How FC Schalke 04 Supports Fans with AI Chatbot ERWIN

A Club That Needs No Introduction

With over 200,000 members, a consistently sold-out VELTINS-Arena, and a fan base that extends far beyond national borders, FC Schalke 04 is one of the largest and most storied football clubs in the world. The club embodies passion, community, and identity both on and off the pitch.

From Lifetime Memberships to Robbie Williams

This enthusiasm is also reflected in daily fan interactions: The proud new grandfather who wants to secure a lifetime membership for his granddaughter, the parents searching for the right camp at the royal blue football academy for their son, or the Robbie Williams fans trying to find the best parking spots for the concert. The club's service center receives countless inquiries every day, many of which can be answered with information already available on the websites.

Support Around the Clock

To assist fans and visitors quickly, easily, and around the clock, Schalke 04 sought a solution that would provide access to information while also relieving the service center. The goal: a low-barrier, digital offering that answers simple inquiries independently and seamlessly forwards more complex matters to S04 staff.

ERWIN Enters the Game

Through close collaboration, ERWIN was born, named after the club's beloved mascot. The chatbot supports fans and visitors across the various websites in the royal blue universe: from the VELTINS-Arena pages, to the membership area, to the contact pages.

The chatbot helps with a wide range of topics, from membership inquiries to event information. When it reaches its limits, it forwards questions to the service team.

The Results

The success speaks for itself:

• More than 90% of all inquiries were resolved directly through the chatbot.
• A CSAT score of 90.4% confirms high fan satisfaction.
• 8% of messages came from outside Germany in other languages.
• More Schalke fans interacted with ERWIN than can fit in the VELTINS-Arena for a home match.
• Additionally, self-service gaps were identified and closed through chatbot inquiry analysis.

A Helping Hand in Salesforce

The collaboration between botBrains and FC Schalke 04 continues to grow. With the integration into Salesforce Service Cloud, ERWIN now not only supports fans directly on the website but also actively assists the service team within Salesforce.

As a digital assistant, ERWIN provides hands-on support to staff: It suggests appropriate solutions and already handles topic annotation and filling in relevant case fields internally. This gives the team more time for what really matters - personal interaction with fans.

"We are proud to be part of the royal blue success story - and look forward to continuing to expand digital fan service together with Schalke 04."

- Ben Meyer-Meisel, Co-Founder at botBrains