If your Spektrix system is connected to a source system using Spektrix Connect, you can sell tickets to imported Event Instances in the Sales Interface.
| User Permissions |
For selling, Sales User or Sales Administrator Role For reporting, Insights & Mailings User Role |
| Availability | Early Access - contact support |
Before starting, make sure you’re familiar with:
Before you are able to start selling tickets via Spektrix Connect, the administrator at your organisation must also have completed the setup of the source system connection, imported the Event Instances and resolved the required mappings.
To learn more, read How to set up Spektrix Connect.
Searching for Events and Instances
In the Sales Interface, imported Events appear alongside your organisation’s own Events in the search results. When you open an imported Seating Plan, the status line identifies the source system:
The Seating Plan shows live availability from the source system:
- Seats that are unavailable in the source system are shown with an X. These might be seats the source system or another Agent has sold, or seats that are held or locked.
- Seats you've sold through your own system are shown as grey seat icons, the same as for your own Event Instances.
- Seats that are unavailable on a source system can include seats held under a Lock Type that has not been mapped.
How do I complete a sale?
To make a sale:
-
Choose the Event Instance and add the seats (reserved or unreserved) to the basket / cart.
TIP: Tickets added to your basket / cart are also held in a basket in the source system. If the source basket times out, the affected tickets are removed. You’ll see a message identifying the source system and asking you to select the tickets again.
- Add the Customer Record to the basket / cart.
- Check the Event, Instance, seats, Ticket Types and total with the customer. You cannot add Ticket Donations but you can add a separate Donation to the basket / cart.
- Select a Delivery Method that you have agreed and tested for this connection.
- Add payment using your usual payment process. For payment instructions, follow How to Sell a Ticket.
- Once the balance reaches zero, confirm the Order.
TIP: Some actions in the Sales Interface cannot be completed on sales of tickets from imported Event Instances. To learn more, read What can Agent systems do with imported Event Instances?
After your Order is confirmed, Spektrix asks the source system to confirm its booking and supply the ticket barcodes.
The source system returns a barcode for each ticket. Your tickets print with the source system's barcode, so they scan at the source system's venue. Make sure the Ticket Design used for imported Instances includes the barcode.
WARNING: If the source system doesn't return a barcode, the tickets print with your own system's barcode and won't scan at the source system's venue.
In the source system, the following details will be available on the Order under Details Supplied by Agent to help the source organisation identify the booking:
- The customer’s first name and last name
- The first line of the customer’s address
- Your Order ID as the Agent Order Reference
Online sales
If an imported Instance is On Sale on the Web, customers can buy tickets for it through your website. They see live availability from the source system and the Ticket Types you’ve mapped and made available online.
If the source system can’t be reached, the customer sees a message asking them to try again.Source confirmation failures also generate an email to your configured Order follow-up addresses.
Troubleshooting Spektrix Connect Sales
Use the reference table below to understand how to troubleshoot different errors when making a sale:
| What you see | What to do |
| A seat or quantity is no longer available | Select other available seats or reduce the quantity |
| Missing Ticket Type or Price Band mappings | Ask your administrator to check the source system mappings |
| An unmapped Lock Type warning | Ask your administrator to map the source Lock Type |
| A source-system connection error | Record the source system name and message, then follow your agreed support process |
| A Ticket Type change couldn’t be completed | Retry the change as prompted |
| Tickets removed because the source basket timed out | Select the tickets again if they’re still required and available |
| A message saying the Basket/Cart no longer matches one or more source systems | Follow the instruction to cancel the Basket/Cart and start again. If payment has already been authorised, seek assistance before cancelling |
| A source confirmation warning after the Order is confirmed | Contact the source organisation with your Order reference so they can check whether the seats are secured |
| Unavailable instead of a barcode | Arrange resolution and check that the customer receives a usable ticket |
| Pricing mismatch | Check the Order with the source organisation and reconcile the difference. |
REMINDER: Removing tickets from an unconfirmed Basket/Cart releases the holds in the source system. This is separate from returning or refunding tickets after purchase.
What happens if the source system can’t confirm the booking?
If your Order is confirmed and paid for, but the source system can't confirm the basket / cart you might see a message which says:
The order was confirmed, but one or more imported (agency) seats could not be confirmed on the source system. Those seats may not be secured. Please check the source system and contact support if necessary.
And you will also receive an Order follow up email with the subject Order [Order ID] failed to confirm on one or more systems.
If the source system can’t confirm the Order contact the source system organisation with the Order details, so they can secure the seats for the customer. If the seats can't be secured, return and refund the tickets in your system.
Returns and Refunds
You can return and refund imported tickets in your system in the usual way. However, a return in your system isn't automatically sent to the source system.
When you process a refund in the Agent system you’ll see a warning explaining that the tickets will remain sold in the source system:
This return will only be recorded in this system. The tickets will remain sold in [source system].
Please contact [source system] and ask them to return the sale. This will make the seats available for resale and ensure the return is included in your financial reconciliation. If the sale is not returned on [source system], [your organisation] may still be charged for the tickets.
To complete a return and refund, follow this process:
- Start the return and refund in your Agent system.
- Read the warning and select Continue with return to proceed.
- Contact the source organisation with your Order ID and the ticket details.
- Ask them to return the corresponding tickets in their system.
- The source system returns the tickets using Agent credit payment/refund, as described in Working with Agents via the Agency API.
WARNING: Refunding the customer in your Agent system does not automatically return the tickets in the source system. Your organisation may still be charged until the source organisation also returns the tickets.
Reconciling and invoicing
When you sell tickets for an imported Event Instance, the customer pays you (the Agent system).
The source system records the sale against your Agent Customer Record as Agent Credit. This means the money is owed to them but hasn't been paid yet.
The source system organisation must invoice the Agent system and the payment must be settled separately outside of Spektrix. Usually the source system invoices you for the tickets, minus any commission agreed with them.
REMINDER: You’ll need to agree how often you’ll settle payments, how commission is calculated and how returns and cancelled Instances will be handled.
Source system organisations can follow the guidance in Reporting and Invoicing for Agencies to understand how to generate Agent Sales invoices.
When you check an invoice from a source system:
- Ask the source system organisation for their Agent Invoice report for the period.
- Compare it with your Orders for imported Event Instances. Each source system Order includes your Order ID as the Agent Order Reference, so you can match them one by one.
- Look out for differences caused by:
- Returns you made in your system that weren't also made in the source system. A return in your system isn't sent to the source system, so you may still be charged.
- Orders that failed to confirm in the source system.
- Cancelled Instances, if you and the source system haven't yet agreed who refunds the customers.
TIP: Emails sent to your Order follow-up address can be useful to reference to find Orders that need checking when you reconcile.
How do I report on imported ticket sales?
The report you’ll need to use will depend on which system you’re using:
- For Agent systems: You can use Analysis and Accounting reports to get data on your Orders, tickets, payments and commissions. Sales reports based on seat availability aren’t available for imported Instances.
- For source systems: You can use Agency reporting, alongside its normal sales and attendance reporting
Reporting in Agent systems
In Analysis or Accounting Reports, you can use the source system criteria to report on ticket sales for Instances imported through Spektrix Connect. You'll find it in the Event Instance wrapper when building a Criteria Set or Custom Report.
Choose either:
- Include the following source systems: finds Instances imported from the source systems you select.
- Do not include the following source systems: finds every Instance except those imported from the source systems you select.
Reporting in the source system
In the source system, Spektrix Connect sales are registered in the same way as Agency API sales. They're recorded against the Agent's Customer Record and paid by Agent Credit, so all the standard Agency reporting works.
For example:
- The Agent Invoice report shows what each Agent has sold, so you can invoice them.
- The API Agents section of the Payments & Activities report shows Agent Credit payments and refunds.
- Searching for Agency API Orders lets you find individual Orders, including the Details Supplied by Agent (customer name, address line and the Agent's Order ID).
For full details, read Reporting and Invoicing for Agencies.