Case Study: The Houses of Parliament

Gain ownership of your ticketing operations for more flexibility

THE CUSTOMER
The Houses of Parliament is the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords of the United Kingdom each playing an important role in Parliament’s work. There are a number of ways UK residents and overseas visitors can visit the Houses of Parliament including commercial tours.

THE CHALLENGE
The Houses of Parliament used to outsource their commercial tour ticket sales. This arrangement met their needs while they were only opened during summer and their ticket offer was simple.

When Saturday and weekday openings were introduced in 2010, The Houses of Parliament required a flexible and cost-effective ticketing system to support the forecasted increase in visitor numbers and a more complex range of offers including additional tour options and linked offers with the catering department.

THEIR SOLUTION
The House of Parliament started to look for an in-house solution allowing them to manage their ticketing and admission control as well as creating bespoke offers.

Following a tender process, The Houses of Parliament chose Gateway Ticketing Systems to supply a solution for online and onsite booking facilities including admission control and online sales.

Gateway’s solution gives them the ability to easily manage both advanced and real-time bookings from various locations and for both groups and individuals. Front-house teams have found the new point-of-sale system very easy to use. Gateway also created The Houses of Parliament’s web store using the same visual identity as their website for a smooth online customer experience.

Since Gateway has been installed and training provided, The Houses of Parliament configure the system themselves and make any required changes in-house while Gateway ensures system maintenance and service support.

THEIR BUSINESS BENEFITS
The Houses of Parliament can now manage their own ticketing operations and be more proactive with their offering as well as getting closer to their customers.

A new dedicated team
Following the implementation of Gateway’s system, a new dedicated booking team was formed and trained to better answer any customers’ demands and consequently increase the Houses of Parliament’s customer satisfaction.

Bespoke offers
The Houses of Parliament are now able to create new ticket options in the system for special occasions, as and when required, for both online and on-site sales. Gateway’s system can be easily configured in-house to achieve what they want to do with their customer offer, in a timely manner.

Deeper relationship with visitors
The Houses of Parliament are looking at integrating a customer relationship management solution, CRM Plus | Powered by Galaxy, to be able to engage in a deeper relationship with their visitors, creating more relevant communications and bespoke offers.

Increase sales
Taking advantage of Gateway’s continuous development, The Houses of Parliament are also interested in joining Gateway’s Galaxy Connect community to engage in more global ticket distribution through online travel agents.