Two tech innovations focus on church health and volunteers

Take Control of CHURCH Events!
ServiceU’s Online Ticketing Software Reduces Confusion and Gives Organizations Total Control Over Ticketing Process

Web-Based Box Office Ticketing Solution, TicketU, is Always Secure and Up-to-Date

CORDOVA, TN, December 6, 2005—Is your organization’s ticketing process sending volunteers over the edge with frustration? Are they fed up with taking phone calls, counting checks and making lists of tickets sold that are never completely up-to-date? With TicketU, a web-based online ticketing software solution by ServiceU (www.serviceU.com), your church or nonprofit will be able to eliminate all confusion associated with the ticketing process by reserving tickets through your organization’s website. With the ability to allow users to select their seating preferences, make payments online (if payment is required) and even choose their delivery options—e-ticket , mailed ticket, will-call or on hold—ServiceU has created TicketU to handle every detail of the complicated ticketing process with its comprehensive ticketing solution. TicketU has processed over 150,000 tickets to date and is sure to help organizations streamline events and increase overall outreach.

TicketU is completely web-based and accessible from any internet connection, and all data within the program is updated in real-time. This means that no information is ever out-of-date! Because the TicketU software is integrated with an organization’s website, box office staff don’t have to be present at the physical building to reserve seats, and ticket purchasers don’t have to be there either. Of course, staff can have access to the TicketU system from any internet connection, so tickets can always be sold face-to-face or over the phone, as well as online—whatever is most convenient. Most of the management of the ticketing process can be done from volunteer’s homes or the church office, making additional time savings a reality.

“Whether your organization offers small or large events, with TicketU, you will be able to present your customers with a much more professional ticket with little help and not as much effort as the end product would make you think,” comments Toni Hamilton, Minister of Community Involvement at First Baptist Church of Ft. Lauderdale, where their Christmas pageant is currently the fourth largest ticketed event in South Florida, selling 48,000+ tickets each year.

First Baptist’s volunteer workload has been affected dramatically since implementing TicketU. “We used to have nine people working on the ticketing process, now there are three. The load has shifted out of the office and into the homes of those attending the pageant.”

This is the goal of TicketU: To reduce administrative costs and manpower, while creating an easier and more effective method for church outreach.

“Over the past few years, churches and nonprofits we serve had been asking for a solution to manage the ticketing process,” remarked Tim Whitehorn, ServiceU founder and CEO. “So many organizations rely on big holiday events to draw in new visitors and reach out in their communities. We created TicketU to assist these organizations with achieving their ministry goals.”

TicketU may be used to sell reserved seats or general admission tickets. If selling reserved seats, TicketU can be set up to show color-coding in order to differentiate between different types of seats right on the organization’s website. This seat map can be used for different priced seats and/or for special seats such as those for disabled or hearing-impaired patrons.

TicketU is set up so that organizations have complete control of all funds accepted. Payments can be processed online or on-site for greater flexibility. Payments can be accepted either using a merchant account that uses a compatible provider or through a PayPal account. There are many safeguards built right into TicketU for maximum security including real-time credit card authorization, address verification and encryption of all transaction details.

TicketU provides all of the reports that organizations need to manage your ticketing process. Users can pull reports by event and get a summary of the ticket sales including number of tickets sold, total dollar amount of sales, number of tickets available, number of tickets on hold, number of tickets in process and the percentage of tickets that have been sold. These reports are especially helpful in reconciling the on-site cash sales made by box office staff.

So you see, TicketU has been created with every need in mind. And TicketU isn’t just for churches and nonprofits—the software can be used for any ticketing needs including small to medium sized theaters, recreational facilities and more.

For more information about TicketU or any other ServiceU product, email sales@serviceu.com or call 1-888-638-7439.