Buying a ticket or interacting with your box office is often a customer’s first experience with your organization. This first interaction sets the tone for the rest of their engagement. Factors like how you structure your box office processes and how you train and manage your box office team can have a long lasting impact on the customer experience. Join us to learn how to keep your box office running smoothly and your customers happy. We’ll cover topics including staff and volunteer management, customer education, customer data and database administration. We’ll also discuss ways to mobilize sales outside of the physical box office. Attendees will learn: How to improve the customer experience How to keep your box office running efficiently How to turn a first-time buyer into a repeat customer

1. BOX OFFICE
BEST PRACTICES
HANNAH MEINKEN & DAVID OLSON | AUGUST 2016

2. AGENDA
IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
ADDRESS BOX OFFICE EFFECIENCY
CREATE REPEAT CUSTOMERS

3. COMMERCIAL BREAK
https://youtu.be/PxP23pwjCE0

4. 4
Box Office as Information Center
Daily Activities
– Transactions, requests,
concerns
Patterns of Business
– Slower or faster onsales
– Memberships and
conversion to subscriber
Reporting & Analysis
– ATTENTION: don’t run a
report unless you actually
use the data
EVERYTHING IS CENTRALIZED THROUGH THE BOX OFFICE

5. UNDERSTANDING THE
TOTAL PATRON EXPERIENCE

6. 6
Before the event
Discover the events
Purchase tickets
Arrange to bring others to
event
HOW DO THEY…

7. 7
During the event
Arrive and enter event(s)
Find and interact with box
office staff and volunteers
Get questions answered at
Intermission?
HOW DO THEY…

8. 8
After the event
Experience following the event(s)
Engagement post event(s)
Reason to come back
Motivation to spread
the word
HOW DO THEY…

9. WHAT’S MISSING?

10. 10
Operations may be
your challenge,
but they shouldn’t be
your patrons’ challenge.
Rules to
live by…

11. COMMON PATRON
PAIN POINTS

12. 12
Confusion Clunky experience while buying
No message/confirmation or FAQs
Sub-par patron support
– No clear way for patrons to get help if
there’s an issue
Trouble identifying staff and
volunteers
– Especially when there’s not a
physical box office

13. 13
Struggling to find the event or the
link to purchase online
Waiting on the phone
Waiting In physical lines, outside
the venue or in the lobby
Impatience

14. 14
No e-mail confirmation
Refunds
– No outlined policy
Disorganized Box Office
Distracted staff and volunteers
Lack of
Confidence

15. BEYOND THE BOX OFFICE

16. 16
Expand Your Reach
Sell tickets in locations
aligned with the audience
you want to reach
– In the moment sales
– Discount rates create buying
excitement

17. 17
Use Email to Alert Patrons
Before and After Event
Special change in event
Logistics
– Parking, road work,
construction, etc.
Synopsis of event
Special offers from other
vendors

18. 18
Make People
Feel Special
Set alerts for VIP and other
special guest
Cross donor and attendee
list for every event and
make contact in person

19. 19
Engage +1s
Connect with ticket buyer to help
with outreach to their guests
Turn a +1 into a repeat customer
Offer deals to
first time
attendees

20. 20
Acknowledge First
Time and Season
Attendees
Curtain speech
Sign in table in lobby
Greeting at box office
Patron notes
Leave a note in their seat

21. OPERATIONS: HEALTH CHECK

22. 22
Onsales
Box Office Hours
Marketing of future shows
Incentive to participate
Price optimization
Promos
Timing and
Dynamic Sales

23. 23
Be Prepared: The Checklist
Create equipment list
Organize all POS scanning
devices, cables, charging
stations, etc.
Test and update all software
Know all passwords
Charge all devices
Secure backup devices
Flashlights
Prepare staff schedule
and assignments
Flashlights…really!

24. 24
Be Prepared: Test Equipment and Processes
Printers
Scanners
Wifi
Devices
Logging in and out
Talk to us if you want
to do a test purchase

25. 25
Takeaways
Box Office is the heart and
brain of an event
Patron experience should be
evaluated from all angles
Documented processes,
preparation, and backup
plans are essential
We’re here to help!

26. THANKS!
HANNAH MEINKEN & DAVID OLSON
Box Office Best Practices