Box Office Management Today The role of the Box Office in marketing and sales has changed, placing it centrally in generating attendances as well as

Transcription

1 Box Office Management Today The role of the Box Office in marketing and sales has changed, placing it centrally in generating attendances as well as closing the sakes taking the bookings. That does mean there has been a considerable widening of the responsibilities of the typical Box Office Manager. In a large Box Office team, it is possible to delegate responsibilities for key tasks, where the skills and experience required are different. In a small to medium sized team, managing and distributing the responsibilities is harder, to reflect more clearly the 21st Century focus of not just managing the physical Box Office but being fundamentally part of marketing and managing the effectiveness of all sales channels. To reflect that, I recommend that the senior post of Box Office Manager is renamed as Ticket Sales Manager. Clearly this post holder is in overall charge and has a wide range of managerial responsibilities, so there is a clear second role for a Supervisor of the counter and phone staff on a daily basis; a key task of this supervisor is managing the rotas and matching staffing levels to projected and actual booking traffic. This Supervisor is deputy to the Ticket Sales Manager to cover sickness and holidays. The Ticket Sales Manager post encompasses responsibility for managing customer relations, achieving sales targets using dynamic revenue management, delivering customer service and the usual system, financial and personnel accountability. This is a pro-active self-driving role. Three key tasks need to be fulfilled in this role: Systems management, Website Sales management, and Database management. The Systems management role covers performance and event set up as well as ensuring the system is configured for maximum data capture and CRM. The Website Sales and Database management functions are an important bridging role with the marketing department, since online sales and the content to drive them needs to be optimised on a daily basis, and database analysis and extractions will drive marketing campaigns. A key to success in this role is not to be tethered to the counter and phone sales channels, and there is no particular reason for locating the postholder in or near the Box Office nearest to marketing is best. Sales Staff Flexibility Fresh and alert sales staff are required and this is best achieved with a larger group of staff on contracts with only a guarantee of a minimum of hours per week, designed to achieve flexibility. This needs carefully planned certainty of shift and rota patterns and call-out arrangements. Managed effectively, this ought to achieve efficiency savings, prioritising the key functions of the right number of staff to achieve the sales and customer satisfaction. Ideally, all sales staff should be employed on flexible but guaranteed minimum hours contracts, with a minimum call (preferably of four hours) and a ideally week s notice of a call out, though many people are willing to accept 48 hours notice. Minimum hours can legally be zero in the UK but greater commitment

2 and better quality staff are achieved if there is a minimum of actual hours per week two shifts helps keep people up to standard. Some shifts could be allocated on a stand-by basis in return for recognition of this in the payment structure. Most staff could then be called out for one minimum call per day at work. This leads to a larger pool of staff being employed and the deployment pattern permits more overlap of shifts at busy times and more flexibility to enable staffing up for busy periods, according to the day of the week and the activity and traffic levels. Shift Leaders/Duty Managers With only a Ticket Sales Manager and a deputising Supervisor (the only full time roles) there is a requirement for people to carry out the shift leader/duty supervisor role to cover all the open hours of the sales operation and manage the sales team on duty at any time. These supervisory roles do not need to be permanently designated to a person or staff specifically employed, since these roles could be allocated to any member of staff on shift, provided they have been trained in the duties; their rate of pay then increases accordingly when called to the role. This approach increases the flexibility and raises the expectations of staff and the overall customer service game. Model Job Description Ticket Sales Manager Post Title: Ticket Sales Manager Note that this is not an alternative post title for Box Office Manager. Traditionally the latter is a responsive management role over the staff handling incoming customers and their transactions. Fundamentally, the Ticket Sales Manager is a pro-active management role, with responsibility to achieve marketing and sales targets, in the context of satisfying customers and delivering good customer care. The Ticket Sales Manager will be expected to take marketing and dynamic revenue management actions if there are insufficient transactions to achieve the marketing and sales targets. Job Purpose: The Ticket Sales Manager ensures that the venue achieves its marketing and sales targets. This is a key role in the marketing department to ensure that all sales channels are optimised to meet customers needs, and that communications and sales opportunities build relationships with ticket purchasers and maximise income and attendances. Position: The Ticket Sales Manager reports to the Marketing Manager as their line manager, and will report as required to the General Manager in relation to overall management of the Box Office operation. The Ticket Sales Manager will line manage the Box Office personnel, with a Supervisor directly reporting to them. The Ticket Sales Manager is involved with the management team at venue in agreeing marketing and sales targets. Key Tasks: This list is not comprehensive and the postholder will be required to carry out those duties and tasks allocated to them by the Marketing Manager and the General Manager: The overall task is the achievement of the marketing and sales targets. Four key tasks need to be fulfilled in this role: Systems management, Website Sales

3 management, Database management, and Personnel management to achieve customer satisfaction and the highest standards of customer care. The Systems management role covers performance and event set up as well as ensuring the system is configured for maximum data capture from all sources and is able to drive CRM. The Ticket Sales Manager will be responsible for membership, loyalty and similar schemes to help build relationships with customers and increase attendances and the value of sales. The Ticket Sales Manager must monitor the sales flow to identify opportunities for dynamic revenue management. The Website Sales role is about ensuring that the online sales and the content to drive them are optimised on a daily basis so that there is appropriate rich content to persuade customers to buy and effective e-sales processes to complete transactions. The above and the Database management role are an important bridging role with the marketing department, since database analysis and extractions will drive marketing campaigns. The Ticket Sales Manager will own the customer database, make forensic analysis of the records to reveal customer behaviour and sales patterns, and investigate the database to identify potential segments of customers for proposed marketing campaigns and to support fund-raising initiatives. The Ticket Sales Manager is responsible for ensuring that customer records are clean and up to date, merged and purged as appropriate, and that data capture and data usage complies with the relevant UK Data Protection Acts and the Telecommunication regulations. The Ticket Sales Manager is ultimately responsible to the management of the venue for reporting on sales and attendances, and other sales analyses and management information requirements as requested. The Personnel management role involves managing the Supervisor based in the Box Office, who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the counter and phone sales functions, and who organises staffing levels and rotas to ensure appropriate coverage of traffic levels for the opening hours. The Ticket Sales Manager will need to monitor that staffing levels are optimised for the traffic levels, to minimise costs. The Ticket Sales Manager will monitor the Supervisor who is responsible for the daily and weekly financial reconciliation of sales on the system and ensuring the accuracy and appropriate reporting of all sales, monitoring the individual staff to maintain accuracy and standards. The Ticket Sales Manager shares with the Supervisor the responsibility for maintaining the highest standards of customer satisfaction and customer care by the staff. The Ticket Sales Manager has responsibility for ensuring that staff understand the standards and values of the venue and that all staff employed are effectively trained and managed. The Ticket Sales Manager is responsible for confirming the employment of sales staff. Together with the Supervisor, the Ticket Sales Manager will provide holiday cover to maintain management of the sales operation.

4 Person Specification: The successful candidate could have a wide variety of experience in a sales or similar environment which would be relevant. Knowledge of the arts and entertainment industry, especially the performing arts, is useful. The postholder will be numerate, able to write management reports, pro-active, self-starting, and capable of leading. Experience of managing progress towards sales targets and accounting for sales and income would be an advantage. Specific knowledge and skills are needed in managing the computerised system and the database of customer records. Knowledge of websites and basic html would be an advantage. Knowledge of SQL and the import and export of data, CSV files and the use of Excel for data processing, charts and graphs, would be an advantage. Experience of running a ticket sales operation and setting up performances for sale on a system would be an advantage. Management or supervisory experience in a sales role would be an advantage. Model Job Description Ticket Sales Supervisor Post Title: Ticket Sales Supervisor This role is similar to the traditional Box Office Manager with a responsive management role over the staff handling incoming customers and their transactions. Job Purpose: The Ticket Sales Supervisor is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the counter and sales operations to achieve a high standard of customer care, optimise staffing levels in relation to traffic levels to minimise costs, and financially reconcile all sales Position: The Ticket Sales Supervisor reports to the Ticket Sales Manager. The Ticket Sales Supervisor will line manage the Box Office personnel, with Shift Leaders/Duty Managers supervising shifts directly reporting to them. Key Tasks: This list is not comprehensive and the postholder will be required to carry out those duties and tasks allocated to them by the Ticket Sales Manager: Three key tasks need to be fulfilled in this role: Systems operation, Financial reconciliation, and Personnel management to achieve customer satisfaction and the highest standards of customer care. Systems operation covers sharing performance and event set up and ensuring all staff are trained in the use of the system, understand the operational requirements, especially for data capture and financial reconciliation. The Ticket Sales Supervisor is responsible for ensuring that customer records are kept clean and up to date, merged and purged as appropriate, and that data capture and data usage by staff complies with the relevant Data Protection Acts and the Telecommunication regulations. The Supervisor is responsible to the Ticket Sales Manager for financial reconciliation and reporting as required on sales and attendances, and other sales analyses and management information requirements as requested.

5 The Supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the Box Office counter and phone sales location are clean and presentable and provide a safe and comfortable working environment so that staff can give of their best. The Personnel management role involves managing the Box Office staff in the day-to-day operation of the counter and phone sales functions, including organising staffing levels and rotas to ensure appropriate coverage of traffic levels for the opening hours. The Supervisor must optimise staffing for the traffic levels to minimise costs and motivate and enthuse staff to close sales and achieve the required data capture. The Supervisor shares with the Ticket Sales Manager the responsibility for maintaining the highest standards of customer satisfaction and customer care by the staff. The Supervisor carries line management responsibility for ensuring that staff understand the standards and values of the venue and that all staff employed are effectively trained and managed. The Supervisor will assist the Ticket Sales Manager with the employment of sales staff. Together with the Ticket Sales Manager, the Supervisor will provide holiday cover to maintain management of the sales operation. Person Specification: The successful candidate must have experience of working at a supervisor/box Office Manager level in the arts and entertainment industry. The postholder will be numerate, able to report appropriately to senior staff, and capable of leading and supervising a sales team. Specific knowledge and skills are needed in managing the computerised ticketing system and the database of customer records. Experience of running a ticket sales operation and setting up performances for sale on a system would be an advantage.