3 Online Ticketing Platforms with the Best Customer Support

Features	TicketsCandy	TicketTailor	Eventbrite
24/7 Customer Support
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As a business selling tickets online to your event, there are two key aspects of the support from the ticketing platform you’re choosing that you’re really looking for.

You want your ticket buyers to have a frictionless experience from checkout to ticket delivery via email, with the fastest possible resolution to any issues they might encounter.

And we also get that you, too, need help learning the ins and outs (setting up events, finding and understanding reports, managing ticket sales, etc.) of a platform that’s entirely new to you.

This is why having a solid customer care team on the online ticketing platform you choose will ensure that things run smoothly at such a crucial stage of your buyers’ journey—on the verge of making the purchase.

Plus, a happy customer is a repeat customer. In fact, a great customer service experience can potentially turn 86% of one-time clients into long-term, loyal customers.

In this article, you learn what standards you should set to find a ticketing platform that delivers excellent support and which platforms stand out as the best choice based on those criteria.

Why Customer Support in Online Ticketing Platforms Matters

A great online ticketing platform you choose should work like a well-oiled machine as it projects your brand image to your buyers—there should be no friction.

That’s what sets a well-run platform that meets your ticket buyer’s expectations (by today’s standards) from a business with short-term goals that only cares about the bottom line. And customer support is one of those touchpoints that you should care about.

Here’s a fact: More than 65% of your customers have higher expectations from customer support than they did 3-5 years ago.

If your ticketing platform fails to meet these expectations, it’s equivalent to showing your ticket buyers the door. But if you successfully ensure proactive and exceptional customer support from your chosen platform, you’ll create a loyal fanbase for your event business. And they’ll keep returning for more.

Also, as their primary customer, you too deserve a seamless experience working with them. They should resolve any issues you face as quickly as possible so you can focus on other, more important aspects of your business.

Here are a few more reasons why you should partner up with an online ticketing platform that excels in customer support:

• Retaining current customers is cheaper than acquiring new ones: Finding a new ticket buyer is always way more expensive than keeping the current ones.
  Retaining your customers is also much more profitable for your business in the long run, as only 20% of your existing customers represent 80% of your profits.

• More revenue: At the end of the day, you do care about your bottom line and instant results (every business does).
  Customer experience and support go hand in hand. So if your ticket buyers get the best support in the market, you’ll experience 2x the revenue growth of your competitors.

• Customer support and brand image: Whether you like it or not, the ticketing platform you choose represents you to your ticket buyers. So, it’s your brand’s face at stake. If they mess up anywhere from checkout processes to ticket delivery via email and timely resolution of any issues they encounter, it’s your image on the line.
  But if they provide the smoothest possible experience to your buyers, they’ll give you a chance to turn a one-time customer into a loyal, returning one. So, choose your ticketing partner wisely, as they represent the mission and values of your business.

• The online ticketing system is a bit technical: It will take you a little time to get the hang of it, as online ticketing systems have a learning curve. So you’ll need guidance as you navigate the process of setting up your events and managing ticket sales on your chosen platform.

Also, you might run into an issue with ticketing that you would want to resolve, as the last thing you want when setting up an event is a delay. So, a platform with great support will onboard you seamlessly and resolve any issues you might face promptly, saving you time to focus on things that matter.

Key Features of Exceptional Customer Support for Ticketing Platforms

As mentioned before, online ticketing is a bit technical, so you’ll need your online ticketing platform’s help to guide you through the whole process.

Source: Zendesk

Here’s what you need to look for in your ticketing partner to ensure they are up to the challenge:

#1: Responsive Communication (24/7 Service)

24/7 support is a huge investment for ticketing platforms, so some skimp on it. What they don’t understand is that it’s worth it—dishing out convenient service and delivering what you crave. Being available around the clock means meeting your high expectations. You can ping them whenever you want.

A 24/7 support team handles your queries more promptly due to increased staff availability. And that results in First Response Time and Average Resolution Time dropping like a rock (helping you get a quicker response and a timely solution).

Also, if you’re hosting an international event, 24/7 opens doors that become even more important. If they are stuck in a 9-to-5 rut, your buyers, being in different time zones, will be left on their own if they face any issues.

So, instead of finding that out in later stages when starting over feels like too much work and, as a result, your revenue suffers, you need to make the right choice in the first place and go with a platform with customer support available 24/7.

#2: Fast Resolution

The ticketing platform you choose should be able to resolve your ticket buyers’ issues as soon as possible. In fact, they should aim for First Contact Resolution (FCR).

Here’s why: FCR is linked to customer satisfaction—for every 1% increase in FCR, there’s a 1% rise in customer satisfaction.

That means your ticket buyers’ issues will be resolved as soon as they face one. And that would result in customer satisfaction and a boost in their loyalty to your business so you can achieve your goals in selling tickets online.

This also means that you won’t have to contact them a second time for an unresolved query—any questions you might have will be answered promptly, saving you a lot of time and effort.

Source: SQM

Here are some standards your online ticketing platform’s support team needs to meet:

• Understand your needs: Actively listen, ask clarifying questions, and repeat information to grasp the issues accurately.
• Set realistic expectations: Informs about the expected resolution time. It creates trust by giving a realistic timeline.
• Provide clear instructions: Serve up clear instructions, laid out in detail, on the next steps to take. If you are struggling with the event setup, refund, or any other technical issue while trying to sell your tickets, they must walk you through the process so you don’t have to hit them up again.
• Stay positive: When it comes to your ticket buyers, the ticketing platform represents you at the most crucial step of your customers’ journey—when they are looking to buy your event’s ticket. So their support team needs to bring their A-game to the table. Even when dealing with cranky buyers, they need to keep their cool and deal with them professionally.

#3: Knowledgeable Support Staff

A ticketing platform is a virtual ticket booth for your event—your buyers need to have a positive experience at this gateway, as first impressions matter.

So, the ticketing company representatives need to know every in and out of the platform to be more confident, knowledgeable, and productive.

Why does it matter? Well, these qualities shine through in their interactions with ticket buyers, leading to higher satisfaction levels and even boosting sales.

When the customer support team of your chosen platform knows its stuff, it shows. It inspires confidence and trust in your ticket buyers—they know they’re in good hands. And as they project your brand image, your ticket buyers see you as an event company that knows its stuff, which builds their confidence in your brand.

Also, as an entrepreneur, your time is worth a lot. So, you can’t have someone waste your time explaining things they know nothing about. You need a ticketing platform with knowledgeable staff to help you set your event up for success and start selling tickets online as fast as possible.

#4: Low Customer Effort

Last but certainly not least, an online ticketing platform with great customer support should take little effort on your part as the seller, as well as your customers looking for answers to their questions.

In fact, research by the Harvard Business Review found that when companies focus on more streamlined channels for customer support, with fewer touchpoints and effort on the customer’s end, your issues will get resolved faster.

That means greater customer satisfaction for your ticket buyers and a greater likelihood that the issue will be resolved.

Just think about it: The fewer steps it takes to get to the information you need, the more energy and inspiration you have to buy. Get in the mind of your customers to really understand what keeps your customers interested.

When selling tickets online, you don’t want to make your customers wait in line to contact an agent and explain their issues, sometimes waiting days for a response when they can solve them on their own.

Your ticketing platform needs a help center with a comprehensive FAQ page for that. Also, they need to update it regularly with questions they face from ticket buyers and event organizers.

They must also use advanced support techs like Satisfaction Prediction and Answer Bot (example above). Satisfaction Prediction analyzes touch points to predict negative outcomes.

Answer Bot uses AI to provide instant, relevant responses, speeding up resolutions and enhancing self-service.

While automating customer support, your chosen ticketing platform should prioritize ticket buyers’ experiences. They also need to Automate backend processes like ticket routing and workflows to maintain a personal touch and ensure quality isn’t compromised.

So choose an online ticketing platform with these criteria for customer support so your ticket buyers have smooth sailing.

Top Online Ticketing Platforms with Great Customer Support

Online ticketing isn’t just an operational necessity today; it’s critical for your event’s success, and so is the support needed to keep it up and running seamlessly. After all, the financial stability of your event rests on the revenue generated through ticket sales.

Here are the top 3 ticketing platforms to sell tickets online with the best customer support to help you add that personal touch to your customers’ journey online:

TicketsCandy: The Best Choice All-Round

Offering a comprehensive list of features for any ticketing use case possible, it’s no wonder TicketsCandy is trusted by event organizers across most industries. And its crown jewel? The flawless customer support it offers.

It checks every box that defines a top-notch online ticketing platform with great customer service. To name a few, TicketsCandy offers 24/7 customer support with one of the fastest response and resolution times in the industry.

Also, TicketsCandy’s support page is easy to find for customers and offers an exhaustive list of FAQs for self-service. That means, in most cases, you won’t even have to contact support and solve the issue yourself. And if your problem is out of the scope of the help page, the live chat is available for any concerns you might have.

If you’re old school and like to get in touch with people on the phone instead of online, TicketsCandy also has a toll-free number to offer help (none of that frustrating jumping through hoops just to talk to a real person).

Ticket Tailor: Round-The-Clock Support

Ticket Tailor is another excellent option with great customer support. The “Advice and answers from the Ticket Tailor Team” page answers most queries a customer might have from an online ticketing platform.

And like TicketsCandy, it offers live chat for customers who don’t want to opt for self-service and need a human touch in customer support.

Its customer support is up 24/7, offering help to its customers non-stop, and you won’t have to worry if you are from a different time zone. Also, the response and query resolution times are decent enough not to bug a customer off.

Eventbrite: Great Support For Paid Accounts

Eventbrite is one of the OGs of the online ticketing industry and offers great support to its customers. Like the platforms mentioned earlier, it provides live chat and email options for help.

Although they do have self-service options on their help page, they could do better as it offers minimal FAQs. That means the customer will have to find answers on their own or wait to get help from a live chat or email response, increasing their query resolution time.

Also, unlike TicketsCandy, where live support is available to all its customers (as it offers free service anyways), Eventbrite provides 24/7 live support to paid event organizers only.

Wrapping Up

Live events have an incredible power to bring people together worldwide, making the events industry exciting and full of possibilities.

But managing events and selling tickets online with so many different things to consider can be tricky. And if something goes wrong in online ticket sales, and the support from your chosen platform isn’t up to mark, your revenue might take a dent.

However, if you’re careful and do your research, you can find an online ticketing platform with excellent customer support, increasing the chances of your events being successful significantly.

Ready to boost your event’s success? Sign up with TicketsCandy today and get access to our powerful ticketing platform, advanced marketing tools, and dedicated support with reps fully equipped to guide you through the process.