Hi there -
When reimagining the patron experience after reopening, did anyone pivot to e-tickets/PAH being your default option? It is the only option we have available on our website and we send member tickets out two weeks before the first performance of each production. Wonder if anyone else has run into any pain points with a similar system and have you discovered solutions? The biggest roadblock we've encountered is members |don't know their dates| - we're in the process of encouraging members to use their account page on the website to view upcoming performances but for some it is a challenge. Looking for suggestion to maybe create a catalog of best practices for this new world.
Rachael
Hi Rachael - we also switched things fully to e-tickets, including subscriptions, so we're very much in the same boat. E-tickets are the only option available for web purchases so physical tickets or holding at will call needs to be specifically requested by contacting us, and we deploy tickets starting 7 days before each performance date (the new e-ticket release date functionality is a lifesaver!). And like you, we try to direct people to their online My Account page as the fastest way to confirm their show dates and make changes.
One extra step we took last year - knowing that a lot of subscribers have relied on receiving their physical bundle of tickets in the mail each year to mark their calendars for the season, we still sent out a physical 'sub guide' mailing that focused more on how to manage their tickets online. We also worked with our printer to put a block of dynamic text in there, and provided them with a list of performance dates printed in ink for those who struggle with their online account. This was a good deal of grunt work involving a data dump from the ticket history table, consolidating rows where people had seats together but sold to different price types, and then a bunch of Excel formatting to organize it all into nice text strings. But it felt worth the effort just to help patrons along with the new status quo of e-tickets being our default. Of course, a printed list of show dates gets out of whack the moment they make their first exchange (which we called out as a warning), so it's far from perfect. I'm not sure if I can attach files to this post, but let me know if you want me to email you a sample copy of the mailing, I'm at evan.cartwright@seattlerep.org.
Following this thread to see what other ideas are out there to work through this giant analog-digital transition!
Hi Evan!
Hope all is well in Seattle, Chicago misses you! I'm glad to know we aren't all along in our boat. Do you plan on continuing this process next season? This is our new normal. We've had a few productions this season which added to the confusion.
We've created an attribute that helps us keep track of those who only want their tickets mailed but we are hoping everyone moves digital with us.