Do you know of any other successful integrations of CRM with ticketing solutions?
14 November, 2011 at 5:38 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 6 comments
I was contacted by Lauren Carlson a CRM Analyst with Software Advice.
Lauren introduced me to a review she wrote on five CRM alternatives to consider other than Salesforce, namely:
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM
- NetSuite OneWorld CRM
- Oracle CRM On Demand
- Sage SalesLogix
- SugarCRM
The review is Salesforce Alternatives | 5 Cloud CRM Systems to Consider
I recommend having a browse, not because I have a problem with Salesforce. However, I do think that comparison is always useful, as is competition. I would also suggest that the needs of entertainment wrt CRM are specific and the major requirement that is not addressed by any of these is integration with transaction capability, such as ticketing, memberships or donations.
There is are only two such integrations I know of currently:
- Patron Manager is built on a Salesforce platform and incorporates a variety of transaction types (including: Ticketing, Subscriptions and Donations) within the web-based service developed by Patron technology in New York.
- Event2CRM is an integration of Microsoft Dynamics and Eventbrite online ticketing developed by CRM Innovation in Kansas.
Do you know of any other integrations of CRM with ticketing solutions? Let us know by all means by adding a comment to this blog.
There is a short common sense summary available from Software Advice: Ten Steps to Selecting the Right CRM Software that you can download after registering.
Entry filed under: CRM, Online, Resources. Tags: CRM, Online, Transactions.
1.
Ceci Dadisman (@CeciDadisman) | 14 November, 2011 at 10:55 pm
Rather than thinking of it as integrating a ticketing system and a CRM, I think we should be looking for systems that will do it all. Obviously Tessitura is an industry leader but it can be cost-prohibitive for small and mid-size organizations. I also like OvationTix (http://www.ovationtix.com) which is great for smaller orgs.
2.
Tim Roberts | 14 November, 2011 at 11:01 pm
That is true Ceci, one system that does all could be a good solution.
Unfortunately, the reality of the situation precludes that. The vast majority of organisations still have the ticketing solution defined by venue exclusive ticketing contracts and as such integration is the only option to aspire to a true 360 degree view of customers.
Hence. my question (which I admit, I would rather not have to ask).
3.
michelle (@fuzzydinosaur) | 14 November, 2011 at 11:14 pm
PatronManager *is* one of the systems that does it all. Ceci, you should stop by our booth at NAMP and get the scoop from my colleague Lily. We built a whole ticketing system right in Salesforce — it’s entirely built on the Force.com platform, so I wouldn’t really call it an “integration’ of CRM and ticketing at all. We have a CRM system with ticketing built in.
4.
Tim Roberts | 15 November, 2011 at 12:55 pm
Here is a review from CRM Buyer only yesterday – Paciolan Gives CRM a Lead Role in Event Ticket Sales.
I do wonder at the level of integration to take a transaction engine to full CRM functionality without a re-write to address the more complex system architecture required. The risk is yet another bolt-on of limited functionality.
Some interesting perspective from the article:
“The company had the resources to build the functionality in-house, he added, although some clients do use outside CRM vendors such as Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM).”
“There are 200 people who work for Paciolan and about 80 percent of us are technologists. We knew we could do it and we know our customers better than anyone else, so we knew what they needed,“.
5.
Kieran Healey | 15 November, 2011 at 6:20 pm
Tim,
Independent Comment:
Tess. maybe a sector leader, but it is not a technology leader.
The advantage of an established CRM is surely that you benefit from the fantastic benefits in that field. True, Ticketing ought to have CRM functionality, but I have yet to see a mature CRM function set within a mature ticketing solution (or vice versa). Aside from Ticketing, the other gap in CRM is usually retail/catering. If you integrate several best of breed solutions – E.g. Ticketing, CRM and Retail, you have risk when it comes to Upgrades. If you select a single CRM and Ticketing solution, you will see CRM functions prioritized alongside Ticketing – they will begin to compete with each other for space on the roadmap.
As you know – Blackbaud offer integrations to the Blackbaud CRM.
Our own ticketing solution remains SRO/The Patron Edge.
In addition venues have integrated ENTA and Gamma Dataware to the Blackbaud CRM.
I will check in with my international colleagues around the integration between other CRMs and the SRO solution.
Kieran
6.
Tim Roberts | 15 November, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Hi Kieran
I am very interested to hear more about the integrations with SRO/Patron Edge/Top Tix/TicketServ.
I have heard some describe Raiser’s Edge as more of a fundraising and development solution than a fully featured CRM solution. But then again, most arts and entertainment organisations don’t need a fully featured CRM solution. Just some extra functionality to better handle: various constituent types, individual/organisation associations and task scheduling with staff allocation/buisness rules would keep a vast majority or organisations a lot happier than they are now. But the crunch is – integrated with their ticketing solution.
What do you reckon?
Tim