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All About Self-Service Exchanges: https://help.patronmanager.com/a/2120513
With self-service exchanges, your patrons can exchange their single (non-subscription) tickets online without your box office staff needing to perform the exchange internally!
You get control over what events patrons can exchange online, when they can do so in relation to the event, and whether or not you'd like to charge exchange fees while freeing your team's valuable time.
In this article, we'll look at:
- What self-service exchanges are
- How to enable self-service exchanges
- How self-service exchanges work
And at the end we'll have some frequently asked questions (FAQs).
What is a self-service exchange?
A self-service exchange is a way that a patron can exchange a ticket or multiple single tickets online from one event to another.
Allowing self-service exchanges
On each individual Ticketable Event or Event Instance, you can decide whether or not to allow self-service exchanges at all, and whether patrons can exchange tickets only for other Event Instances within the Ticketable Event or for any event.
For example, you can decide whether you'd like patrons to be able to exchange their Buena Vista Social Club tickets for another performance of the same event, or for any events that you have available for sale.
Eligibility Period
Additionally, you can set the exchange eligibility period on each Ticketable Event or Event Instance. This allows you to set how many days, hours, or minutes before the Instance Date patrons can exchange their tickets and also set a cutoff for when patrons can no longer do self-service exchanges.
For example, you can allow patrons to do self-service exchanges 30 days before the Instance Date and cut off self-service exchanges 1 hour before the Instance Date.
Or, if an event gets canceled, you can allow patrons to do self-service exchanges right away, and cut them off 14 days after the Instance Date would have been.
Self-Service Exchange Fee
If you'd like, you can also opt to charge a Self-Service Exchange Fee for patrons who exchange their tickets online.
The Self-Service Exchange Fee is set globally, meaning that it will apply to self-service exchanges for any events where you enable the feature. However, you can waive the Self-Service Exchange Fee on specific Event Instances with a checkbox.
For example, if you cancel Friday's Tchaikovsky concert, you can waive the Self-Service Exchange Fee for just that concert while still charging the Self-Service Exchange Fee for other events.
The Self-Service Exchange Fee is separate from the Default Exchange Fee, which only applies to internal exchanges that your staff processes.
How do I turn on self-service exchanges?
Before turning on self-service exchanges, mobile tickets must be enabled and Email must be a Supported Delivery Method for the Ticketable Event.
Self-service exchanges can be enabled on each Ticketable Event, or on each individual Event Instance.
Self-Service Exchange Settings on the Event Instance will override settings on the Ticketable Event level.
We'll walk through turning on self-service exchanges for already-built events, but you can also turn them on when you first build the event!
1. From the Event Inventory, click into the Ticketable Event where you wish to enable self-service exchanges
You can get to the Event Inventory from the PatronTicket Hub, the Event Inventory tab, or the App Launcher.
2. Click Edit
3. Fill in the Self-Service Exchange Settings
- Self-Service Exchanges: Set how you'd like self-service exchanges to work for this Ticketable Event
- Not Allowed means that self-service exchanges aren't allowed for tickets to this Ticketable Event
- Allowed to Any Item means that tickets for this Ticketable Event can be exchanged for tickets to any other event available for sale online
- Allowed within this Ticketable Event means that tickets for this Ticketable Event can only be exchanged for tickets to another Event Instance within this Ticketable Event
- Exchange Period Start: Set the number of days, hours, or minutes before the Instance Date that patrons can begin self-service exchanges; if left blank, self-service exchanges can happen immediately
- Exchange Period End: Set the number of days, hours, or minutes before or after the Instance Date that self-service exchanges stop
The settings you set here only apply to self-service exchanges. Your staff will still be able to exchange tickets to any event and can exchange tickets outside of the Exchange Period Start and Exchange Period End.
4. Scroll back up and Save
Remember: The Self-Service Exchange Settings Overrides that you set on an Event Instance will override the Self-Service Exchange Settings on the Ticketable Event.
We'll walk through turning on self-service exchanges for already-built events, but you can also turn them on when you first build the event!
1. From the Event Inventory, click into the Ticketable Event where you wish to enable self-service exchanges
You can get to the Event Inventory from the PatronTicket Hub, the Event Inventory tab, or the App Launcher.
2. Scroll down to the Event Instances list and select the one you wish to edit
3. Click Edit
4. Fill in the Self-Service Exchange Settings Overrides
- Self-Service Exchanges: Set how you'd like self-service exchanges to work for this Event Instance
- Not Allowed means that self-service exchanges aren't allowed for tickets to this Event Instance
- Allowed to Any Item means that tickets for this Event Instance can be exchanged for tickets to any other event available for sale online
- Allowed within this Ticketable Event means that tickets for this Event Instance can only be exchanged for tickets to another Event Instance within this event's Ticketable Event
- If left blank, the Self-Service Exchange Settings from the Ticketable Event will apply
- Exchange Period Start: Set the number of days, hours, or minutes before the Instance Date that patrons can begin self-service exchanges; if left blank the Exchange Period Start from the Ticketable Event will apply
- Exchange Period End: Set the number of days, hours, or minutes before or after the Instance Date that self-service exchanges stop; if left blank, the Exchange Period End from the Ticketable Event will apply
- Waive Self-Service Exchange Fee: Check if you wish to waive the Self-Service Exchange Fee set in PatronTicket Settings for this Event Instance for future self-service exchanges
- This will not affect exchanges that have already occurred
The settings you set here only apply to self-service exchanges. Your staff will still be able to exchange tickets to any event and can exchange tickets outside of the Exchange Period Start and Exchange Period End.
5. Scroll back up and Save
How do patrons do self-service exchanges?
Here's a quick look at the patron journey for a self-service exchange!
Want something to share with your patrons? We've working on a PDF that you can share with them, either in the Start Self-Service Exchange email, a Pre-Show or Ad-Hoc Alert Email Template, or on your website.
Stay tuned for the patron-specific instructions!
From their Order Confirmation, the patron will view their tickets online
If a patron is logged into PatronPortal, they can also view their tickets online from there
If tickets from their order are available for Self-Service Exchanges, the patron will see an "Exchange Tickets" button they can click
The patron will get a message notifying them that they'll receive an email with a link to exchange their tickets
This is to confirm the patron's email and identity.
From the Start Self-Service Exchange email, the patron clicks Start Exchange
The patron can select the tickets from their order they wish to exchange
They can exchange all of the tickets, or just some of them, using the checkboxes. Once they've made their selection, they'll click "Select."
The patron will be directed to select the new event they want to attend
- If Self-Service Exchanges are Allowed to Any Item, the patron will be directed to your all events list on the Public Ticketing Site (PTS), as shown in the screenshot above
- If Self-Service Exchanges are Allowed within this Ticketable Event, the patron will be directed to the Ticketable Event page on the PTS where they can select a specific Event Instance, as shown in the screenshot below
At any point, the patron can also cancel their exchange with the Cancel Exchange button
The patron will be able to select their new seats, as if they were simply purchasing tickets online
Here, they can also adjust the Price Levels too.
They'll be able to see the details of their original tickets and their new tickets using the Show Details toggles, along with the adjusted balance
When they're ready, the patron can click Next
Please note that patrons won't be able to change the Delivery Method, Contact information, or Donation information when they do a Self-Service Exchange.
If there are Discount Codes associated with the event and Price Levels the patron is exchanging into, they'll have the option to enter a Discount Code
Once they're ready, they can click Next
If additional payment is required, the patron will be prompted to enter a payment method
If no payment is required, the patron will just need to click Submit to complete the exchange
Patrons will never be offered a refund for self-service exchanges, even if the new ticket(s) cost less than the original ticket(s). See this FAQ for more information.
The patron will reach the Order Confirmation Page for your PTS
They will also receive an Exchange Confirmation Email
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Not at this time. If you'd like subscribers to be able subscription tickets, please upvote this Product Idea in the Client Community!
Not at this time. If you'd like patrons to be able to exchange their single tickets to another item type, please upvote one of these Product Ideas in the Client Community!
Do neither of the above Product Ideas match what you want to see? Submit a new Product Idea to let our team know!
Yes. Patrons can do a self-service exchange for more or fewer tickets than they originally had.
So, for example, a patron can exchange one ticket for 2 tickets, or 3 tickets for 1 ticket.
Please note that if the total for the new tickets is less than the total for the original ticket(s), the patron will not receive a refund. The system will force an equal exchange for the ticket(s) instead.
Patrons will not receive a refund if their new ticket(s) cost less than their original ticket(s).
If patrons wish to receive a refund because the new ticket(s) cost less, they will need to contact your team, and you will need to internally process the exchange.
If a patron tries to exchange their ticket for an event that isn't eligible (e.g., Self-Service Exchanges are Allowed within this Ticketable Event and the patron tries to select another Ticketable Event), they'll receive an error message letting them know what Ticketable Event they can exchange into.
At the top of the page, they'll also see what Ticketable Event they can exchange into, and a link directly to that event!
If self-service exchanges aren't working, make sure:
- Mobile Tickets are enabled in your account
- That Email is set as a Supported Delivery Method for the Ticketable Event
If self-service exchanges aren't working for a specific patron, make sure:
- Their ticket(s) is not checked-in yet
- Self-service exchanges are enabled for their Ticketable Event and/or Event Instance
- It's within the Exchange Period Start and Exchange Period End for self-service exchanges on the Ticketable Event and/or Event Instance
Yes! You can turn on Self-Service Exchanges even after you've started selling events.
Yes! Make sure to set the Exchange Period End to a timeframe "after event" to do this.
Please note that tickets can’t be exchanged after they’ve been checked in. Ticket buyers can only exchange tickets that haven’t been marked as attended.
Yes! You can report on Self-Service Exchanges because when patrons do a Self-Service Exchange, a Journal Entry Note is logged that notes that there was a Self-Service Exchange performed.
We recommend using the Ticket Orders with Ticket Order Journals report type to report on Self-Service Exchanges.
Self-Service Exchanges are also included in the exchange totals on your Financial Reports, such as your Performance Report, Event Summary Report, and Event Summary: Refunds/Exchanges.
Here's how we recommend building a report to see Self-Service Exchanges.
1. From the Reports tab, click New Report
You can get to the Reports tab from your tabs, or by searching in the App Launcher.
2. Click All
3. Search for and select Ticket Orders with Ticket Order Journals
4. Click Start Report
5. Adjust the Columns in the Outline pane to fit what you want to see (optional)
In the example above, we're adding Account, First Name, and Last Name.
You could also add groupings or remove fields if you wish!
6. Click the Filters pane
7. Adjust the Show Me filter to All ticket orders
8. Add a filter for Notes contains Self-service exchange.
9. Add any additional filters you wish (optional)
For example, if you want to only see Self-Service Exchanges for a specific Ticketable Event or Event Instance, you can add a Cross Filter for Ticket Order Items where the Ticketable Event or Event Instance Name is a specific value, as seen below.
Or if you want to only see Self-Service Exchanges that happened within a certain timeframe, such as Self-Service Exchanges that happened today, you can add a filter for Ticket Order Journal: Created Date, as seen below.
10. Click Save & Run
11. Enter the report details and Save
- Report Name: Give your report a name that makes sense, like "Self-Service Exchanges" or "Self-Service Exchanges for [EVENT NAME]"
- Report Unique Name: This will automatically fill based on the Report Name
- Report Description: Give your report a description that will help you and other Users know what it's used for
- Folder: Select a Folder to save the report in; we recommend "PatronTicket Reports 3.0"
- Save!
Congratulations on building your report!
You can schedule or subscribe to this report if you want to receive it via email!
Not by default. By default, you won't receive notifications when patrons do a Self-Service Exchange.
That said, when patrons do a Self-Service Exchange, a Journal Entry Note is logged that notes that there was a Self-Service Exchange performed. You can also tell that a Self-Service Exchange took place because the User who initiated the exchange won't be one of your internal Users.
Because of this, you can run a Ticket Orders with Ticket Order Journals report and filter for Notes that contain "Self-service exchange." We have more detailed instructions above.
Then, you could schedule or subscribe to your report, if you wish to be able to be notified of these!
Yes! If you use the Event Inventory API, Self-Services Exchanges will still work.
Please note that patrons will go directly to the link you've set as the Events URL in PatronTicket Settings to make their event selection during the Self-Service Exchange process.