2009 ticketing software satisfaction survey...1. software systems designed as a ticketing solution...

Report for Philadelphia area Ticketing Software Satisfaction SurveyMarch 2010

2009Ticketing SoftwareSatisfaction Survey:

Philadelphia area

2009 Ticketing Software Satisfaction Survey2Report for Philadelphia area

Technology in the Arts explores the intersection of arts management and technology to sparkdialogue around the role of technology in our planning and programming, share best practices,and provide training in the use of online tools. Our services include consulting, professionaldevelopment training, webinars, an online resource directory, monthly podcasts, and adiscussion-based blog.

Technology in the Arts | www.technologyinthearts.org

Center for Arts Management and Technology | camt.artsnet.orgTechnology in the Arts is a series of services from the Center for Arts Management andTechnology (CAMT), an applied research center at Carnegie Mellon University exploring waysin which arts managers can employ online technologies to more effectively meet theirorganizational goals and engage audiences.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License by Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for Arts Management Technology.

2010

Cover photo credits: Andreas PraefckeGaleno on Wikimedia CommonsBryan OchallaSpwilliams13 on Wikimedia Commons

Thanks!CAMT would like to give special thanks to David Dombrosky, Pat Germann, and Qianqian Miao for their efforts in preparing this report.


Contents

Introduction...............................................4

Overview of Results: Profile of Respondents.............................6 Ticketing Needs......................................11 Software Usage......................................12 Software Satisfaction.............................15

Choosing a Ticketing System....................17

Appendix: List of systems included in the survey....21


Introduction

In designing this survey, we thought the following information would be useful for other arts and cultural organizations seeking a ticketing solution:

• what attributes do arts organizations consider critical in a ticketing tool• what factors influence organizations’ ticketing software choices• which tools are arts and cultural organizations using• how satisfied are arts and culture organizations with their current ticketing solutions

The variety of ticketing software solutions on the market today encompasses a tremendous range of capabilities, features, and price points. As a service to the arts and culture field, we created this survey to learn about organizational needs and to gauge how well current ticketing tools are meeting those needs.

Over 1000 people started the survey, and a total of 891 evaluated at least one ticketing tool. A total of 101 respondents completed the survey from the five-county Philadelphia area, which included Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties.

The survey included 48 software tools as well as an “other” option for evaluating tools not on the list. A complete list of programs included in this survey can be found at the end of this report and online at http://www.technologyinthearts.org/?page_id=474.

To distribute the survey, we approached arts service organizations, ticketing associations, and software vendors to share the survey with their members and clients. We found that the number of respondents evaluating a particular tool depended largely upon whether or not that vendor participated in the survey distribution. For this reason, the percentage of respondents using a particular tool cannot be construed as actual market share. In future iterations of this survey, we will endeavor to reach a broader range of organizations in the field.

Throughout this report, percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percent. Percentages may not total exactly 100% due to rounding.

About this survey


Overview of Results


Profile of Respondents

SectorNon-profit organizations comprised the vast majority of Philadelphia-area organizations re-sponding to this survey. About 5% of Philadelphia-area respondents were for-profit organiza-tions, and another 2% were universities.

Compared to the survey as a whole, Philadelphia-area respondents tended to be from much smaller organizations. More than a third were from organizations with an annual operating budget of less than $500,000. About 17% of Philadelphia-area respondents were from organi-zations with an annual budget greater than $5 million, compared to over 30% of respondents from all survey respondents.

Annual Operating Budget

What is your organization’s annual operating budget?

Philadelphia area only

All survey respondents

Don't know/ Not sure,

11%Small (less than $500,000), 20%

Medium ($500,000 to $3 million), 28%

Large ($3 million to $5 million, 10%

Very Large (more than $5 million), 31%

Large ($3 million to $5 million), 9%

Medium ($500,000 to$3 million), 29%

Small (less than $500,000), 41%

Don’t know/Not sure, 5%

Very Large(greater than $5 million),

17%



The most common job titles of respondents from the Philadelphia area were Executive Direc-tor, Marketing/Communications staff, and Box Office Manager. IT staff comprised a significantly smaller proportion of respondents among Philadelphia-area organizations as compared to the survey as a whole.

“Other” made up more than a quarter of Philadelphia-area responses. Most common among these job titles were Board Member, General Manager, Managing Director, and Treasurer. Re-spondents also described positions that included duties from a combination of different depart-ments within their organizations.

Which of the following most accurately describes your position?

Job Title



Box office manager, 28%

IT Staff, 12%

Execu�ve Director, 18%

Other, 18%

Other box office staff, 3%

Fundraising/ Development staff, 6%

Marke�ng/ Communica�ons

staff, 16%

Box office manager, 19%

IT Staff, 2%

Execu�ve Director, 23%

Other , 26%Other box office

staff, 2%

Fundraising/ Development staff, 7%

Marke�ng/Communica�ons staff, 22%


None, 4%

1 or 2, 14%

3 to 5, 25%

6 to 15, 34%

16 to 30, 12%

Don’t know/ Not sure, 3%

More than 30, 8%None, 15%

1 or 2, 30%

3 to 5, 22%

6 to 15, 21%

16 to 30, 6%

Don’t know/Not sure, 1%More than 30, 6%

None, 17%

1 or 2, 15%

3 to 5, 21%6 to 15, 16%

16 to 30, 11%

31 to 50, 7%

More than 75, 13%


How many full-time staff members are employed by your organization?

Staff SizeOrganizations responding from the Philadelphia area tended to have both fewer full-time staff and fewer box office staff than organizations from the survey as a whole.


Philadelphia area only All survey respondents

How many people work in your box office(s)?(Includes full-time employees, part-time employees, and volunteers)


None, 5%

1 or 2, 9%

3 to 5, 14%

6 to 15, 21%

16 to 30, 12%

31 to 50, 10%

51 to 75, 6%


More than 75, 22%




Which of the following best describes your organization? (Choose all that apply)

Type(s) of Organization

Philadelphia-area respondents most often identified their organization as a performing group. Respondents from the Philadelphia area were less likely to identify their organization as a per-formance facility or arts center than respondents from the survey as a whole.

“Other” organization types included zoos, gardens, and libraries.


0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Performing group

Performance facility

Arts Center

Other

College/University

Arts Service Organiza�on

Museum - Other

Cinema

Museum - Art

Fes�val/Fair

Gallery/Exhibi�on Space

Arts Council/Agency

Philadelphia Area

All Respondents

Cultural Series/Arts Presenter

Arts Educa�on Facility (not university)



Organization Discipline(s)

Which of the following disciplines represents your organization’s focus area? (Choose all that apply)

Respondents from the Philadelphia area were most likely to identify their focus area as music and/or theater. Philadelphia-area respondents had a larger proportion of theater organizations compared to respondents as a whole.

In the Philadelphia area, “other” disciplines included history, conservation, and cultural learning.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Music

Theater

Musical Theater

Dance

Visual Arts

Opera

Media Arts (film/video)

Photography

Literature

Cra�s

Philadelphia Area

All Respondents

Other

Design Arts


0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Credit card processing

Customizable sales reports

Customer support/tech support

Automated sales reports

Mul�-user

Ability to add a suggested dona�on

Includes a CRM/donor mgmt module

Subscrip�on sales/discount packages

Group sales

At-home �cket prin�ng for customers

Seat mapping/reserved �cke�ng

Ability to print images or logo on �cket

Security features (�cket forgery preven�on)

Barcodes/gate control

Other

Philadelphia area

All Responses

Integrates with exis�ng CRM/donor mgmt system

Includes a member management module

Ticketing Software Needs

Critical Software FunctionsAs with respondents from the survey as a whole, Philadelphia-area respondents most often selected credit card processing as a critical attribute. “Other” critical aspects included:

• integration of in-house & online ticketing• general admission sales• ease of specific functions, such as refunds, comp tickets, and list management• class registration• ability to track the response to marketing offers

Which of the following functions does your organization consider critical in a box office management system? (select all that apply)


Software Usage The following table displays the number of Philadelphia-are survey respondents using each software system, either as a primary or a secondary ticketing tool. (Systems with no responses are not included below, but they are included in the full list of ticketing systems at the end of the report).

“Other” systems were the most common choice among Philadelphia-are respondents. These systems fell into one four categories:

1. Software systems designed as a ticketing solution (e.g. Omniticket, Radiant, etc)2. Software systems not designed specifically for ticketing (e.g. PayPal, FilemakerPro, etc)3. Custom systems4. Systems that are not software-based (e.g. “manual system,” etc)

*Because respondents do not represent a true cross-section of the arts and culture community, this data cannot be used to infer market share.

Software Tool(used by respondent as either a primary or secondary system)

Number of users*

Brown Paper Tickets 6Choice Ticketing 4ClicknPrint Tickets by Extremetix 1Eventbrite 2InterTicket 1New Era Tickets 1OvationTix by TheaterMania 2Printtix USA 6ProVenue or ProVenueMax by Tickets.com

2

SABO by Seat Advisor 1ShoWare by VisionOne, Inc. 1Tessitura 21Ticket Turtle: Basic, Premier, or Pro 4

Software Tool(used by respondent as either a primary or secondary system)

Number of users*

TicketLeap 9Ticketmaster Classic 1Ticketmaster: Archtics 3Ticketmaster: Paciolan 1Ticketmaster: Vista 3Ticketweb 1tix.com 7Total Info by Easy-Ware 4Vendini: TicketAgent or TicketLine 3WebTix and/or WinTix by Center Stage Software

2

Other 32


0 5 10 15 20 25

OtherTessitura

Tix.comBrown Paper Tickets

TicketLeapChoice Ticke�ng

Total Info by Easy -WareTicketmaster: Arch�cs

Ticketmaster: VistaTicket Turtle: Basic, Premier, or ProVendini: TicketAgent or TicketLine

Eventbrite

ClicknPrint Tickets by Extreme�xNew Era Tickets

Ova�onTix by TheaterManiaPrintTix USA

SABO by Seat AdvisorShoWare by VisionOne, Inc

Ticketmaster: Paciolan

ProVenue/ProVenueMax by Tickets.com

Web�x and/or Win�x by Center Stage

Organizations were asked about their software usage for both online ticket sales and in-house ticket sales, which were defined as sales completed by the organization’s staff in-person, by phone, or by mail. More than 75% of Philadelphia-area organizations responding to this survey use the same tool for both in-house and online ticket sales, approximately the same proportion as respondents from the survey as a whole. Approximately 17% of Philadelphia-area respon-dents used different tools for in-house and online ticket sales.

Ticketing Software Usage

Software Usage

Software for In-house Ticket Sales

Patterns of software usage for in-house sales were different in the Philadelphia area as com-pared with all survey respondents. Among respondents as a whole, Tessitura was the primary in-house tool for 31% of respondents (compared with 19% of Philadelphia-area respondents). No Philadelphia-area respondents reported using Theatre Manager by Arts Management Systems, the second most common tool among all respondents. Together, these 2 tools com-prised 45% of responses in the survey as a whole.

Which of the following systems is your primary tool for in-house ticket sales? (“In-house sales” are ticket sales completed by your staff in person, by phone, or by mail.)


0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Easy to use

Price

Level of customiza�on

Easy to train staff

Recommenda�on from colleague

Brand recogni�on

Required by our venue agreement

Philadelphia area

All ResponsesMany complex func�ons and features

Other

Software Usage

Respondents were asked to choose up to three aspects that led to their software choice. In the Philadelphia area, the most common criteria was user-friendliness, selected by over half of respondents. About 24% of Philadelphia-area respondents cited “other” reasons, including consortium opportunities, integration with existing software, robust fundraising and marketing tools, and “I don’t know.”

Primary Criteria for Software Choice

Additional Ticketing Systems

Approximately 17% of respondents reported using different tools for in-house and online sales. Of those using a separate system for online sales, the most common systems were “other” and PrintTixUSA.

As with in-house ticketing systems, price and user-friendliness were the most commonly selected reasons for software choice. Among PrintTixUSA users, a common “other” reason was a recom-mendation from Easy Ware, the vendor for their in-house ticketing software.

What were the most important aspects that led to your organization’s deci-sion to use this software? (Choose up to 3)


Strongly agree, 42%

Somewhat agree, 24%

Somewhat disagree, 8%

Strongly disagree, 9%

N/A, 3%

Neither agree nor disagree, 13%

Strongly agree, 37%

Somewhat agree, 30%



N/A, 12%


Strongly agree, 31%

Somewhat agree, 42%

Neither agree nor disagree,

9%


N/A, 2%Strongly disagree, 5%

Strongly agree, 29%

Somewhat agree, 46%

Somewhatdisagree, 11%

Strongly disagree, 3% N/A, 5%


Software Satisfaction

Overall software satisfaction among Philadelphia-area organizations was very similar to that of organizations from the survey as a whole. Compared to all respondents, organizations from the Philadelphia area were slightly more likely to agree that their system is user-friendly and pro-vides good customer support, yet they were slightly less willing to recommend their system or agree that it is meeting their needs.

This software is easy to use.


This system provides good customer support to our box office.



Strongly agree, 31%

Somewhat agree, 32%



N/A, 8%


Strongly agree, 27%

Somewhat agree, 42%



N/A, 5%


I would recommend this software to other organizations.

This software meets our organization’s needs.

Software Satisfaction



Strongly agree, 38%

Somewhat agree, 36%




N/A, 1%

Strongly agree, 42%

Somewhat agree, 24%

Neither agree nor disagree,

13%



N/A, 3%


Choosing A Ticketing System


Because of the wide range of ticketing solutions available, determining your organization’s needs and priorities is the first step to choosing an appropriate software system. In the follow-ing pages, we have included a list of subject areas to consider as well as sample questions to ask. It is a good idea to seek input from every department you expect to use the system - not just ticket sellers. Your prioritized list of needs will help you begin to identify systems that are more likely to be a good fit your organization.

Once you have narrowed your list to a few possible systems, begin to gather first-hand informa-tion from the service providers:

• Ask if there are any hands-on demonstrations that let you experience the system for yourself.

• Request a list of client references in your discipline and budget size, and ask those references about their experiences.

• Request a list of client websites to get an idea of the customer’s experience of ticket purchasing and other transactions, such as donating online.

Finally, keep in mind that price is not always the best indicator of quality. Even if price is your organization’s primary concern, it is still worth researching and evaluating other aspects of the system before making your final decision.

Choosing a Ticketing System


Areas to Consider Sample questions to ask

Customer/Tech Support • What type of support is available? (e.g. online, phone, etc)• Is there 24-hour support? If not, what options are available in

the event of an after-hours emergency?• What is the average response time to support requests?• Is there a support fee? If so, how much does it cost, and what

exactly does it cover?

Data Integration • Can the system handle both online and in-house sales? If not, does the vendor partner with another ticketing software vendor to provide complementary services?

• What software does your organization currently use, and what capacity does the ticketing software have to integrate with your current software?

• What is the capacity to export data from the system, and in what format can it be exported? (e.g. Excel file, csv, etc)

• Does this system include integrated functions (i.e. donor man-agement, class registration, etc.) that could replace any of your current software?

Data Security • After a transaction, what data remains in the system, and for how long does it remain?

• Are online transactions protected with a data encryption layer?

Infrastructure • Is the software hosted online, or will your organization need a server to host it?

• Is the software compatible with your operating system? (i.e. Windows, MacOS, etc)

• Does the system include credit card processing, or will your organization need your own credit card processing software/equipment?

• Will the system require your organization to rent or purchase ticket-printing equipment?

• If the system uses barcodes, will your organization need to rent or purchase barcode scanners?

Price • What is the setup fee?• Is there an annual license or maintenance fee?• Are there any additional fees for your organization? (e.g.

credit card processing fees, per-ticket fees, etc.)• What fees are charged to the customer? How much control

will your organization have over setting those fees?


Areas to Consider Sample questions to ask

Reports • What transactional data do you want to be able to analyze?• What automated reports come with the system?• Can you create custom reports on the fly? • If the vendor will build custom reports for your organization,

what is the customization rate and turnaround time?

Specific Functions • What specific functions are critical to each user of your tick-eting system? (e.g. fast general admission sales, demand pricing, etc.)

• What unique aspects of your organization will the system need to handle? (e.g. subscriptions for events in multiple venues, passes for multi-day events, etc)

• What are your priorities for online sales? (e.g. at-home ticket printing, customer seat selection, online subscription renewal, etc.)

Staff Access • How many user accounts do you need? (i.e. How many people should be able to log in to the system at the same time?)

• How many user accounts come with the system?• Is it easy to add user accounts if your organization grows?

How much do additional accounts cost?• Can you customize the information or functions that individual

users are able to access?• What information can you draw from each user account? (e.g.

daily sales activity, etc.)

User-Friendliness • Are there hands-on demonstrations available online? • How much staff time can you expect to spend setting up

events? Selling season tickets? Pulling reports?• How easy is this system for online customers to navigate?• For online purchases, is the system compatible with the last

three versions of common Internet browsers (Internet Explor-er, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc.)?


Software Systems Included in this Survey

Admission - a division of TicketmasterADVANTAGE by PathfinderAgile TicketingAudienceView TicketingBOW and/or BOW-net by Canadian Theatre SoftwareBOX, BOX Jr, or Admitix by Box Office XpressBrown Paper TicketsChoice TicketingClicknPrint Tickets by ExtremetixEntaeTixEventbriteFolio Box Office by Martech SystemsFront Gate SolutionsGalaxy by Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc.Glitner TicketingHandyTixIn TicketingInstantSeatsInterTicketNew Era TicketsOvationTix by TheaterManiaPatronEdge by BlackbaudPrintTix USAProVenue or ProvenueMax by Tickets.comQuantixSABO by Seat AdvisorShoWare by VisionOne, IncShowClixShubert TicketingSmarttixTessituraTheatre Manager by Arts Management SystemsThundertixTick-It! Trak Pro and/or Tick-It! 2K+TicketBiscuitTicket ForceTicketFusionTicketLeap

Ticketmaster: ArchticsTicketmaster ClassicTicketmaster: PaciolanTicketmaster: VistaTICKETsageTicketSoftTicketsWestTicket Turtle: Basic, Premier, or ProTicketUTicketwebTitan Technology GroupTix.comTixHubtix/SYSTotal Info by Easy-WareTurnstyles TicketingTyTixUniversity TicketsVendini: TicketAgent or TicketLineWebTix and/or WinTix by Center Stage Software

2009 ticketing software satisfaction survey...1. software systems designed as a ticketing solution...

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