Ticket Purchase & Check-In: One Kiosk or Two?

Separate the two customer journeys first

Do not begin with the question, “How many kiosks do we need?” Begin by writing down what an already-booked visitor does compared with somebody buying on arrival. These journeys may share a screen or device, but they should not automatically be treated as the same task.

An existing customer may arrive holding a QR code or booking confirmation and expect to move quickly towards the activity. A walk-in family may still need to understand the options, agree on a session, choose the number and type of tickets, review the total and complete payment.

Writing the journeys side by side makes an important difference visible: a short check-in can end up waiting behind a much longer purchasing decision if everyone uses the same queue and device.

Observe arrivals before deciding on the layout

Spend time at reception during the periods that matter most. For several busy arrival windows, record how many groups already have bookings and how many want to buy tickets. Also note when those groups arrive: a steady flow across an hour creates a different queue from dozens of customers appearing shortly before one scheduled session.

Time a small sample of complete journeys rather than only the seconds spent scanning or paying. Start when the customer reaches the kiosk and stop when they know where to go next. Note interruptions such as searching for a confirmation email, discussing ticket choices or leaving the kiosk to ask a member of staff a question.

Record what is actually slowing the queue

Use a simple observation sheet with columns for arrival time, already booked or walk-in, approximate journey time, whether help was needed and the reason for the delay. You are looking for repeated patterns, not judging individual customers.

Hypothetical example: a leisure venue notices that most customers arriving just before a 2pm session already have bookings, while walk-in purchases are spread more evenly through the afternoon. That observation gives the venue a reason to investigate a faster check-in route during the pre-session rush rather than assuming every visitor needs another purchasing kiosk.

Make the first kiosk choice obvious

If both journeys use the same kiosk, the opening screen should separate them immediately. Plain choices such as “I have a booking” and “Buy tickets” tell customers which route to take without requiring them to understand your internal terminology.

Test those choices with someone who has not helped design the process. Give them a simple scenario — “You bought tickets yesterday and have just arrived” — and watch what they select without prompting. If they start a new purchase because they cannot find check-in, revise the wording or layout rather than expecting customers to learn it.

Keep instructions close to the decision

Signs around the kiosk should answer immediate questions. Tell pre-booked customers what they need to have ready and tell walk-ins where to start. If staff assistance is available for booking problems, make the location or method of getting help visible before a customer becomes stuck.

Avoid putting essential instructions only on a distant wall or in a long paragraph. Someone approaching with children, bags or a phone in their hand should be able to identify the correct starting point quickly.

Decide whether one shared kiosk makes sense

There is no universal answer to whether ticket purchase and check-in should use the same kiosk. The practical choice depends on the shape of your arrivals, the length of each journey, the available space and how staff support customers when something goes wrong.

One shared point may suit simpler arrival patterns

A combined route may be worth considering when demand is relatively spread out and purchase and check-in customers are unlikely to block each other for sustained periods. If you take this approach, test both journeys during realistic demand rather than checking each function separately when the venue is empty.

Separate routes can protect a quick check-in

If large numbers of pre-booked customers arrive together, consider whether they can follow a separate check-in process while walk-ins continue purchasing. That might involve different customer routes or staff handling part of the arrival process, depending on your operation and the systems you use.

The aim is not separation for its own sake. It is to prevent a customer who needs a short arrival task from being unnecessarily delayed by customers who are still making buying decisions.

Give customers a clear next step

Finishing something on a screen is not necessarily the end of the customer’s arrival journey. After a successful check-in, tell them exactly what happens next: for example, whether they should proceed to an entrance, wait in a designated area or speak to a member of staff.

Do the same after a ticket purchase. Make it clear whether completing the purchase also completes the required arrival process or whether the customer still needs to check in. Without that instruction, a customer may queue twice or assume they are ready to enter when another step remains.

Make unavailable sessions understandable

Decide what a customer should do if their preferred session cannot be purchased. Where your proposed setup supports alternatives, ask the supplier to demonstrate exactly what the customer sees and how another option is selected. Where staff need to resolve the situation, make that handover clear.

Do not rely on a generic error message as an operating plan. Staff should know whether the customer needs help with availability, an existing booking, a payment question or something else before asking them to restart the whole journey.

Plan for the awkward cases before customers find them

A smooth demonstration using a valid booking and available session tells you very little about how the arrival area behaves under pressure. Write a short list of realistic exceptions and test them deliberately.

Useful scenarios to test

• A customer presents a valid booking for a different date.
• A QR code or ticket cannot be read.
• The customer cannot find their confirmation email.
• A booking cannot be located using the information the customer has available.
• A walk-in chooses a session that is no longer available.
• A customer reaches the end of a purchase but is unsure whether payment succeeded.
• A family starts on the wrong route and needs to return to the correct one.
• A customer needs staff help while other people are waiting to use the kiosk.

For each scenario, decide where the customer goes, which member of staff can help and what information that person needs. The objective is to resolve the problem without leaving the kiosk occupied while a customer waits indefinitely for assistance.

Be careful with uncertain payments

If a payment outcome is unclear, staff should follow the process provided for the payment setup in use rather than immediately asking the customer to pay again. Include this situation in training so staff know who can check the transaction and what to tell the customer while it is being resolved.

Test the complete ticket purchase and check-in kiosk journey

Before settling on the final arrangement, ask the proposed system supplier to demonstrate your real scenarios rather than a generic sales presentation. Show how an existing booking is found, how a new ticket is purchased and what happens when either journey cannot be completed normally.

Then rehearse the physical arrival area. Put people where customers will actually stand, include bags or pushchairs if they are common at your venue, and check whether someone asking for help blocks the next person. Look at sightlines too: a visitor entering the building should be able to understand which queue or station is relevant before reaching the front.

Pre-launch checklist

• Write down the complete journey for a pre-booked customer.
• Write down the complete journey for a walk-in purchase.
• Observe the proportion and timing of each type during busy periods.
• Identify where customers currently stop to ask questions.
• Use clear first choices for existing bookings and new purchases.
• Show customers where to get help without abandoning the queue in confusion.
• Explain what happens immediately after purchase and after check-in.
• Test unavailable sessions and bookings that cannot be found.
• Agree how staff handle an uncertain payment result.
• Rehearse several customers arriving close together.
• Check whether one slow purchase unnecessarily blocks quick check-ins.
• Only change the layout or add capacity after identifying the actual bottleneck.

The final decision may be one shared kiosk, separate purchase and check-in routes, or a mixture of self-service and staff assistance. What matters is that the arrangement follows the way your customers really arrive rather than forcing two different journeys into the same queue without testing the consequences.