Which industries are the most demanding when it comes to customer relations? Telecommunications. Passenger transportation, whether by land, sea, or air. And, of course, ticketing. Customer support can make the …
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Which industries are the most demanding when it comes to customer relations? Telecommunications. Passenger transportation, whether by land, sea, or air. And, of course, ticketing. Customer support can make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful company.
When everything goes according to plan, it’s unlikely anyone will notice. You’ve probably experienced this yourself.
But when something goes wrong… we try to convince everyone involved that everything is fine while we’re surrounded by flames. And most of the time, everything does turn out fine—it just takes time and patience to align expectations and solutions. Unfortunately, time and patience don’t always go hand in hand with ticketing. Especially online ticketing.
Why is customer dissatisfaction particularly high in the ticketing industry?
In short… Myths.
- Tickets should always be refunded according to the wishes and needs of the customers.
- The ticketing service controls everything and makes decisions.
- Customer support can and must always be available and able to instantly resolve any issue.
It’s time to bust these myths.
Tickets should always be refunded according to the wishes and needs of the customers.
In most cases, tickets are not refundable except under specific circumstances, such as event cancellations or significant changes. The refund policy for tickets is often strict to ensure that event organization remains financially sustainable.
The ticketing service controls everything and makes decisions.
A large number of decisions related to tickets and ticket sales are made by the organizers, with the ticketing service acting merely as an intermediary. Prices, sections, seating arrangements, refund policies—these are all determined by the organizers, while the ticketing service only implements the decisions of the organizers.
Customer support can and must always be available and able to instantly resolve any issue.
It’s clear that customers want help the moment they encounter a problem, but it’s unsustainable to have customer support ready for action at all hours of the day and night. Additionally, customer support cannot independently resolve every issue; communication with other departments within the ticketing service, as well as with the organizers, is often necessary.
It’s inevitable. There will be dissatisfied customers.
Why do customers in the ticketing industry become dissatisfied?
The high speed of various actions.
Sensitive topic of finances and personal beliefs about money.
The fact that future plans often depend on tickets, along with emotional investment.
These are just some of the factors that make ticketing an extremely demanding industry.
Statistically, problems are bound to occur, and dissatisfied customers are a reality. They can cause significant damage to any business, primarily through word of mouth, ratings on various platforms, and spreading dissatisfaction across other online platforms.
Initial dissatisfaction is actually an opportunity to build a quality relationship and achieve one of the best transformations in business—turning a dissatisfied customer into a lifelong advocate.
When Everything Goes Wrong, Customer Support Saves the Day
Customer support is the first point of contact with existing and potential customers. Positive interactions ensure a lasting impression, turning ‘ordinary’ customers into service advocates. Building trust and maintaining it through transparency and honesty is crucial.
Factors that make ticketing particularly challenging include the high volume of requests and time sensitivity.
Example: A highly anticipated event is announced, and the overwhelming interest can cause system issues, but the sheer demand can also lead to a large number of customer support inquiries. And every question needs an answer.
Sometimes, customers need an urgent response due to issues with entering a concert, seating problems, or an error preventing them from completing a purchase. Such situations cause frustration for customers.
Entrio does not organize its own events; we are intermediaries in ticket sales. We provide a service to both organizers and customers by enabling ticket sales online and at physical outlets, which means we cannot make decisions on behalf of the organizers. Therefore, there are clear and strict terms of service. While they may not be popular, they are available at every purchase, and the customer can be aware of their rights and potential limitations. However, customers often seek flexibility and do not look favorably upon rigid terms of service.
Emotions Govern Dissatisfied Customers, Good Customer Support Governs Emotions
Customers are connected and emotionally invested to the meaning hiding behind their tickets. After all, it’s about gatherings with close friends, concerts of favorite artists, important sports matches… Disappointments related to mistakes and missed opportunities lead to emotional distress and, consequently, challenging interactions.
Customers also expect flawless user experiences, especially given the ticket prices, which are not insignificant. Any disruption in the process can lead to dissatisfaction.
Every customer is important, no matter how small their problem may be. They deserve a response as quickly as possible, and successful resolution requires the cooperation of everybody involved—the organizers, customer support, and all departments of the ticketing provider.
It’s also important to mention that customer support is there not only to solve problems but also as a tool to improve service in the future. Customer feedback is extremely valuable and helps improve our platform’s operations as well as event organization for all organizers who are ready to listen, understand, and implement changes. The goal is to retain customers, along with their satisfaction.
We spoke with Lucija Janđel, Entrio’s Customer Support Specialist
We wanted first-hand experiences, so we asked Lucija a few important questions.
Customer support is often the first line of defense. What does that feel like?
Working in customer support is like any other job, but it can be mentally taxing. Every day, you deal with the emotional aspect of customers, trying to calm them down and provide a satisfactory solution.
Working in ticketing is unique because it involves mediation, which includes a third party—the organizer. You have to be careful and think three steps ahead. It can sometimes be challenging. It’s very rewarding when you can solve someone’s problem and show them that we hear and see them and that we genuinely want to help.
Besides the organizers, what other specific aspects of customer support in ticketing are there?
In ‘standard’ customer support, you have your department, your procedures, and there aren’t many exceptions outside of those procedures. You always deal with the same product. You know everything about it. You have definitive answers. In mediation, you always have a diferrent customer for a different event with a diferrent organizer—sometimes twenty of them in one day—and each one will react differently.
What’s the best way to approach customers?
It’s important to adopt the customer’s tone and approach them in the way they want to be approached. If someone uses a lot of emojis, has a friendly tone, and says something like, ‘How are you, what’s up, I’ll buy you a coffee,’ of course, I’ll be more informal. On the other hand, someone who is angry doesn’t care about how friendly we are; they want a strictly professional approach with clear and quick solutions, without too many excuses.
However, most people react positively when they realize that there is a real person on the other side who has read their email, responded, and sounds like they will actually do something to solve their problem.
How do you handle major escalations?
In the case of large events where something goes wrong… It becomes evident how important it is to have a good procedure. On one occasion, our website crashed during an event with huge interest. We noticed it, and tickets had already started coming in. At that moment —there weren’t too many inquiries, but it was clear there would be. Most people obviously had the same problem. It was important to pause, I met with my manager Valentina, and we decided to create a snippet—a text with all the important information, emphasizing that we were aware of what was happening and assuring them that the issue was being resolved. Maybe cutting response time from three minutes to a minute and a half doesn’t sound like much, but when there are, for example, two hundred inquiries, that’s a huge amount of time while each customer waits for an answer.
Also, there are times when something goes wrong with that one event that garnered a lot of interest, but it shouldn’t affect ticket buyers of other events who are also expecting an answer to their question or a solution to their problem in timely manner.
It’s important to have a good procedure, a good team, to show that we are responsive because we answer as quickly as possible, and most importantly—that we are working on it.
What Can YOU Do to Make Your Customers More Satisfied?
We’re knocking on wood that nothing ever goes wrong for you, but statistically speaking—it’s inevitable. In such cases, reach out to us so we can resolve any issues as quickly as possible to ensure everyone’s satisfaction.
If you notice that something has gone wrong:
- Contact us as soon as possible—via email, phone, or message—so that we’re aware there’s a problem.
- Share all important details with us, such as the nature of the issue (change of location, changes in performers, postponement or cancellation of the event…), the dates and times in question, any specific information related to ticket exchanges, refunds, or seat relocations, as well as the expected timeline for resolving the situation or providing updates.
- Keep us informed about the situation’s progress, and we will keep you updated as well.
If you need help or want to learn more about customer support, reach out to us at [email protected]
Author: Franjo Opačak
