Customer Story
Stavanger Oilers’ secret weapon in partner collaboration
Ice hockey club Stavanger Oilers has one of Norway's most impressive networks of business partners. With Business Online on their team, follow-up and collaboration hit the mark every time.
About
Stavanger Oilers is an ice hockey club based in Stavanger, founded in 2000, and operating out of DNB Arena. The club runs senior teams for both women and men, as well as a U20 boys’ team (the highest junior level). All three teams play in the top league for their respective categories.
Challenge
Stavanger Oilers relied on a scattered folder structure and manual processes in their work with business partners. The club needed a system that brought everything together in one place.
Solution
The management system Business Online, which provides full insight and control in partner collaboration.
Result
Innovative use of Business Online has given Stavanger Oilers a competitive advantage off the ice. The club is now able to work even more efficiently and professionally when it comes to managing and following up on its partner network.
“We will always focus on development and innovation so that we remain a leader in what we do,” says Eirik Hogstad, Commercial Director at Stavanger Oilers.
Thanks to strong teamwork, local dedication, and a long-term commitment, Oilers has grown to become the most successful club in the country and a powerhouse in Norwegian hockey. Operating out of the state-of-the-art DNB Arena, the team works tirelessly to ensure that Oilers and the arena are a hub for relationship building, customer engagement, and visibility.
Off the ice, the club also maintains a strong focus on innovation, professionalism, and continuous development. As one of Norway’s most attractive sponsor objects, Stavanger Oilers boasts a large and high-profile network of partners—both locally and nationally.
“To ensure financial stability and continued development of the club’s commercial brand, it’s been crucial for us to work smart.”
Having a clear overview and control of partnership agreements is therefore absolutely essential. But achieving that hasn’t always been easy.
From folder structures to full visibility in partner and sales operations
Previously, like many other hockey clubs, Oilers used folder structures to manage their network of business partners. But as the brand and network grew, it became increasingly difficult to maintain control and visibility using the same manual methods as before, says Hogstad.
“It was unstructured, a lot of things were done ad hoc, and the information was spread across different folders.”
The team needed a solution that would allow the marketing department to easily stay on top of everything and be more proactive—all within a single system.
The solution? Business Online—a management system that gives Stavanger Oilers full control over their partner operations and frees up time for strategic development.
With Business Online—and especially the system’s CRM module—the club has gained a much more structured approach to managing partnerships. The CRM module is a key part of Business Online and an essential tool in the daily work of the Oilers administration, Hogstad points out.
“Bringing everything together in one place was a major improvement. The CRM module is a tool that gives us the foundation we need to stay in control.”
According to Hogstad, Business Online gives the marketing department visibility into exactly what they want to keep track of.
“We have a pipeline of potential partners. Some are active, while others have been partners in the past and may do so again in the future. We have a complete overview of all partnership agreements, broken down by agreement type. We can really drill down into the details as much as we want.”
Hogstad and the marketing team have built the sales process so that the data in the CRM system is presented clearly and is as easy to navigate as possible.
“At the same time, it needs to be simple to carry out our various processes. So, the path of least resistance, I like to say—but in a professional way.”
Business Online frees up time for strategic work
Efficiency is key for a marketing department managing a large portfolio of business partners. With Business Online, the Oilers team can spend less time on administrative tasks and more time on activities that increase revenue and ensure continued commercial success.
“Definitely! When we can streamline our processes around managing our CRM tool, it frees up time for other things. Which in turn means we can be out there selling even more. And for us, the system works just as well on a computer as it does in our pocket. That means we can take it with us everywhere—and that’s a big time-saver too.”
Automation is one of the most important benefits, Hogstad emphasizes.
“I’m really into automation. If something can be automated, I’m all for it—because it gives us a big advantage in a busy workday.”
Proactive partner management creates a competitive edge
With Business Online as their “secret weapon,” it’s become much easier for Stavanger Oilers to identify new partners, optimize agreements, and appear professional in both dialogue and follow-up. So, does this mean the club has gained a competitive edge off the ice?
“Absolutely,” says Hogstad, offering an example of how Business Online makes a difference in dealing with partners at the end of a season.
“When you’re heading into the final stretch of a season, you’re naturally focused on figuring out which agreements are about to expire, for instance. Being able to easily pull up an overview—or to see on a dashboard which agreements are ending—gives us a real competitive advantage. One, we can be proactive in our outreach. And two, we come across as professional to the people we’re talking to, because we’re in control and have a clear overview.”
The active use of Business Online follows a cyclical pattern. When the season ends, Hogstad and his team become highly active in the system, using it both to renew existing contracts and to sign new ones.
At the same time, they take full control of the process by deciding exactly when to initiate conversations—equipped with historical data and insights from past interactions.
“So it’s clear that this definitely gives us a competitive edge, because we come across as professional—and I don’t think you should underestimate the value of that in the kinds of conversations we’re having.”
Flexible system with close vendor collaboration
Hogstad is clear about what he sees as one of the major advantages of Business Online for the marketing department.
“The system is very flexible and dynamic—it can be adapted exactly the way we want it. Nothing is set in stone. On top of that, it’s very intuitive, which means you can get pretty far on your own from the start. At the same time, it’s reassuring to know that we have support available when we actually need it. That’s something we really value.”
Hogstad highlights the importance of the strong dialogue they have with the Business Online team to help them optimize their use of the system and unlock its full potential.
“Those of us who work with it daily often have ideas and suggestions. Why is something set up a certain way? Can we do A–B–C? And then we get advice and input from Business Online on both limitations and opportunities—based on what we’re trying to achieve.”
Strong support on the path to new achievements
For Stavanger Oilers, the Business Online management system is a key component of their commercial efforts—and that’s not about to change. Hogstad and his colleagues continue to discover new ways to use the system, especially the CRM module, even more effectively.
“You learn as you go, and along the way we’ve constantly had ideas about things we want to accomplish and develop further.”
With Business Online on their team, it’s easy for Stavanger Oilers to keep track of all the balls—or “pucks”—they juggle in their day-to-day operations. This gives them an extra boost in their mission to be a leading club—not just on the ice, but also in how they develop their commercial offering and brand toward fans and partners.
“Because it’s really all about always evolving,” Eirik Hogstad concludes. “Creating new opportunities and paving the way for value creation.”