In our experience working with theatres, venues, comedy clubs and sports providers to figure out what box office software needs, we have found that ticketing solutions need to hit four main areas: Technology, Management, Patrons needs, and Sales and Marketing.
Technology
This may seem like an obvious one, but a key factor in getting your ticketing system right is the technology behind it. Some questions to think about when looking at a new ticketing system:
- How will the system scale over time?
- Can it handle large volume tickets as well as small?
- What about popular shows that may require queuing functionality?
- Is it secure?
- Do you have to host it or is it cloud based?
- Is the system designed with responsive design so that users have a consistent experience across devices?
- How are upgrades handled - is it once a quarter or continuous upgrades?
- Is the development team abreast of technology advances to anticipate ticket buyer needs?
Management
The next area to give serious consideration is the back end - or management side of the system. This is a critical area, as this is how you will collect and collate your data and manage the overall functionality of the system.
- How is the data collected for various customers?
- How are the reports structured?
- Are reports set up with minimal effort?
- Is there a delay in reporting or is it real time?
- Can customer de-duplications be done easily to keep data clean?
- Is there a smart phone app, so that management and reporting can be accessed on the go?
- Is there an option for agency logins?
- How many users can access the system any given time?
- Can user access rights be set as needed?
- Is there an option for mobile scanning, e.g., the ability to turn any mobile device into a ticket scanner?
Patrons
Making it easy for your customers to buy tickets is a must. Without an easy to use front end that makes buying tickets a delight, no ticketing software will get you the results you need.
- Does the system allow users to access dynamic seating plans so they can choose the seats they want?
- Are multiple payment types offered?
- Does the front end look and feel the same on any device they use - tablet, desktop, phone, laptop?
- Is there gift voucher functionality if desired?
- Are repeat customers catered for, e.g., single sign on, stored credit cards?
- Is it clear where I am in the queue for popular shows?
- Is there an option for paying large ticket items in a staggered fashion if desired?
- Are there multiple collection options such as print at home?
- For sold out shows, are there options for waiting lists?
- Is the ticket buying process, clear and easy to use?
Sales and Marketing
Any ticketing solution you choose needs to support your sales and marketing efforts.
- Does the system allow you to set up special offers and promotions per show?
- Does the system allow you to take advantage of all sales opportunities? For example, can you cross sell other shows easily or upsell for higher priced tickets? Can merchandise or other products be sold alongside tickets? Does the system allow you to set up "recommendations" to patrons who might be interested in additional shows?
- How are promotions dealt with in the system?
- Is there an opportunity to set multiple allocations for seats such as early bird or other discounts? How are priority bookings set up?
- How are loyalty, fundraising and membership programs dealt with in the system?
- Can the system handle mobile sales if needed?
- How are donations set up and promoted during the checkout process? Are sponsorship and support videos supported?
- Does the ticketing and box office software support social media integration (e.g., Facebook selling, shares etc.), as well as email integration (for example with Mailchimp)?
- How does the box office software deal with data? Is it capable of CRM and segmentation? Is there a plug in for Google analytics?
- Can the system handle group bookings?
- Does the system allow you to have subdomains, if needed for various shows or festival venues?
- Is the system multi-ligual?
- Are QR codes supported?
- Can tickets be customised and branding incorporated, especially print at home?
- Are there added extras such as kiosk sales options?
Other areas to keep in mind are: training (is it easy to use or will it take a lot to get your team up to speed?), customer support (are issues resolved quickly?), integration (how quickly can you get and running with the new system?), hardware (is there hardware to purchase)?
These are the questions we would be asking - have we missed something?
What do you think is critical when it comes to ticketing and box office software?