John Beaven

Senior Vice President of Ticket Sales & Services, Golden State Warriors

Supernova Award Category: 

Next-Generation Customer Experience

The Organization: 

Golden State Warriors

The Problem: 

Fans of the Golden State Warriors have a lot to cheer about these days, including a new state-of-the-art arena. Over the last year, the organization has been working to move their existing ticket base over to new seats in Chase Center with a unique, new membership program. The program requires connecting a seat location and price point to an account—a process that can require a significant amount of paperwork and document audit trail to fully execute and complete contract reporting.

The Solution: 

To help tackle this major migration, the Golden State Warriors chose Adobe Sign, part of the Adobe Document Cloud. With Adobe Sign, fans no longer need to print, sign, scan, and email membership applications. Fans can now choose seats, pick a payment plan, and sign the membership contract electronically—all from a mobile phone or tablet. That means fans get their season tickets booked fast, without a hassle, and can track the entire process digitally. It’s great news for Warriors fans who expect an amazing experience both on the court and off.

The Results: 

As part of the Chase Center move, the Warriors envisioned a streamlined, digital ticketing process incorporating an e-signature capability that would meet the expectations of tech-savvy fans.

 

Adobe Sign didn’t just transform the contract signing experience—it’s also streamlined internal processes. At a rate of 30 to 40 contracts a day, the Warriors have picked up the pace behind the scenes. Using Adobe Sign, the average member contract workflow was reduced from approximately two weeks to a few hours. The result is significant time savings for membership staff, who can now spend more time supporting the needs of fans.

 

With the new implemented technology, the Warriors can cater to fans on the move by enabling e-signature capability across devices. Overall, the contract experience now reflects the Warriors’ cutting-edge approach to service and technology: fast and efficient.

 

Adobe Sign also provides a clear audit trail and robust reporting capabilities, which help the Warriors’ membership team manage the more than 4,000 new Chase Center contracts that have already been completed. Adobe Sign allows the team to focus on delivering personalized and thrilling fan experiences—just in time for the opening of the new Chase Center arena.

Metrics: 

Before, pulling contracts together took 2+ hours. Now, it only takes 2 minutes. With the Adobe Sign integration, the CRM system now allows for seamless input of 11 unique customer inputs. Using Adobe Sign, the average ticket contract workflow has been reduced from approximately two weeks to a few hours. Since implementing 15 months ago, 4,000+ contracts have been executed at a rate of about 35 to 40 contracts a day.

The Technology: 

Adobe Sign

Disruptive Factor: 

The use of Adobe Sign has made the Warriors’ sales team both efficient and effective in the successful execution of agreements for their innovative membership program, the first of its kind in professional sports. The membership program’s complexity necessitated a 35-page agreement for each account, which given the volume of transactions (over 4,000) would have been impossible via traditional means. In addition to creating a frictionless experience for both the sales team and – more importantly – Warriors fans, Adobe Sign’s tracking capabilities have provided the Warriors with ongoing insight into the status of agreements at both a micro and macro level. This has allowed for ongoing reporting and forecasting for the membership program, which has been critical to the team’s ability to privately finance their new state-of-the-art arena in downtown San Francisco.

Shining Moment: 

Adobe Sign is a critical piece of a larger picture for the Warriors Chase Center membership program, an industry first for arena memberships, allowing members to purchase Warriors Season Tickets, plus receive additional benefits for a one-time fee. Unlike any current structure in professional sports, Members will be fully refunded after the 30-year membership term. Membership proceeds will be used to fund the construction of the privately financed Chase Center without any public money.

About Your Organization

The Golden State Warriors organization is a charter member of the National Basketball Association. Founded in 1946, the Warriors storied history includes six NBA Championships, an NBA-record 73 wins during the 2015-16 season, six of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players and 26 members of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. For more information, please visit warriors.com.