It's a topic we cover often on this blog: the importance of customer service. Happy patrons return, tell others and are generally one of your best marketing tools.So how do you keep 'em happy? Avoid these five customer service mistakes, "which are easy to fix yet have a big impact on the bottom line," reports Bob Phibbs for Entrepreneur. Read all five common mistakes at Entrepreneur, and check out two important ones below:"Don't treat regulars better than first-timers.Just as I was about...

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It's no secret that happy fans return to more shows and tell their friends to buy tickets. And one way you can ensure more happy fans? Responding to the unhappy ones as quickly as possible. Convince & Convert recently outlined five important customer service statistics, things your fans wish you'd keep in mind when they reach out to you. You can read all five here and see the most important ones below: "1. One-third of all customer complaints are never answered,...

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Since we've already established that food is entertainment, it only makes sense that theaters can pick up a few lessons from restaurants when it comes to dealing with customer feedback.For a quick guide on best practices when it comes to monitoring and responding to reviews and critics, check out this infographic from Convince and Convert. It's for restaurants but we think many of the same principals apply to live entertainment, too:Got a comment or question? Join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook.

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It pops up often on this blog: Good customer service is key to growing your business. And as customer service increasingly takes place over social media channels, MarketingProfs points out that it's important to revamp the customer experience for social consumers.Mike Schneider reports: "To provide authentic, human service in a digital, mobile medium, with the efficiency of text — nothing beats social media. It's where your customers are being human, and it's where your brand can be human, too....

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Fun (or maybe not-so-fun, depending on your perspective) fact: It costs five times more to acquire a customer than to retain a customer (according to the authors of Loyalty Myths).So in the interest of keeping your fans happy and earning their loyalty, check out these tips from Kissmetrics. They pointed out four ways to earn your customers' loyalty. You can read all four here and see the two that pertain most to live entertainment below:"1. Desire to Belong Let me...

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Nobody wants a bad review, whether it's of a show, a venue or a member of your staff. But there can be a silver lining to a little complaining.MarketingProfs writer Adrienne Weissman reported, "68% of people trust a company's reviews more when they see bad ones mixed in with the good." Also, a recent study found that "18% of people became loyal repeat customers after they received a brand's response to their negative feedback."So how can you turn a...

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There are a lot of factors that can potentially affect ticket sales -- your advertising and marketing efforts, the show's subject matter, even the date and time it's happening.But one area you may not have considered is customer service. However, it's definitely an area you should pay attention to. As Jim pointed out in his post, The Easy Math of Good Service, treating your fans with respect and giving them the occasional perk can go a long way toward repeat...

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As Jim has said, great customer service can be your best marketing strategy. And along those lines, happy employees generally mean a happier experience for your fans. So how do you keep your employees happy?Well, at Goldstar one way our staff is rewarded is with monthly complimentary tickets to events. It's a great way for employees to enjoy live entertainment and get excited about all the cool shows available on the site and the app.In addition to comp tickets,...

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It's true: Disney does actually create magical experiences -- so enchanting that the magical kingdom has a 70% return rate of first-time visitors, according to Help Scout's Gregory Ciotti.In this article, Ciotti highlights some interesting and unique takeaways from Disney Institute's book, Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service. Since, as Jim has written, good service is the best marketing money you’ll ever spend, we thought we'd share a few of Disney's customer service ideas below, and...

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Four years ago, Wal-Mart decided to do away with "greeters" at its store entrances. But, according to this Entrepreneur article, "warm welcomes were not the only loss resulting from this decision. The retailer sacrificed a core tradition, as well as a substantial sum of money due to increased shoplifting."Lydia Belanger reports, "By the middle of this summer, Wal-Mart greeters will return to a majority of the chain’s 5,000-plus U.S. stores."The retailer’s late founder, Sam Walton, would be happy. He...

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