The Boston Red Sox have epitomized the game of baseball since they came onto the scene in 1901 as one of the American League’s eight original teams. Backed by Fenway Park’s Green Monster left-field wall, the team has been called home by baseball legends such as Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice and many more. Despite a turbulent history including occasional seasons of triple-digit losses in their early years, eclipsed by a 2004 World Series victory, Sox fans remain among the most passionate and loyal.
The Challenge. The Red Sox communications infrastructure was old — not quite as historic as Fenway Park itself (soon to celebrate its centennial), but definitely outdated. And given the pace and lifestyle of the Red Sox organization, IT staff knew they needed to upgrade to a unified communications platform. To do that, they had to address several challenges:
- Multiple locations – The Boston Red Sox is a dynamic organization whose staff — from the upper-level executives to bat boys on the travel team — constantly are on the run. For example, the team works with the U.K.’s Liverpool Football Club, has a new spring training complex in Florida in addition to Fenway Park, and travels throughout the country each baseball season. As a result, staff members rarely sit at their desks and can be difficult to reach.
- No instant internal communications – Despite the on-the-go ethos within the Red Sox organization, desk phones were the only means for employees to communicate with each other and with customers. This proved problematic when critical issues arose and a Red Sox executive or manager was needed right away. It also created frustration for callers who couldn’t reach their contacts, despite leaving a voice mail or talking with an assistant or call center agent.
- No call-screening – Red Sox employees further had no way to monitor incoming calls. This meant they often could get drawn into conversations best held at another time or that should have been directed to someone else.
- Disparate voice, data and mobile networks – The old Red Sox communications infrastructure featured an IP network, a cellular network, a call center and a mobile workforce. Plus, the organization’s Internet service was lacking. Fenway Park suffered from poor downstream delivery, so fans struggled to access player stats or watch instant video replays on their mobile devices.
The Solution. The Red Sox, wanting help from a trusted adviser, chose Carousel Industries as its channel partner. The Rhode Island-based VAR and technology integrator specializes in IP telephony, UC, wireless, security and more, working with vendors including Avaya Inc. and Juniper Networks. Carousel further provides engineering, installation, project management and even financing for its customers.
To solve the Red Sox’s specific communications challenges, then, Carousel designed a platform made up of Avaya products. The Avaya Aura system serves as the foundation. Its capabilities include conferencing, mobility, contact center and collaboration. Next, Avaya’s one-X Mobile enables one-number access among Red Sox employees. Indeed, the team’s IT staff expect that single function to generate sweeping efficiencies throughout the franchise. Carousel further installed the Avaya one-X Communicator end-user client, which provides caller identification, and Aura Conferencing for on-demand collaboration for up to 150 participants. Finally, Carousel recommended the Red Sox use the Avaya Flare Experience, software that runs on the Avaya Desktop Video Device to synch with Avaya communications and collaboration tools.
