During unprecedented times, SAP is more committed than ever to helping customers and partners adjust to their new normal. The sports world is no exception, with SAP supporting FC Bayern Munich, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, and equestrian with a variety of technological tools and empowering them to continue connecting with passionate fans remotely.
For the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), many new challenges have developed since the pandemic, with unique complications given its diverse global community and players regularly traveling to tournaments around the world. This summer, SAP Litmos technology powered WTA University, an online platform providing live and on-demand access to educational courses for players during an extended stoppage in play.
Now that they have returned to the court, the WTA wanted to get a pulse check on the player community, with technology playing a leading role to create an ideal environment. In their quest for deeper insights, the league leveraged technology from Qualtrics, an SAP company, to better understand how their players felt about returning to play. Through Qualtrics technology, the WTA distributed digital questionnaires and was able to analyze the data in real time.
“In a time when the thoughts, opinions, and trust of each stakeholder are paramount, SAP and Qualtrics have given the WTA a new pathway to gather critical data from our players and tournaments so we can optimize our Tour operations,” WTA President Micky Lawler said. “With smartphones and social media today, it’s never been easier to document our feedback. The technology of Qualtrics gives us the opportunity to harness responsiveness, identify key insights, and apply them decisively.”
“We’re proud to support the WTA with SAP and Qualtrics solutions to help the league better understand the real-time needs of players as they return to play,” said Dan Fleetwood, vice president of Global Sponsorships at SAP. “By gathering valuable feedback from players, this initiative will help the WTA navigate unique challenges with insights-driven thinking to empower future members.”
Here are several key insights from the players:
- Sixty-eight percent of players stated that “love of the game” was one of their top two motives for returning to the court after a five-month break. Other choices included “financial,” “ranking,” and “legacy.”
- Players cited “atmosphere,” “energy,” and “cheering” as the elements they missed most about not having crowds present during competition.
- “Fitness” and “mental game” were the two most popular areas where players said their training routine had changed since the start of the pandemic.
- Fifty-one percent of players said either “learning a new skill” or “taking educational classes” were areas they chose to explore during unexpected down time. This was encouraging to see given the rollout of the WTA University.
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Since 2013, SAP has been a global partner to the WTA, providing innovative technology for the tennis community, helping to advance and grow the sport around the world.
To learn more about SAP and Qualtrics technology, visit qualtrics.com.
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