Ticketing Call Centers A Thing of the Past?

​I’ve been working in the ticketing industry since 1980, starting with the original computerized ticketing company Ticketron. Back then sales over the phone were nothing like we know now. We didn’t have pc’s or the web, just a CRT terminal, with limited capabilities.  Your choice for purchasing tickets was either waiting on line at a remote outlet like a record store, or a department store or to call the Ticketron phone room...

Written By TriTix Member:

Glenn Taglieri

VP of Business Development
Spectrum Ticketing

Today when we call in to purchase tickets, we have the luxury of knowing the exact location of our seats, how many rows back, whether they are on an aisle. But back in the 80’s, all you might have been told was that you had a seat in the center orchestra.

Over time, as the ticketing industry evolved, so did the phone room. Ticketmaster became the major player eventually acquiring Ticketron assets (but deciding not to continue to run their system) to become the ticketing giant, opening a network of call centers across the US. No matter what the demand, Ticketmaster could add agents in call centers across the country to accommodate large onsales. But over time the internet emerged and the cost savings of selling tickets over the web became a huge focus. The internet could complete more transactions than the call centers without the need of adding more ticketing agents. Events were now selling out even quicker with the addition of online sales. As the percentage of sales moved to the web, we saw Ticketmaster closing call centers across the country, even in New York.  And the end of call centers was predicted.

​Did this really mean the end of the line for call centers? That became my fear when I went to work for Turnstyles Ticketing. We were an overflow and after hours call center working with Performing Arts Centers, Museum and College Athletics.  I was concerned and would wonder “would the internet dry up our business?”. 

We had seen clients who were at one time doing 40-50 % of their sales by phone, now doing 80% of those sales online. I started to question whether I made the right career choice. But a funny thing happened... when we started Turnstyles, we saw that 1 in 4 calls were a sale, only now it had become 1 in 12-14, the number of sales generated through the phone room was down but the number of calls was still similar. This would be the proving point of why call centers will survive.

​The web has become the dominant way to purchase tickets, but its also created something else……customer service calls! As good as the web is at delivering a service there are still issues. Instead of a larger sales channel the call center became more of a customer service operation. Customers who couldn’t complete transactions, whether it be a system error, or login issues would then call in to the phone room. Customers who didn’t get print at home tickets or order confirmation or who bought the wrong performance would then contact the call center. For a current client of mine who just completed a major run of a new Broadway show 70% of the calls were from people who didn’t get their print at home tickets. Call centers will continue to service customers who still choose to purchase over the phone, preferring to speak to a live agent or who aren’t comfortable using a credit card online, but a larger portion of the call center business will now consist of customer service. The thought that call centers will no longer be needed is a short sited one, there will always be the need to talk to a live agent, the web as wonderful as it is will never totally replace call centers.