In recent years, box office software has become increasingly sophisticated, with a lot more companies offering software systems, including more alternatives, more features and more cost options. Consequently for an organisation looking at adopting an internet ticketing solution, it has become a lot more difficult to determine which system to choose.

For the majority of organisations, some of the most important issues are cost of the system, ease of installation and setup, ease of use, any supplementary hardware requirements and the availability of excellent customer service. It goes without saying each organisation will also have its particular set of explicit requirements on top of these principal considerations, so you might want to initially draw up a listing of requirements that you consider necessary, and then proceed to judge separate box office ticketing systems on these criteria. But let’s have a look at a number of the most common considerations.

Cost of the System
Generally speaking, there are two alternatives - either purchase software outright, or sign a licensing or usage contract with a company providing a fully hosted service. In the former you would acquire the computer software outright and install it on your system. If however you are desiring to sell tickets via the internet, you would most likely be required to enroll in a further service, since selling tickets on the web requires a dedicated server to handle the ticket selection and payment to be available 24/7. On the other hand, with a fully hosted system, the ticketing software company maintains all of the software system 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, typically via a Web interface.
The advantage of purchasing software programs outright of course is that it is a once only cost, although there might be further expenditure for upgrades or maintenance contracts. But for sophisticated ticketing systems, the cost of purchasing software can be rather high, and for many medium to smaller sized organisations who still require a sophisticated system, the alternative model of a hosted system is probably a better option. In this case, the ticketing software company will normally 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 ticket sales software system will require a learning phase, so ideally the system should have an interface which is consistent with a normal Windows or Mac interface or menu structure to make it less complicated for all operators. It also needs to be trouble-free to install and configure. A lot of systems these days make use of a Web interface that makes it possible for an operator anywhere in the world to access the system and to sell tickets as required. Ideally, it shouldn’t be necessary to have on-site training, but in that situation it must be possible to coach users of the system via internet chat or instructional videos.

Features & options
Most modern ticketing software will include a bunch of different features, a lot of which may never be required by the typical venue operator. Ideally it is best if you have the ability to turn off unnecessary features, in an effort to simplify the system for users. And it at a later period you have use for such features, then you should have the ability to turn the features back on.

Hardware requirements
Assuming you have a relatively up-to-the-minute PC and up-to-date operating system, ordinarily no hardware upgrades should be necessary to operate ticketing software. But if the system is Web-based, you will need a fast Online connection. The only other crucial equipment requirement is a way of printing tickets. Even though thermal ticket printers are undoubtedly the most convenient option since they can print solitary tickets on demand, they tend to be relatively high-priced and may be outside the budget of small organisations who may sell only a few thousand tickets per year or fewer. Fortunately however, some ticketing software systems will allow tickets to be printed with a regular inkjet or laser printer. Bar-code scanners may also be necessary for venue operators who are selling general admission tickets and have allowed PDF tickets to be printed from the internet, as this is the only practical way to ensure the legitimacy of such tickets.

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

Patron Database
With a high-quality customer database, you should have the chance to categorise your customers, to enter alternative addresses, to easily remove or merge duplicate entries, to check the transaction history of any patron 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 expect rapid and helpful support and customer service. Whilst such support on a 24/7 basis may be impractical for many ticketing companies, any service shouldn’t be limited to e-mailed customer support tickets but you ought to be able to speak to skilled support personnel. You must also expect in depth instruction manuals to be supplied and ideally online support manuals with searchable capability.

Comparing ticketing systems
The best way to compare a ticketing system is to get a demonstration version of the software. Ideally the software should be a full working version with perhaps only a few features disabled. You should be able to carry out a number of test administrative functions to grasp how the fundamental setting up and ticket selling process works. In case you are unable to get a demonstration version, then at the very minimum you should be able to access screen shots of the main features. You should not be required to sign up for any system on a long-term basis unless you’ve got the ability to cancel the agreement if you discover that the system is not meeting your needs or doesn’t live up to its marketed claims or your expectations. It is also expedient to check out other organisations who are using the system you are considering by going to Web pages that employ the system and proceeding as far as possible with the test ticket purchase without actually buying the ticket. Then you will get a good idea of the ticket buying process from a patrons viewpoint.

Deciding on a new ticketing system can seem like a somewhat overwhelming task, but if you limit your appraisal to the fundamental requirements referred to above as well as any specific requirements, it will hopefully make the mission somewhat easier.

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