UK System i powerhouse Computer Software Group (CSG) has been merged with IRIS .

As of Monday, October 1, the combined business became known as IRIS, with CSG’s System i-focused sport ticketing division now known as IRIS Software4Sport. IRIS’s turnover is now about £110m, with System i business from the former Computer Software Group element generating some £11m of this.

IRIS provides Windows-based accounting software, business and payroll software systems and services to 40,000 businesses from start-ups to larger organisations and is UK market leader in accountancy practice software with over 9,000 practices, from sole practitioners to large firms.

European mid-market private equity investor HgCapital sold IRIS Software and Computer Software Group to another private equity concern Hellmann & Friedman for around £500m this summer. HgCapital has announced it will continue as an active shareholder in the combined business. It had acquired IRIS in July 2004.

“Five years ago, we had around 100 clients and 60 members of staff,” says Glenn Jackson, managing director of e-business and CRM solutions at what is now IRIS Software4Sport. “There were bases in Wimbledon and Nantwich with a System i solutions focus. Subsequently we pursued a strategy to strengthen our solutions in the System i space.”

Integra in Wimbledon focused on membership and charities subscription solutions while TALENT in Nantwich focused on TALENT Sport, CRM and e-business on iSeries. The group acquired Chorus (financials), subsequently taking in JBS (financials and ERP) and Springstone (iSeries training and Lotus Notes).

“As IRIS, we are now one of the largest – and fastest-growing – software suppliers in Europe. A supplier to over 58,000 businesses, charities and organisations worldwide; over 1,000 members of staff; based in the UK with offices worldwide; leading supplier to sports clubs, venues and associations; plus as well as specialising in sport, we are now the top supplier to UK charities and the public sector,” says Jackson.

“For our customers, our expansion means we have new skills and resources to support them with, plus we can take advantage of new technology developed within the group for the benefit of our sports clients,” says Jackson. “As far as System i goes, it’s business as usual. The merger with IRIS gives us many new opportunities across the market.”

A national deal is expected to be announced imminently. Meanwhile, Software4Sport, with its System i-based solutions, has notched up many successes with football and rugby clubs in the UK and Europe.

For instance, John Hobson, ticket office manager of Reading FC says: “TALENT Sport helps us to be structured in our approach. We can produce reports to see how we’re performing, and the actions mean nothing slips through the net. Because it’s a ticketing and CRM system in one, we have a single point of control over customer service and ticketing operations.”

The CRM system is also helping the club in its sales campaigns. Hobson says: “We recently carried out a ticket promotion targeting 2,500 supporters who hadn’t been to a match by email. We subsequently sold 600 extra tickets.”

Hull Kingston Rovers rugby league club has launched an online season ticket renewals service for its supporters. The service, which went live on 18 September, is powered by TALENT Sport, which the club uses to manage ticketing, sales and marketing operations. Laura Lancaster, Ticket Services Manager, says, “Instead of having to queue up at the ticket office or spend time on the phone, supporters can now do their renewals online. Many supporters live out of town, so it’s convenient for them.”

Hull KR launched online ticketing for the first time last year. Lancaster says: “Around 15% of our ticket sales now come through the web and we’ve had good feedback on how quick and easy the service is to use. As well as avoiding the queues, supporters can instantly see what is available in the stadium for themselves instead of having to talk through all the available seating options with the ticket office staff.”

At Sheffield United and Leeds United, sending supporters a confirmation letter when they apply for a season ticket or match ticket can be time-consuming, not to mention expensive with the printing and postage costs. Sheffield United solved the problem by launching an automated ticket notification service. Leeds United FC uses the TALENT Sport Notification facility not only for match ticket notifications, but also for season tickets and memberships.

TALENT Sport’s Automated Telephone Sales (ATS) facility lets a club sell tickets over the phone, automatically, 24/7, straight from the ticketing inventory.

Frank Booty, industry reporter