By accesso®

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the way we live in and experience our world. While digital-savvy consumers were already seeking self-service opportunities that put them in control of their experiences, the global stoppage of social interaction has driven that desire to even higher levels. To adapt to the restrictions of an ongoing quarantine, consumers have pivoted, adopting new habits and expectations, many of which have deepened our universal digital connection. Isolation pushed even long-term digital holdouts to turn to their mobile devices for shopping, entertainment and human contact — as of 2021, 85% of Americans owned a smartphone, and that usage number is reflected worldwide.

Building on this trend, pandemic-era hyperawareness of cleanliness and safety has fueled the adoption of self-service mobile interactions, including alternative payment options. A 2021 report found that four out of five consumers now believe contactless payments are safer than physical ones. Shopping and spending habits are forever changed, as well — Americans spent $791.7 billion on e-commerce in 2020, up 32.4% from 2019. And this spike in online shopping extends to ticketing, with mobile ticket purchase volumes expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this year.

As patrons return to their favorite leisure and entertainment activities, technology will play a key role in meeting (and, hopefully, exceeding) their expectations. As a recent Forbes article attests, leveraging technology and data-driven solutions will be key to building deeper, more meaningful connections with modern consumers. And this is especially true for performing arts centers, per industry thought leaders. Rachel Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center in Los Angeles, recently discussed the current digital revolution and its impact on performing arts centers, noting: “Over the past year, audiences learned many new ways to engage in arts experiences. Going forward, driving an hour in traffic to see a traditional proscenium-based arts performance will not be enough — audiences will want something richer.”

Modern patrons are also informed and concerned about cybersecurity issues, and operators should be, too: e-commerce fraud increased by a staggering 83% in 2020, and cybercrime is estimated to cost businesses and individuals over $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. It’s essential to protect your patrons’ privacy — and yours.

A recent UTA study found that one in three respondents believe live events will be even more important to them post-pandemic than before it, and one in four consumers are prepared to cut back spending in other areas to save more money for event tickets and attendance. Today, performing arts center operators have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leverage this pent-up demand as the impetus to build the “box office of the future” — one with robust and engaging digital experiences at the heart of the patron journey.

By leveraging the right technology solution, you can enhance your patrons’ experiences while driving revenue, laying the foundation for long-term brand loyalty and operational resiliency. The best way to predict the future is to create it — and a customizable white-label platform like the accesso ShoWare^SM box office ticketing solution has all the features a performing arts center could need to capitalize on the trends that define a modern patron experience. Before we dive into how this solution can work for you and your patrons, click here to download an INTIX-exclusive worksheet and evaluate if there may be opportunities for improvement at your venue.

Let the Patron Drive

Today’s patrons want experiences that put them in the driver’s seat — from the moment they load your website and purchase a ticket, through the time they return home. In fact, nearly three-quarters of consumers favor self-service experiences, with even more expecting such options to be available. And with the majority of customers considering their experience as important as the actual product or service provided, it’s clear that delivering on the expectation for a self-directed, easy-to-navigate patron experience is crucial to increasing satisfaction and enhancing your bottom line.

In the most recent Microsoft Global State of Customer Service report, 90% of consumers said that customer service is key to their choice of and loyalty to a brand — and brand loyalty directly correlates to brand trust. For today’s patron, brand trust begins when they first encounter your venue: typically, when they visit your website. A white-label platform ensures a smooth online experience from beginning to end through the customization of your ticketing portal. The design of the integrated platform blends seamlessly with the rest of your site, encouraging loyalty by minimizing the number of clicks needed to finalize a transaction, and making the purchasing process speedy and smooth.

Even better, that same customization allows you to integrate every potential purchase into one simple transaction — from parking to programs and merchandise. Memberships, subscriptions and group purchasing options can also be made easily available, as well as gift card and promo code redemptions. You can even unlock the ability to offer discounts to groups like veterans, seniors, AAA members and students. 

Your box office ticketing platform should allow you to seamlessly customize your white-label storefront with the perfect messaging to make planning a breeze for your patrons. Interactive, real-time seat maps help make it easy for patrons to choose their seats based on the view, or quickly sort to find the best seat available. And, with technology like the accesso ShoWare solution, your operations can benefit from integration with the Emma email marketing platform. With just a few clicks, you can easily populate email templates with key information, interactive content and visual assets to highlight upcoming performances and events. Plus, you can track conversion rates of past campaigns to evaluate their effectiveness and leverage that insight to optimize future patron outreach.

Deliver a Seamless, Data-Driven Experience

The vast majority of consumers expect you to already know who they are and what they prefer, but most software solutions on the market today leave operators with blind spots when it comes to their patrons’ identities. Fortunately, with the right technology, operators can take the on-site experience to the next level by blending a variety of patron-specific data into one easy-to-use database that provides a holistic view of each individual patron.

With the accesso ShoWare box office ticketing solution, for example, venues can create multifaceted patron profiles holding high-level information such as membership levels, classifications and important patron communications, as well as need-to-know data points like total ticket purchases and total lifetime donations. These profiles can then be integrated with your venue’s customer relationship management platform, providing a much clearer, more robust understanding of each patron’s history and preferences.

When made easily accessible from one, centralized database, this information can greatly enhance the quality of patron communications, allowing venue staff to personalize conversations on-site and over the phone. Data-driven patron profiles can also inform the creation of customized messaging and offers. For example, if a patron is classified as a “comedy lover,” your venue could deploy unique marketing emails to that patron, providing a sneak peek at upcoming comedy shows.

Your venue’s data can serve as a powerful tool in capturing, retaining and growing the loyalty of your valued patrons — if you know how to harness it. Make sure you’re investing in ticketing technology that can help you make the most of the patron data at your disposal. Doing so will greatly enhance the patron experience and is likely to drive increased revenue, as well.

Ease Patrons’ Minds with Enhanced Payment Security

With mobile ticketing transaction volume poised to grow 150% this year alone, the message is clear: Consumers expect you to meet them where they are, allowing them to purchase however and whenever they choose. However, we know consumers are worried about cybersecurity — for good reason — which increases their desire for control over their experience, particularly around purchasing. A ticketing technology solution that supports safe and secure payments, for both online and on-site transactions, gives patrons the flexibility and security they desire and allows your patrons (and you) to rest easy knowing that their financial privacy is protected without compromising convenience.

One way to set your venue up for cyber-secure success is to engage a ticketing solution already integrated with a comprehensive fraud prevention platform. For example, the accesso ShoWare box office ticketing solution is integrated with Accertify, a leading provider of fraud prevention, digital identity, device intelligence, chargeback management and payment gateway solutions. Accertify’s digital identity and advanced fraud filtering platform reduces fraud by 75% to 80% by proactively placing filters and rules that automatically detect and negate fraudulent transactions.

The most important thing to remember when it comes to cybersecurity and fraud prevention is that expert help is available — operators don’t have to “go it alone” — and the right ticketing technology partner will be prepared to provide the support you need.

Streamline In-House Operations and Performance

Having explored how the right ticketing technology can support creation of an exceptional patron experience, let’s take a look at how a shift to more self-service channels can positively impact your internal operations.

The benefits begin with a reduced on-site footprint. Your team will be empowered to do much more with less. Giving patrons the ability to resolve issues and manage their accounts themselves means fewer inbound calls for your already-busy staff.

Your staff and patrons will also appreciate the many contactless options designed to support continued physical distancing protocols, like access control functionality, a built-in mobile guide to help patrons find entry and exit points based on their unique seat selections, and the ability to prevent crowding by implementing timed, tiered entry.

As mobile-first, digital solutions continue to take center stage, your staff will have the same expectations for a streamlined, easy-to-use box office interface as your patrons, so it’s important to plan accordingly. Providing them with a platform that’s intuitive and simple is key to attracting and retaining team members in today’s tough hiring market. The accesso ShoWare solution provides a simple, efficient process for setting up shows, including the ability to customize with imagery, links and videos. The system also offers wizard functionality that allows automated duplication of preferred templates, design elements and more, making once-tedious tasks a breeze.

Last, but not least, the right ticketing solution directly boosts revenue by providing operators with the ability to do more and sell more. With one integrated system for ticketing and fund management, you can track the entire patron journey for the life of the relationship, with robust reporting and analytics at your fingertips. With the accesso ShoWare platform, for example, it’s easy to integrate with Google Analytics for deeper customer insights, empowering you to customize communication and promotional offers that are sure to hit their target.

Creating “the box office of the future” today is the ticket to an even more successful tomorrow for your venue. As the world embraces the return to live performances, the time is now to embrace the technology solutions designed to redefine the patron experience.

Mark your calendars to see the accesso team at INTIX 2022, where experts from the technology solutions company — along with partners from Accertify and accesso ShoWare Center — will lead the session, “Behind the Screen: Patron Identity and Cybersecurity in 2022 and Beyond.” This session will hone in on cybersecurity threats from a ticketing professional’s perspective and offer actionable steps operators can take to safeguard themselves and their patrons. Learn more about this session here, and get in touch with accesso to start the conversation today.

This article was sponsored by accesso.