Flustered travellers digging through their belongings in search of a ticket has become a rare sight at train stations in recent years. This is because more and more people are relying on electronic tickets, or eTickets, whenever they travel. Mobile phones are becoming personal ticket kiosks in the palm of your hand, and with eTicketing, ticket stubs are slowly becoming obsolete.
What Is An eTicket?
An eTicket is the digital equivalent of a paper ticket. It is an electronic document that identifies the holder as an authorized passenger or participant for a particular event. An eTicket is an electronic record of a traveller’s reservation, which contains information such as the time, date and location of the mode of transport or the event, and the assigned seat.
eTickets are generally associated with airline flight tickets, but they can also refer to any ticket purchased online. Therefore any ticket we purchase for which we do not receive a paper ticket because a digital copy is emailed or available via mobile application or website is an eTicket.
How Does eTicketing Work?
Today, when you purchase a ticket online, you’re purchasing an eTicket or a ticket that’s stored online. The purchase process is usually explained by ticketing sites, and it’s relatively easy to follow. Once you have selected your mode of transport or selected the event you wish to attend, you will be prompted to pay with a credit or debit card. Your itinerary, your eTicket, and your payment confirmation receipt will then appear on the screen. In addition to printing the eTicket and itinerary, most users ensure that they are saved together in their email for ease of access.
Although some people print their eTickets at home, the majority of travellers add them to their iPhone wallets or keep their eTicket links open with them to scan at the gate.
Why Opt For eTicketing?
The advantages of an eTicket extend to travellers and businesses alike, including security, flexibility, low costs and convenience. While providing standard assurances of a traditional paper ticket, like seating choice, time flexibility, and others, it also provides an entirely new level of flexibility.
As opposed to the traveller who leaves his ticket at home, eTickets are impossible to ‘lose’ since they reside in a computer network. This makes them difficult to steal, as well.
An eTicket also enables a traveller to quickly change their itinerary, as the ticket provider only has to update their database instead of having to physically issue a new ticket. Due to the lower costs of handling eTickets, businesses can also offer more competitive fares to travellers. In addition to being booked and processed faster, tickets are also being processed promptly, which saves labour hours and reduces traveller frustration.
The Future Of eTicketing
Many organizations that seek to improve customer service and streamline operations are looking forward to eTicketing services. Customer satisfaction in eTicketing is complex, and it is shaped by several variables, including customer technical support, infrastructure, security, and user-friendliness. Organizations must analyze these issues to create eTicketing systems that will meet customers’ needs and yield high satisfaction.
