In January, Jodie Jones was appointed as Coventry City’s new Supporter Services Officer.
Jodie is a Sky Blues fan, with her young family also being passionate City supporters, Season Ticket holders and JSBs. She has experience of working at the stadium for the Club previously on matchdays and at other sporting venues too, so overall she brings an important variety of perspectives to the role.
The role was created by the Club to improve the service day-to-day provided to supporters and to help improve the overall matchday experience.
With Jodie settled in to her role as Supporter Services Officer, we sat down with her to learn about the job and the importance of the position for the Club and for supporters:
Have you enjoyed your job so far since joining in January?
Yes! I feel like I have really thrown myself in to it from the start and I was keen to make a good impression to the fans. I’ve settled in well with colleagues at the training ground and look forward to coming in to work, it’s a great place to be for anyone but for a fan it’s even better!
What does your role involve?
As the Supporter Services Officer I deal with everything to do with the fans. Whether it be following up requests, dealing with complaints, answering general questions or just being able to pass people on to the right department if I cannot help personally. I have even been chasing up broken seats and other random maintenance jobs at the Arena, anything to make the matchday experience better.
I have also taken on the role of disability liaison officer since joining, which enables me to be the voice for our disabled supporters and look at ways in which we can improve and be more accessible and inclusive as a Club. I knew that the Club had made initial enquiries in to getting a sensory room on our matchdays and wanted to get that in place as soon as possible. I am proud to say that I have assisted in getting the new matchday sensory room up and running with the help of our community partner Sky Blues in the Community and have already welcomed 4 families of autistic and special needs children. I am so proud to have had an involvement with the sensory room and seeing the difference it makes to families who are now able to enjoy a game of football together makes it all so worthwhile, and the feedback we have received so far has been brilliant.
Why is the job important for the fans and the club?
I think it is really important to be able to improve the link between the club and its fans. I want the supporters to know that they can approach us with any questions, complaints or feedback they may have and that their opinions will be listened to. We want everyone to enjoy the fan experience and will do what we can to make any improvements or adjustments if needed. Having a member of staff dedicated to the fans can only be a good thing. I’ve had lots of positive feedback already, whether it be for listening to people, helping to resolve issues, quick response times or just pointing them in the right direction. It’s very rewarding knowing you have helped in some way and I hope that continues.
What are your aims in the role?
To put it plainly; I want to ensure that all supporters have a positive experience when communicating with the club. The ultimate goal has to be eliminating, or at least reducing, customer complaints. I want to make a noticeable difference and am hoping to improve that link between club and fans by being efficient and pro-active.
How can the fans get in contact with you with any questions and/or complaints?
You can contact me by email at: Jodie.jones@ccfc.co.uk or on Twitter: @ccfcSSO. I am also in charge of the general inboxes, such as info@ccfc.co.uk or customer.service@ccfc.co.uk
I am also available to talk with fans at the stadium on a matchday to assist with any issues.