This area allows you to import your gift vouchers into TicketSearch from a previous system or from another external source. On import, these vouchers can be redeemed by the customer. If you import a serial number, that number will be the unique identifier. As TicketSearch creates a transaction for the voucher, you’ll be able to resend the voucher to the customer as well as many other functions required such as having these vouchers included in reports. Please ensure you remove any vouchers that have a remaining balance of 0.
How does it work?
Once you’ve clicked into ‘Customer Database Import’ and selected ‘Voucher Import’, you will be presented with a list of vouchers that you’ve built. Most organisations would have one voucher built e.g. Theatre Voucher, however, you could setup vouchers for Christmas and for different venues/departments that you operate.
Important Rules
You must first ensure that all of your customers are uploaded in the first tab, ‘Customer Data Import’, before attempting to import vouchers. The system requires the unique customer id to then match the voucher to a relevant customer.
You must select ‘Yes’ to ‘Other voucher options, Allow customers to set value of voucher?’ for the voucher to appear in the voucher upload area. This essentially ensures that the voucher import process will accept any voucher value you want to import.
If the voucher inventory is not set to unlimited, your voucher will not appear under ‘voucher import’.
Above: The table grid view when building your voucher.
Step 1: Select the voucher that you would like import by selecting the checkbox and then clicking ‘Download CSV File’.
Step 2: Download the CSV, open the spreadsheet, leave all columns and heading names intact and copy your data across from your previous system or anywhere else where you are importing the data from.
The following fields are represented in the spreadsheet:
- Customer id: The customer id that was previously imported into the system and is the unique identifier to ensure that the voucher is matched to the correct customer on import.
- Voucher name and remaining amount: Enter the remaining balance of the voucher.
- Original amount: Enter the original value of the voucher.
- Expiry Date: When does the voucher expire? Enter your date in dd/mm/yyyy. No other format will be accepted. If you don’t enter a date, the system will use the date assigned against the voucher build to allocate an expiry date (or no expiry if no expiry date has been listed).
- Serial Number: This is a unique identifier that will allow the customer to redeem the voucher they already have. Online, the customer can simply enter the gift voucher number and any remaining balance will be advised. The customer can continue using the same voucher until the credit reduces to 0. If no serial number is allocated, the system will allocate a TicketSearch gift voucher number.
- Confirmation Number: This is the confirmation number from your previous or external system. When searching for a confirmation number for a voucher on TicketSearch, you will be able to enter this number and the system will reference it against the transaction. This is particularly useful if the customer contacts you with a query about their voucher. If you don’t enter a confirmation number, we’ll generate a new one for you on import.
- Order Note: You may have order notes against this voucher from your previous system. Simply enter them into the field provided. You should not exceed 255 characters as the file will be rejected on import.
Step 3: Select a File to Upload
Once you have entered all of the relevant information into the spreadsheet, you then choose ‘Select A File To Upload’ on the voucher import page and upload it. Please ensure that you do not exceed more than 200 records to be uploaded at a time.
You will be presented with the subsequent page where you need to action the following:
- Select a sales channel to assign: Select a sales channel such as walk-up, telephone, internet or a manually created sales channel. Only one sales channel can be assigned per upload. If you are wanting to maintain the original order purchase channel, you can simply import the vouchers in multiple uploads selecting the correct sales channel.
- Select a Delivery Method: Select a delivery method by default for the vouchers being imported such as e-voucher, box office collection or anything else. You can also break down the vouchers into various import types to match the original voucher distribution.
Tip: By selecting a ‘Collect’ or ‘Mail’ method, the system will assume the vouchers will need to be printed.
- Select Payment Method: Select a payment type to record the transactions in the system. You may also decide to create a custom payment type to easily identify these transactions in reports.
Tip: As your data is loading, this process can take up to 5 minutes. Please do not close the page or take any actions on the page. You will see the below message, ‘Please wait while we upload your data’.
If there is an error what should I do?
With any error, you will get the following message if the data has been manipulated and doesn’t correctly represent the headings that were downloaded. For example, you moved column 1 to column 3.
There has been an error while importing your data. Please ensure your data is in the correct format and try again.
Simply review the original spreadsheet to ensure that the headings are maintained. If there are other errors, such as date formats that are incorrect, the system will import the correct data and provide you with a successful message.
Step 4: Upload History
Failed and completed transactions are listed in the upload history table. The date/time/user who uploaded the data is also recorded. If any records have failed to upload, you can click on the error message which may say “1 error(s)”, download the CSV, correct the errors and re-upload the data.
Key tips once data is uploaded
- The customer record will have the voucher total updated to represent the imported remaining value.
- Backend and online, you or the customer will be able to enter the voucher number and apply it successfully.
Above: Online, the system will state the voucher balance remaining for the customer’s reference.
- Transaction Update
When searching for a transaction that has been imported with a previous confirmation number, TicketSearch will reference the imported confirmation number with an i info tip to remind any staff what the imported reference refers to.
- Reports
The Gift Voucher report details the gift voucher number including the value and, in this case, what has been used and the balance remaining.
