Everything But The Weed

Approved by:
Linda Maze, a Wedding photography Gainesville FL in Gainesville Florida

In recent times , box office software has become much more sophisticated, with many more companies selling software systems, with more options , more features and alternative fee structures . So for an organisation considering an online ticketing solution , it has become much more difficult to decide which system to choose .

For most organisations, some of the most important factors are the cost of the system, ease of installation, setup and use, any additional hardware and the availability of good customer service. Of course every organisation will also have its own set of specific requirements on top of these basic considerations , so the best starting point is to draw up a list of requirements you consider essential, and then evaluate different box office ticketing software systems on these criteria. But let’s take a look at some of the most common points to consider .

Cost
Generally speaking , there are two options with ticketing software – either purchase the software outright, or sign a licensing or usage agreement with a company providing a fully hosted service. In the former the software is purchased outright and you install  it on your system. If however you are intending to sell tickets online, you may be required to sign up for an additional service, since  selling tickets online requires a dedicated server available continuously to handle 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 conducted 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 principal benefit of purchasing ticket sales software outright naturally is that it is a once off cost , although there may be extra costs for upgrades or maintenance contracts.  But for fully featured ticketing systems, the cost of purchasing software outright can be very high, and for most modest sized organisations who still require a sophisticated system , the alternative model of a hosted system may be a more attractive option. In this case, the ticketing software company will normally charge for the service provided on a per ticket basis based on the value of all tickets sold through the system.

Simplicity of installation and setting up
Any new software system will require a learning phase, so ideally the system should have an interface which is consistent with a standard Windows or Mac interface or menu system to make it simpler for all operators. It should also be easy to install and configure .   Many systems these days use a web interface which enables an administrator anywhere in the world to access the system and to sell tickets as required .   Ideally, Edit this text , as it should normally be possible to train users of the system via internet chat or instructional videos.

Features & options
Most modern ticketing software will include a wide variety of different features, many of which may never be required by the average organization .  Ideally you should have the ability to turn off unnecessary features, 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 requirements
Assuming you have a relatively modern computer and up-to-date operating system , normally no software or hardware upgrades should be required to operate ticketing software.  However if the system is Web-based, you will need a high speed Internet connection.  The only other necessary item is a means of printing tickets.  Whilst thermal ticket printers such as those from Boca Systems are certainly the most convenient option since they can print single tickets as required , such printers tend to be relatively expensive and may be beyond the budget of small organisations selling no more than a few thousand tickets per year or less. Fortunately however, many ticketing software systems offer the ability to print tickets with a standard 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 the only practical way to ensure the validity of such tickets .

Reports
You should be able to access a wide range of financial, admission, transaction and customer related reports on demand which should be either viewable on screen or can be printed for later analysis. You should have the ability to quickly look up any sold ticket , to determine who purchased the ticket, who sold the ticket , the date of sale and the price paid as a minimum .

Customer Database
You should have the opportunity to categorise your customers, to enter biling or residential addresses, to easily delete or merge duplicate entries, to check the transaction history of any customer and to send out e-mails or print address labels for your customers directly from the database.

Customer service and support
With any ticketing software system, you should always expect rapid and helpful support and customer service. Whilst 24/7 support may be difficult for many ticketing companies, any service should not be limited to e-mailed customer support tickets but you should be able to speak to qualified support personnel. You should also expect detailed instruction manuals to be provided ideally also accessible online .

Evaluating ticketing systems
The best way to compare a ticketing system is to obtain a trial version of the software.  Ideally the software should be a full working version with maybe a few features restricted . You should be able to undertake some test administrative functions to understand 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 shots of the main functions. It would be unwise to sign up for any system on a long-term basis unless you have the ability to cancel the agreement if you find that the system is not meeting your requirements or does not live up to its advertised claims or your expectations. It is also useful to contact other organisations who are using the system you are investigating by going to Web sites that use the system and proceeding as far as possible with the test ticket purchase without actually purchasing the ticket. Then you can get a good idea of the ticket selection and payment process from a customer’s viewpoint.
 
 Choosing a new ticketing system can certainly seem like a rather overwhelming exercise , but if you limit your evaluation to the basics above plus any specific needs you may have , it will hopefully make the task somewhat easier.