James Bridle
8x8 lines up for Southampton FC to boost customer experience
Integrated customer experience platform provider extends role as official partner of English Football League Championship team, with cloud platform supporting ticketing and hospitality and delivering unique fan experiences
Looking to “bridge the gap between telephone and terrace”, integrated cloud contact centre and unified communications platform provider 8x8 has renewed its sponsorship with Southampton Football Club, extending its role as an official partner of both the men’s and women’s first teams through the 2025/26 season.
Formed in 1885 and just having begun the current season in English football’s second tier after a disappointing year in the Premier League, Southampton can still lay claim to being the English south coast’s leading team.
Southampton has spent just 11 seasons out of the top flight since first winning promotion to the old Division One in 1966, its longest absence being the spell in the Championship and League One between 2005 and 2012.
8x8 says the new technology agreement continues a successful collaboration that has seen its cloud-based contact centre and communications technology support the club’s operations, enhance matchday experiences and create moments of connection beyond the club’s current St Mary’s Stadium.
The platform is designed to unify contact centre, business telephony, embedded AI and customer data into one seamless system – making it easier for organisations to communicate clearly, operate efficiently and build loyalty.
Under the renewed terms, Southampton will continue to be able to offer LED perimeter board visibility, as well as digital and social media integration. The two organisations will also collaborate on community outreach initiatives, exclusive fan experiences and technology-led engagement projects.
One area that has already seen closer engagement is with players calling season book holders through 8x8’s Contact Centre to talk with fans and chat about their years and decades of support.
Stalwart supplier
Commenting on the deployment, Huw Fielding, director of IT at Southampton FC said: “8x8’s technology has become part of the way we operate – from supporting our ticketing and hospitality services to enabling unique experiences for our supporters. Renewing this partnership means we can keep raising the bar for how we connect with fans, on match days and throughout the year.”
For its part, 8x8 noted that Southampton FC joins a global roster of businesses using 8x8 to create connected, real-time experiences for the people who matter most to them. “Southampton FC represents passion, dedication and community – values that resonate deeply with us at 8x8,” added 8x8 EMEA managing director Jamie Snaddon.
“This partnership is about more than sponsorship,” he said. “It’s about giving the club the tools to connect with supporters in ways that feel personal, whether that’s answering a fan’s question, delivering a match day update, or creating a memorable surprise. We’re proud to keep building those moments together.”
