Resource
How to Choose the Best Arts Ticketing Software and CRM for Your Organisation
Choosing your organization’s ticketing software is important to you, and it’s important to us – because it’s the foundation for the in-person experiences that bring your audiences together.
Booking tickets, promoting your next show, asking for donations – it all rests on having the right solution behind the scenes.
From theatres to orchestras to festivals, arts organizations like yours use the Spektrix platform to bring their teams together, work with better data, and build deeper relationships with their audiences. We work alongside you to reach your goals, and that begins with helping you find the best arts ticketing software for your organization – a solution that genuinely fits.
What is a CRM?
How arts organizations use CRM software to bring marketing, ticketing, and fundraising together
CRM stands for “customer relationship management”. This software serves as a central hub for customer data, enabling day-to-day record-keeping and communications as well as providing further-reaching insights.
For arts organizations, this means linking up information from your marketing, ticketing, and fundraising departments to grow deeper, longer-lasting relationships with your audiences and find effective ways to engage with them.
When you work with a CRM provider that genuinely understands the world of theatre, music, and live events, you can open opportunities to make improvements right across your organization.
What does the right technology look like?
Yes, it’s all possible…
-
Morning
It’s a busy day, but you’re going in confident.
You know that you’ll be able to move through everything swiftly and efficiently, with robust capabilities at your fingertips. -
Great team meeting!
Your team collaborates and tackles challenges with ease, supported by intuitive functions, users included as part of your relationship with Spektrix, accessible data, and practical, hands-on training.
-
Doors are open, and there's a fantastic audience coming in for the show
You have engaged new and returning audiences with powerful data, sector insights, and a range of loyalty plans, from season tickets to philanthropy.
-
Another shining revenue report
Your numbers are steadily increasing, with donations, transactions, and secondary spend reliably coming in. It’s all supported by joined-up ticketing and fundraising records, personalized content, and packaged offers.
-
Night
Smoother days. Integrated functions. Long-term success.
Yes, it’s all possible…
Look beyond the basics of your payments process
Your payments process is easy to take for granted, but it shapes almost every interaction your audience has with your organization, from the first click to the final confirmation. Hidden fees, clunky checkout journeys, and outdated payment methods can chip away at revenue and audience trust over time. Asking the right questions can reveal opportunities to reduce friction, cut costs, and give your audience a smoother way to book.
Review your fit
When and why to re-evaluate your current software
We recommend that you continually evaluate whether you have the best arts ticketing software for your organization’s needs. Know when the end of your contract is coming up and leave plenty of time to do due diligence, re-examining your current setup and looking around to see if there’s a more suitable option available.
Signs it may be time to look at new software
-
Difficult to learn
-
Missed revenue goals
-
Clunky reporting
-
Siloed fundraising
-
Poor booking experience
-
Slow interface
-
Lack of improvements
-
Not futureproof
Explore how your colleagues tackled similar challenges
-
Freeman Arts Pavilion
Smoother onsales, improved customer journeys, and new pathways for revenue growth at Delaware’s arts foundation.Read case study -
Grimsby Auditorium
Why North East Lincolnshire’s leading entertainment venue went ahead with a move to Spektrix, even when the world around them changed.Read case study -
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
A switch to Spektrix transformed team and patron experience at one of America’s most prestigious outdoor amphitheaters.Read case study
Understand what you need
What opportunities exist for improvement, and what specific challenges do you need to overcome?
Start with the “why”. Take time to think deeply and critically about what impact the best arts ticketing software would make for your organization. Consider requirements that are goal-oriented and focused on the needs of your audience and events, such as:
- Increase overall spend on tickets, subscriptions, food and drink, and more
- Boost donations and promote memberships or subscriptions
- Help departments work together and understand overall customer behavior
- Encourage everyone in your organization to measure impact and make decisions based on accurate audience data
- Stay ahead of evolving ticket price transparency regulation in the US and Canada
Writing a simple list of functions or features that you want is tempting, but it’s not the most useful tool for evaluating potential systems. You’re more likely to get a rounded view of how a potential partner can meet your requirements if you ask them how they’ll help you achieve your goals, not whether they have a specific feature.
Assess your current position
Are you replacing one system or several?
-
Who are the key stakeholders who need to have a say in your process?
-
What other systems could you consolidate into one new one?
Understand your current provider contract
-
Your contract expiration date will inform your timeline for choosing a replacement, so make sure you know yours before you start researching new providers.
-
Consider whether you’re ready to be locked in to a multi-year contract, and ask about commitment upfront.
Think about your approach to buying a new system
-
Any provider should be ready to work with you based on your preferred approach, whether that’s an informal exploration, a structured tender, or an RFP.
Learn what matters to your audience
-
Are there particular annoyances that your audience raises with you about your current booking process?
-
What do people love or value about their interactions with your organization, software, or team?
Asking the right questions
By focusing on your goals, you can frame your conversation to evaluate which arts ticketing software will best support your ticketing and sales, fundraising, and communications teams. For example:
- Internal challenge:
We’re not making enough on add-on options when audience members book tickets. - What you need from a new system:
Tools that put add-on options in front of patrons and encourage them to buy when making a booking. - Question to potential suppliers:
“Please demonstrate how your platform can help us drive additional purchases on advance sales, and share examples of organizations we could learn from.”
Make a comparison
Once you have a clear idea of what you need, take a look at these side-by-side comparisons of major platforms. We can help you decide which arts ticketing software best supports the needs, values, and long-term success of your organization.
-
Compare Spektrix to Tessitura
The benefits of a solution designed around your needs, with the flexibility to evolve alongside you.Compare systems -
Compare Spektrix to PatronManager
The foundation of your technology matters – one connected platform for audience engagement.Compare systems
Plan Your Timeline
Find a realistic timeline for implementation, ensuring you’ll be fully supported along the way.
Implementation is more than just the time to rebuild your existing systems.
You could go live with Spektrix in as little as 12 weeks.
So, if you were to commit to the change in August, you’d be live in time for your crucial winter events.
Every organization is unique, and every implementation starts with a kick-off meeting to plan a timeline built around your specific needs.
It's an opportunity to reimagine
-
how you work across teams, how you talk to your audience, and how you get the most from your investment, drawing on your Project Manager’s expertise to explore ideas for improvements or efficiencies.
It's a consultative process
-
in which you’ll gain insight and inspiration from cultural organizations right across the country, while we build a complete picture of your team and priorities – helping us suggest the best possible outcomes for your audience members, donors, and teams.
It's collaborative
-
and will draw together colleagues from across your organization to reimagine what your CRM could do, supported by experts in fundraising, data, communications, web integrations, and audience experience.
Read more about Spektrix on our blog:
-
Spektrix Reviews Are In: A true technology partner for the arts
How Spektrix invests in your long-term success -
Navigating CMA guidance on price transparency for ticket fees
Clearer pricing and stronger trust -
The Secret to Collaboration in the Arts? Your CRM
Break down silos and bring your teams together with Spektrix -
Grow Revenue with the Right Ticket Sales Platform
Boost revenue by switching to Spektrix
