November 21, 2008
laurasangiao.com
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What is the most widely used telephone ticket sales software at the
moment, typically one which can accept Credit Card details, to be used
in a small theatre?Hello tomb,
Thank you for your question.
I must admit, the last time I looked at ticket sales software, the big
boys (Ticketmaster) were using Unix and the little independents were
on DOS. Definitely time to see how the market has evolved.
I think you might be surprised to find that smaller theaters, those
you might find in smaller towns with occupancy figures of 200-2000,
not only accept phone orders for tickets, but also have the ability to
order online through their web sites. Setting up a website is beyond
the scope of your question, but I will most definitely include
software that can be used online in my search.
One such company offering both solutions is InterTicket:
http://www.interticket.com/
"The worldwide provider of in-house and on line ticketing software,
online Internet box office system, ticket reservation service, and
access control systems.
Lower your cost, switch to the lowest cost ticketing system available
Increase Functionality
Sell
- Reserved seating or General Admission tickets
- Single, or Season tickets
- Merchandise or memorabilia
Distribute anywhere, and manage your sales channels
- At your local box office
- At remote box office locations
- On your own web site
- On other affiliates', partners' , or fanclubs' web sites
- Portals and Event Listings
Offer premium functionality, specific to users' application
- Full management capability < or > ticket selling or listings only
- Pick your seats from seating chart < or > Best available seat offer
- Season Ticket renewal capability
- Ticket Printing, < or > voucher printing capability
- Ticket auction capability
- Telephone Center, < or > Automated IVR
- Admission control, bar-coded ticket, scanners, turnstiles, gates"
By entering your email address at their solutions page, you will find
they have packages from $995 on up to sky's the limit. You can
customize to your needs and price their packages online.
They mention online ticketing and note:
"The Internet has changed the landscape of ticketing. All aspects of
ticketing are affected by the use of the Internet, from ticket sales
to customer support or marketing. Your audience, fans, and patrons
assume that they can purchase tickets from you over the Internet.
The basic concept about the use of the Internet is simple: To enable
information access and transaction capability in a secure way to any
trusted person any time and anywhere.
Benefits
The benefits of using a Internet-enabled ticketing system can be
significant: Save on operation cost, increase sales and attendance,
increase efficiency, profit, and patron satisfaction.
Enable your Own Web Site to sell tickets
There are several reasons that make your web site the best place to
sell your tickets on.
Your own web site is your patron's primary choice when looking for
schedules or available tickets. People assume that it contains the
most up to date information and the best deals for your fans.
Brand awareness: Your web site reflects your brand and is not diluted
by others.
Customer loyalty: You want to develop loyalty. Advertising your web
site and serving your patrons through your web site can become a focal
point besides generating sales.
Your web site is your lowest cost sales channel and the one with the
highest return..."
Their products and approach look very appealing.
An interesting online only approach can be found at Vendini:
http://www.vendini.com/
"Vendini is the number one provider of online ticketing solutions for
small to medium sized organizations.
With Vendini, your 24 hour a day online box office will save time for
your staff while giving your patrons the flexibility of ordering
online.
We seamlessly integrate into your website to take payment, track
ticket sales, and provide instant sales reports. And best of all, your
patrons never have to leave your website..."
-No term commitment
-No sign up fees
-Very low service fees
-No minimum volumes
-No special software needed
They list benefits as:
Plugs into your Website. Your patrons visit your website first when
looking for tickets and remain there to complete their order.
Always Open. Staffing a live box office is costly and limited to
certain hours in the day. Sell tickets 24 hours a day without
incurring increased personnel expense and give your patrons the
flexibility of ordering online.
Professional Image. We make it easy for you to look good. Our
customizable order window gives your site a polished look that
transforms your site to real-time and e-commerce ready.
Secure. Ticket purchases are all transacted in industry standard SSL,
so you won't have to worry about your customers exposing their credit
cards to hackers.
Capture Patron Information. Your patrons are given an option to sign
up to receive mailings from you. Keep them informed of future events
or send them announcements.
Detailed Reporting. Know your sales reports up to the instant.
Looks worthy of your investigation.
The Google Web Directory is a fabulous tool. This page shows box
office software:
http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Software/Industry-Specific/Entertainment_Industry/Box_Office/
Some of the offerings here include:
Tix, Inc.
http://www.tix.com/TicketingSolutions.asp
www.TIX.com is a leading provider of online and box office software
services for entertainment and sporting events. We specialize in no
cost, feature-rich solutions for venues and event organizations.
Whether you wish to simply add Internet sales to complement your
existing sales methods, or you need an integrated box office and
online ticketing system, www.TIX.com has a solution to meet your
needs. Choose from a variety of optional services, including our 24
hour Toll-Free Call Center or our Fulfillment Service which will print
and mail tickets for you. Choose the services that work best for your
organization.
Gateway Ticketing
http://www.gatewayticketing.com/
Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc, is the world leader in high-speed,
general admission, point of sale ticketing systems for the attraction,
amusement, and intercity bus transportation industries. Located in
Boyertown, Pennsylvania, Gateway Ticketing Systems provides sales,
service, and support for point of sale and ticketing systems
throughout North America and worldwide.
TicketPro
http://www.ticketpro.org/
Thank you for your interest in our wide range of Theater hardware and
software packages. We supply the most comprehensive, cost effective
Theater Ticketing & Point of Sale System available. Our systems are
flexible and can be adjusted to fit your specific needs.
We recognized the need for a supplier who:
-Places a sense of urgency on customer support and service
-Understands the Industry needs as it changes and grows
-Is managed and owned by individuals who have in excess of 50 years
Theater Industry experience.
-Offers more features with less maintenance than the competition and
at a lower price.
Box Office Express
http://www.ccxpress.com/boxsystems/index.htm
This company has free downloadable demos of their software and seem to
target the smaller venue.
Box Office Xpress ... for any venue of any size
This newest version of Box Office Xpress is designed to handle any
ticketing environment from small theatres to large stadiums. With over
150 major new features, countless enhancements and 30 planned add-on
modules, this program can be tailored to meet the demanding needs of
an aggressive box office.
Box Office Xpress Junior ... value priced, reserved and general
admission ticketing
The pioneer of Windows ticketing programs and still the most
user-friendly in this class. Smaller venues and non-profit
organizations will be amazed at how much power they can get from such
an economically priced niche-market program.
Free Trial
Both programs are available as a free trials.
TSD Consulting
http://www.boxpro.com/
The BOX OFFICE PROFESSIONAL (BOXPRO) family of software systems is
designed to run the ticketing operations of theatres, concert or
sporting venues and public arenas of all sizes. From this web site you
can find out about this highly regarded software. From here you can
ask questions and download a free working demo.
Their offerings look both mature and complete:
"BOW! builds on the power and flexibility of the BOX OFFICE
PROFESSIONAL Systems BP5 and BX6. Now for the first time this
comprehensive box office software system offers the ease of operation
of the World’s most popular Operating Systems - WINDOWS 95, WINDOWS
98, WINDOWS 2000, NT, XP and WINDOWS 3.1.
Over seventeen years of use in box office operations throughout North
America as well as in Australia and Europe has proven the reliability
and utility of BOXPRO. Hundreds of years of box office management
experience have gone into this system’s design and development. The
tried and true features offered by earlier versions have been
implemented in BOW! resulting in a System that is deceivingly simple
to use.
The BOX OFFICE PROFESSIONAL Systems have been designed from the ground
up for one use only - the complete and secure operation of your box
office. From phone reservations to ticket printing to the presentation
of patron lists it is all here ready for you..."
Foothills Software
http://www.foothillssoftware.com/
Welcome to Foothills Software! You have found the affordable solution
to your box office management, ticketing, reservations and reporting
challenges!
Our products have been in regular use around the world for well over
11 years. The current version is the result of listening to what our
customers have told us. We have incorporated features, made changes,
and developed the product based on our client's expectations,
suggestions and wishes.
Their product is only $799 complete.
Although there were pages upon pages of hits for this search, the
above programs seem to offer a broad selection of features and pricing
structures and made the most favorable impressions as I viewed their
offerings.
Search Strategy:
"ticket sales" +software
"box office" +software OR program
I trust my research has provided you with a good selection of box
office and online ticket sales software programs. If a link above
should fail to work or anything require further explanation or
research, please do post a Request for Clarification prior to rating
the answer and closing the question and I will be pleased to assist
further.
Regards,
-=clouseau=-
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