Wise Tips Helping You Choose Support Ticket Software
In recent times, ticketing software has become increasingly sophisticated
, with many more organizations selling software systems, with more options, more features and more cost options. So for an organisation looking at adopting an online ticketing system, it has become a good deal more difficult to select the ideal system.
For most organisations, some of the primary variables are the cost of the system, ease of installation, setup and use, any additional hardware requirements and the provision of good customer service. Of course every organisation will also have its own set of specific requirements on top of these basic considerations , so you should firstly draw up a list of requirements you judge essential, and then proceed to evaluate different box office ticketing software systems on these criteria. But let's look at some of the most common considerations. Cost. Generally speaking, there are two options with ticketing software - either acquire the software outright, or sign a licensing or usage contract with a company providing a fully hosted service.
In the former you would purchase the software outright and install it on your system. If on the other hand you are intending to sell tickets online, you may be required to sign up for an additional service, because selling tickets online requires a dedicated server available continuously to conduct the ticket selection and payments. In the second case , with a fully hosted system, the ticketing software company maintains all the software so the ticket selection and payment processing is carried out on the software provider's servers. The venue operator is normally given a password and log in to access the system, normally via a web interface.
The advantage of purchasing ticket sales software outright naturally is that it is an once off cost, although there may be extra costs for upgrades or maintenance contracts. But for sophisticated ticketing systems, the cost of purchasing support ticket software can be very high, and for most modest sized organisations who still require a sophisticated ticketing system, the alternative model of a hosted system may be a more attractive option. In this case, the ticketing software company will typically charge for the service on a per ticket basis on the value of all tickets sold through the system.
Ease of installation and implementation. Any new software system will require a learning phase, so ideally the system should have an interface that's similar to a standard Windows or Mac interface or menu system to make it easier for all operators. It also needs to be straightforward to install and set up. A lot of systems nowadays use a web interface which enables an operator anywhere in the world to access and operate the system . Ideally, on-site training shouldn't be essential, as it should generally be feasible to coach operators of the system by means of interactive instruction via internet or instructional videos.
Features & customization. Most modern ticketing software will incorporate a host of various features, a lot of which may never be required by the typical organization. Ideally you should have the ability to turn off unrequired features, in order to simplify the system for users. If you later have use for such features, then you should have the ability to turn the features back on.
Hardware necessities. Assuming you have a comparatively modern computer system and up-to-date operating system, customarily no hardware upgrades should be necessary to operate ticketing software. Nevertheless if the system is Web-based, you will need a fast Internet connection. Really the only other necessary item is a means of printing tickets. Even though thermal ticket printers such as those from Boca Systems are certainly the most convenient option since they can print single tickets on demand , such printers tend to be rather high-priced and may be beyond the budget of small organisations who may sell only a few thousand tickets per year or less.
Luckily though, many ticketing software systems will allow tickets to be printed by means of a regular inkjet or laser printer. Bar-code scanners may also be required for venue operators who wish to institute access control and have permitted PDF ticket printing, as this is really the only viable way to ensure that tickets are genuine.
Reports. You ought to be able to access a wide range of financial, admission, transaction and customer related reports as required which should be either immediately viewable on screen or can be printed for later analysis. You should have the ability to quickly look up any ticket that is sold, to determine who bought the ticket, the ticket seller , the date of sale and the purchase price paid as a minimum requirement.
Customer Database. You should have the ability to categorise your customers, to enter billing or residential addresses, to easily remove or merge duplicate entries, to check the transaction history of any customer and to mail out standard letters, send out emails or print address labels for your patrons directly from the database.
Customer service and support. With any ticketing software system, you should expect rapid and helpful support and customer service. Whilst such support on a 24/7 basis may be difficult for many ticketing companies, any service really should not be limited to e-mailed customer support tickets but you must always be able to talk to qualified support personnel. You should also expect comprehensive instruction manuals to be provided and ideally online support manuals with searchable capability .
Comparing ticketing systems. The best way to compare box office software is to get hold of a trial version of the software. Ideally the software ought to be a full operational version with perhaps only a small number of features disabled . You should be able to undertake a number of test administrative features to grasp how the basic setting up and ticket selling process works. If you can't obtain a demonstration version, then at the very minimum you should be able to see screen images of the main features. It would be unwise to sign up for any system on an extended-term basis unless you can cancel the agreement if you discover that the system doesn't fully meet your needs or doesn't live up to its marketed statements or your expectations. It is also beneficial to check out other organisations who are using the system you might be investigating by going to Internet sites that make use of the system and make a test purchase without actually paying for the ticket. Then you can get a good idea of the ticket selection and payment procedure from a customer's viewpoint. Choosing a new box office ticketing system can certainly seem like a rather overwhelming exercise, but if you limit your evaluation to the basic requirements mentioned above plus any explicit needs you may have, it will hopefully make the undertaking a bit easier.
by: Elaine
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