Theatre Royal Plymouth
Custom HTML Gift Certificates in TNEW
Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP) sells a significant number of gift certificates each year, making them crucial to both their revenue and customer experience. With the transition to HTML email templates required for Tessitura v16 and the shift towards online transactions, TRP needed a more efficient and user-friendly way to manage their digital gift certificates.
Their previous system – built outside of Tessitura’s TNEW platform – was cumbersome, leading to administrative burdens and frequent customer service issues. We worked closely with TRP to create a custom HTML template that not only maintained the branding and feel of their previous emails but also streamlined the process, making it more efficient for both customers and staff.
The challenge
TRP’s previous gift certificate process posed a number of challenges:
- Manual, time-consuming: the old system relied on Wordfly, their email marketing tool, which meant certificates were sent hourly rather than instantly
- Limited flexibility: customers couldn’t send gift certificates to multiple recipients at once, leading to frustration, especially during peak holiday periods
- High customer service workload: on busy days like Christmas Eve, TRP’s box office was overwhelmed with complaints from customers who hadn’t received their certificates
- Administrative overhead: staff had to manually adjust and resend certificates, adding unnecessary complexity to internal processes
With more than 90% of TRP’s transactions now happening online (compared to 65% pre-COVID), addressing these inefficiencies was critical. Additionally, with Tessitura moving to HTML emails in v16, this was the perfect opportunity to future-proof TRP’s system.
The solution
We worked with TRP to design a solution that seamlessly integrated with TNEW while maintaining a familiar and user-friendly experience.
Instant, automated delivery
Gift certificates are now sent immediately rather than on an hourly schedule
Multiple recipient support
Customers can now send gift certificates to multiple email addresses in a single transaction
On-brand, seamless design
We replicated the look and feel of TRP’s previous Wordfly email templates within Tessitura, ensuring brand consistency and avoiding customer confusion
Self-managed & Box Office oversight
The Box Office team is now automatically blind copied (BCC’d) on all gift certificate emails – this means they can quickly resend certificates without needing additional IT support
Simplified administration
With the new system, updates (such as text changes or branding tweaks) can be made in-house without needing external help, reducing reliance on external developers
“If I ever need to pull custom data from Tessitura, I’ve now got a template I can work from. It’s made me think, ‘ok I can do this’ – I’ve got a much better footing.”
Jamie Clarke, I.T controller at TRP
The impact
Drastically reduced customer complaints
“In a very positive way – we’ve had no feedback! If something’s wrong, people tell 20 others; if it works, they tell five. The fact we haven’t had issues means it’s working perfectly.”
Saved hours of admin time
In the six weeks leading up to Christmas, TRP estimates saving several hours each week for both IT and the Box Office teams
Future-proofed for Tessitura v16
The work on HTML emails laid the foundation for future improvements, including gift memberships and further integration of gift certificates with other TRP offerings
More control & flexibility
“I now have a much better understanding of how these templates work. It’s allowed me to be more self-sufficient in making changes and developing new features.”
With this success, TRP is already planning to expand their digital gift offerings, including integrating gift memberships and other upselling opportunities. By shifting to a future-proof, automated solution, TRP has not only improved customer experience but also built a foundation for further innovation in their digital strategy.
