Say goodbye to the paper list: professional access with E-tickets and scanners

While you're searching, the queue grows impatient and your pen blows out of your hands. It's a scene we still see far too often at city walks and guided tours. It works, but is it professional? No, not really. What's more, that printed list is already out of date the moment it comes off the printer.

In an age where we wave our phones to get in everywhere — from the museum to the airport — your visitors expect the same from you. Why struggle with paper when you can go digital? With the E-ticket module from i-Reserve, you replace the tick-list with a professional scanning experience.

How it works: from booking to back pocket

The process starts at the front door — or rather, in your customer's inbox. You don't need to design tickets yourself or manually email codes. As soon as a tourist or group books a tour, i-Reserve does the work. The confirmation email sent by the system automatically includes a unique QR code. This is handled via smart variables (such as {ETICKET}) in your email template.

Is someone booking for an entire group? No problem. You can set it up so that each individual participant receives their own ticket in the email (via {participants.ETICKET}). That way, every visitor has their own admission pass right on their phone. No printed faff, no forgotten slips of paper.

Scan, beep, move along

Then comes the moment suprême: the start of the tour. Your guide is ready. Not with a clipboard, but with a smartphone. i-Reserve offers a free scanner application that your guide can install on their own phone.

The process is straightforward:

1. The visitor displays the QR code on their screen.
2. The guide scans the code with the app.
3. The system immediately gives the green light (or red, if something is wrong).

This ensures a swift flow of visitors. "Beep, welcome. Beep, welcome." Within a minute, you've checked in an entire group. It looks sharp, professional, and it immediately gives visitors the feeling that everything is well organised.

More than just "getting in"

A paper list only tells you who should be there. A scanning system tells you the truth.

Every scan is recorded in the system in real time. A timestamp is immediately attached to the booking.

This gives you valuable insights:

• Validation: Is this ticket valid for this specific tour at this time? Someone trying to join with yesterday's ticket will be caught out immediately.
• No-show management: At the end of the day, you can see at a glance who had a booking but wasn't scanned.
• Attendance: You know exactly how many people actually joined the guide.

You tell the stories, we mind the gate

As a tour operator, you want to focus on the content. On the history of the city, the art in the museum, or the nature in the park. Access control is a necessary piece of logistics that simply mustn't take up too much time.

By switching to E-tickets, you make things easier for yourself and for your customers.

• No admin work beforehand: The tickets send themselves.
• No hassle at the door: Scanning is faster than searching through a list.
• Always up to date: Last-minute bookings are instantly scannable.

So, leave the printer off and the clipboard at home. Start your next tour with a professional 'beep'.

Ready for a professional entrance?

Would you like to see how easy it is to turn a confirmation email into an admission ticket? And how the scanner app works in practice? Try i-Reserve free for 30 days.