Is Ticketmaster Ready For The Arrival Of Beyoncé?

• Ticketmaster faces its first big test since the Taylor Swift debacle when Beyoncé tickets go on sale next week. Demand exceeds available tickets by 800%.
• Ticketmaster needs to be authentic, prepare its technology, and focus on empathy
• Customer experience is as much about the authenticity and empathy as it is about the product

Fresh off the Taylor Swift concert ticket debacle that led to canceled sales and mass outrage, Ticketmaster faces an even bigger test: tickets for Queen B herself, Beyoncé. It’s a test of the company’s customer experience and technology that has the potential to break Ticketmaster.

Trouble with Taylor Tickets

In November 2022, Ticketmaster came under fire for the presale of Taylor Swift’s Midnights tour. Millions of fans logged on to get tickets—many waiting in virtual queues for hours—before Ticketmaster abruptly canceled public ticket sales. Ticketmaster sold 2 million Taylor Swift tickets (the most ever sold for a single artist in a day), but it was too much for the website to handle.

The swift move to cancel sales left millions of fans ticket-less and outraged. Ticketmaster issued a bare-bones apology, and the company was called before Congress to explain the incident. At the hearing, Ticketmaster executives explained that a massive bot attack was behind the slow website and ticket fiasco.

Preparing for Beyoncé

With that disaster as the backdrop, Ticketmaster is now preparing for its next anticipated ticket sale—and it’s even bigger than the last. Demand for Beyoncé’s tour exceeds the number of tickets available by more than 800%. How Ticketmaster prepares for and handles the surge in ticket sales could make or break its reputation.

So, what can Ticketmaster do to prepare?

1. Own Up To Mistakes

It starts by owning up to previous mistakes. Customers want companies to be transparent, even when things go wrong. Ticketmaster’s lukewarm apology and blame on an increase in bot attacks lacks ownership. Companies must own the customer experience, even when it’s affected by outside forces.

2. Test and Prepare the Technology

Then comes the technology. Ticketmaster is essentially a technology business. With plenty of time to prepare for Beyoncé’s tickets to go on sale, Ticketmaster should be ready with updated verification techniques to block out bots. It issued a statement that it is using its Verified Fan system to prioritize tickets to customers who register and will use a multi-step verification process to filter out bots and ticket resellers.

3. Treat Customers with Authenticity and Empathy

And then comes authenticity and empathy. With unprecedented demand for the concert, there will inevitably be plenty of fans who don’t get tickets—no matter how well the technology works. Ticketmaster has an incredible opportunity to be authentic and apologize with empathy instead of making excuses or glossing over their customers’ frustrations. The company can prepare by creating updates to share with customers and setting realistic expectations.

Brands have to offer quality products and services. In the case of Ticketmaster, that means a system that doesn’t crash with high demand. But a bigger part of customer experience is showcasing empathy and transparency. How well Ticketmaster showcases those characteristics will be the defining element of the upcoming Beyoncé ticket sales.

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist and the author of The Customer Of The Future. Sign up for her weekly email here.