of full-time employees and student assistants, his daily focus centers around ensuring customer satisfaction.
"All Fresno State sports are greatly supported by the community. For the vast majority of those people in attendance, the only contact they will have with the Fresno State athletic department is when they call 278-DOGS and talk to the ticket office. From that standpoint, it is imperative that we are doing everything possible to provide them with a great experience."
And that involves much more than supplying an attendance figure at the conclusion of a game.
"Our goal is to make sure we are servicing the customer the best we can- whether it's over the phone, over the internet or through direct mail pieces," said Hayden, who arrived at Fresno State in May of 2003. "Are there any discounts or promotions tied into the event they are interested in attending? Is the ticket stock visually pleasing enough for them to keep as a souvenir? How can we display our information on the website so it is user-friendly and easily accessible?"
These are issues that Hayden has faced at one time or another during his career. He arrived at Fresno State after serving as the director of ticket/marketing operations at Long Beach State for the previous three years. Prior to his appointment at Long Beach State, he was the ticket department manager at Laguna Seca Raceway for five years. A 1989 graduate of San Diego State, he later earned his master's degree in sports/fitness management from the University of San Francisco.
Hayden already has made an impact in the ticket office in a short amount of time. Since his arrival, Fresno State has hosted multiple WAC and NCAA events and the Bulldog basketball teams have successfully transitioned into the Save Mart Center. Under his direction, the ticket office has undergone a significant ticketing software system upgrade, allowing for more options and flexibility in online ticket sales, customer service and communication. Customers can now receive V-mail, which provides a source of additional information pertaining to online purchasing options and group ticket sales. Ticket Marketplace is an online forum that allows customers to resell their tickets if they are unable to attend an event. These programs and other partnerships have flourished during Hayden's tenure.
"Russell understands and cares deeply about the important role his operation plays in the overall success of the athletic department, said Deena Diboll, Fresno State's Assistant Athletics Director for Marketing and Corporate Sales. "He knows the ticket office is a significant, if not the only regular connection many Bulldog fans have to the athletic program and customer service is always his primary concern. Finding a way to make all or most of the people happy all or most of the time is a daunting task and one he takes very seriously. Balancing the wishes of customers in concert with policies and procedures generally associated with tickets, parking and other amenities at major athletic programs can be challenging, but Russell and his staff keep thousands of fans happy and moving through the turnstiles."
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One full-time ticket office employee refers to it as "a very chaotic time with your stress level to the max." A student worker in the ticket office, who is also the drummer of a band in his spare time, said the adrenaline high he experienced when working his first event was better than a concert. For Bulldog fans, the anticipation builds daily for this once-a-week extavaganza.
We're talking about a Fresno State football game at Bulldog Stadium. Ready or not, Hayden and the entire ticket office quickly transform into hosts of an outdoor party that can include 40,000 guests.
"The anticipation building up for football games is tremendous," said Hayden, a native of Castro Valley. "I know I get excited for gameday, it gets the adrenaline pumping. For a Saturday game, we'll open at 10 a.m. but things start well before that. Typically the night before I find myself monitoring sales, making sure we are functional online, making sure the phones are working properly, making sure we are appropriately staffed, things of that nature."
The ticket office windows open at 10 a.m. and phones soon start ringing off the hook. Even at that time, a small cluster of people will have already congregated outside waiting to purchase tickets. As it gets closer to noon, the player pass gate is set-up. Ditto for any recruits, player guests or other Bulldog student-athletes. Everything is done to accommodate needs of the visiting team. All this while continually tracking sales.
Tailgaters begin to stake out their spots around the stadium. The phones continue to ring. The parking lot continues to fill. Spectators begin to arrive and lines start to form outside the four windows of the ticket office, which is situated at the south entrance of Bulldog Stadium. Situations inevitably arise. A season-ticket holder driving up from Los Angeles realizes he has brought the ticket stub from game three and today is game four. A woman does not need a wheelchair but has trouble walking down the steps- she'll need to be placed in a different row. In some cases, measures are put into place to accommodate potential standing room-only crowds.
"Last year against Portland State, we started to sell standing-room only," said Hayden. "There were lines out to Bulldog Lane. Someone from the office would radio over to me how many tickets were left and I would then relay that number to people in line. I remember my voice getting hoarse as I'm out there calling out the number of tickets left, making sure people are aware of the standing-room only policy, etc."
The game eventually gets underway, the numbers get crunched inside the ticket office and a final attendance total is sent up to the press box. Reports are created and when halftime or the third quarter rolls around, Hayden and rest of the ticket office can all breathe again. Even though the day is long, it would seem like the operation is well run and everyone is prepared. That's not to say everything has always run this smoothly.
One of the biggest adjustments Hayden knew he would encounter when coming to Fresno State was working with football. His previous employer, Long Beach State, does not have a football program. So Hayden's first experience with a Division 1 school that sponsored football would be at Fresno State. While that made him a little nervous at first (he still remembers his first home game- Fresno State 16, Oregon State 14 in 2003), it's also part of what brought him to Fresno.
"One thing in my favor was the time I had spent at Laguna Seca Raceway and dealing with larger crowds," said Hayden, referring to the five-year stint as ticket department manager at LSR in which he oversaw three-day events that often drew crowds of 100,000 people. "Whereas in an athletic department you have so many different events over the span of a year, you're talking five or six major events that lasted an entire weekend. The build-up to those events was similar to a football game."
And for Hayden, that was a welcomed change.
"When you're talking about the Fresno community, people here love their football and they love their Bulldogs," continued Hayden. "Football is really what drove me here to be honest. At Long Beach State, I could send my assistant out to an event with a roll of tickets and a cash box and maybe 100 people came through the gate. The fan support here is amazing. I'd rather be busy. I'd rather be selling tickets and that's what was so attractive about Fresno State. All sports are important."
"Russell's background in collegiate athletics general, along with ticket management and sales of a large venue continues to be an asset," said Diboll. "His experience at Laguna Seca, which required the oversight of many ticket sellers and the ability to handle large crowds for high-profile events, makes him extremely valuable."
Adds Diane Sanbongi, Assistant Ticket Office Manager: "Russell creates a very pleasant work environment in the office and tries to accommodate the customers and staff while maintaining the integrity of the ticket office and athletic corporation. He anticipates a lot of things that could go wrong, especially for someone who did not have a lot of football experience at first. Russell is very organized and in tune with his staff. He stresses that customer service is the top priority."
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In addition to showcasing a premier football program that is so greatly supported by the community, there are other aspects of Fresno State's ticketing operations that make it unique compared to other athletic departments.
For starters, there are few institutions that sell PSL's (Personal Seat License) and Fresno State does so in basketball, football, baseball and softball. That can make the ticketing operation a little more complex, but Hayden is also quick to point out that PSL's serve a valuable function.
"A PSL gives you the opportunity to buy a seat in a certain area or arena in general," explained Hayden. "At the Save Mart Center, every ticket in the place had a PSL attached to it, giving the customer a right to buy that particular PSL. In the case of the Save Mart Center, PSL's helped build the arena. For baseball and softball, the revenue created helps maintain the facility or helps with upgrades or capital campaign projects. For Fresno State, which is always looking for creative ways to raise revenue, PSL's become important and they play a major role in the program, facility and overall success. Without people stepping up, our facilities would not be what they are today."
As a result, the ticket office has established a very close relationship with the Bulldog Foundation (BDF). Anything that happens with the BDF in turn affects the ticket office (and vice versa), because tickets are tied directly to levels of giving.
Due to its rich tradition of athletic success and state-of-the-art facilities, Fresno State is almost always a candidate to host postseason events. This presents another challenge that not many other athletic departments can boast.
The McCaffrey WAC Basketball Tournament in 2004. The NCAA Women's Basketball first and second rounds last March. Planning for those events begins far in advance. Then you have softball, which produces a winning team on an annual basis. However, it gets a little tricky here as softball regional sites are typically announced on a Sunday night. That puts the ticket office under the gun to make sure everything is functional before competition begins four or five days later.
"With a sport like softball, you know the team is going to be good," said Hayden, who noted that frequent changes in scheduling, such as softball switching from an eight-team to four-team postseason format must also be considered. "The NCAA likes our facility. We have a history of hosting the event. So with all these factors taken into account, we try to be proactive and do a good job of preparing. I really think we do that very well here."
Two years ago and just months after Hayden's arrival in Fresno, the Save Mart Center became home to Fresno State's men's and women's basketball teams. Like any transition to a new facility, there were some bumps in the road during the early stages. From a ticketing standpoint, the Save Mart Center is a separate entity from the athletic department, complete with its own box office and Ticketmaster operating system.
"When I first got here, the arena was practically built so I missed a lot of the build-up and anticipation," said Hayden. "One thing I thought we needed to do from the outset was develop a good working relationship with their box office people, whether it meant communicating ticket prices, discussing on-sale dates, etc."
That also meant adapting to the Save Mart Center's method of ticket operations. For example, the Save Mart Center uses a bar code system for each ticket. During Hayden's first year, the bar code system was not used. However, it was implemented last year.
"It adds an element of professionalism and legitimacy," said Hayden. "Tickets are scanned in and that prevents people who might be forging or duplicating tickets. It also represents an extra layer of security that benefits the customer."
Despite all the obstacles and challenges, Hayden's focus has remained the same- keeping the customer happy.
