Ask Away! Our new feature lets customers add questions for Patrons during checkout—either using pre-made options or creating their own custom ones!
🛒 How it works:
Attendee questions? They’ll pop up on a separate page.
Patron/Order questions? They’ll show up right on the checkout page.
📊 Where’s the data?
Patron info: Found on the first page of their profile.
Attendee info: Stored in a shiny new "Attendee" tab.
Order info: Tied directly to the order details.
✨ Available exclusively for Platinum customers! 🏆
Creating Questions
Navigate to Checkout Questions from “Patron Segmentation.”
To create a new question, or set of questions, click “Add New” on the top right:
To ensure the questions are applied correctly, you must select at least one production. You also have the option to apply these questions to ALL productions, including any future ones. By default, any new productions created will automatically include these questions. For the best experience, we recommend selecting a newly created production to avoid seeing checkout questions created by other testers.
Types of Questions You Can Create
Pre-Canned Questions: Pre-made options like "Attendee Name" or "Skill Level."
Customers can add two types of pre-canned questions:
Attendee Questions: Displayed on a new attendee tab before the cart during checkout.
Marketing Questions: Shown on the Checkout page.
A table outlines details about these questions, including field types, required options (e.g., t-shirt sizes), optionality, and where they appear during checkout and on the dashboard.
Name | Field Type(s) | Requires Answer from Customer | Always Optional? | Source in Checkout | Destination on Dash |
Attendee name | Check box and multiple text fields |
|
| Attendee Page | Contact Details > Attendee Details (new page), Order Page |
Attendee Pronouns | Empty text field |
| Yes | Attendee Page | Contact Details > Attendee Details (new page), Order Page |
Attendee Home Address | Standard address fields |
|
| Attendee Page | Contact Details > Attendee Details (new page) |
Attendee - Guardian / Emergency Contact | Text field, phone, email |
|
| Attendee Page | Contact Details > Attendee Details (new page) |
Attendee - Pickup/Dropoff Person | Text field, phone |
|
| Attendee Page | Contact Details > Attendee Details (new page) |
Attendee Allergies | Empty text field |
| Yes | Attendee Page | Contact Details > Attendee Details (new page) |
Attendee T shirt size | Dropdown single-select | Yes |
| Attendee Page | Contact Details > Attendee Details (new page) |
Attendee - Any Disabilities/Special Needs? | Empty text field |
| Yes | Attendee Page | Contact Details > Attendee Details (new page) |
Attendee - Skill level/background (camp/class) | Dropdown | Yes |
| Attendee Page | Contact Details > Attendee Details (new page) |
Interested in membership? | Check box |
| Yes | Checkout | Contact Details > Personal |
Interested in volunteering? | Check box |
| Yes | Checkout | Contact Details > Personal |
Who are you here to see? | Dropdown | Yes | Yes | Checkout | Order |
How did you hear about us? | Dropdown single-select | Yes | Yes | Checkout | Contact Details > Personal Info |
Question Using Custom Field | Whatever the field type of the Custom Field is |
|
| Checkout | Contact Details > Custom Fields |
Custom Question | Dropdown, Text Field, Check box or Date field |
|
| Attendee Page or Checkout | Multiple |
You can select one of the canned questions from the dropdown. You can only use each question once, after which it becomes disabled. For example, questions like "Attendee Name" and "Skill Level" appear disabled once created.
Each question has four key options:
Required/Optional: Determines if the question is mandatory at checkout.
Field Type: Fixed for pre-canned questions but customizable for custom questions, based on the question's purpose (e.g., dropdown for T-Shirt Sizes, text field for Allergies).
Options: Some questions require options (e.g., available T-Shirt Sizes or "How did you find out about us?"). These options can be reordered or removed.
Application: Placement is pre-set for canned questions (e.g., attendee questions on the attendee page, marketing questions on the checkout page).
You can add a new question by clicking the "Add Question" button. You can save the question in two ways:
Save and Publish: Saves and immediately publishes the question, making it visible for all draft/live productions.
Save to Draft: Saves the question without displaying it during checkout for draft/live productions.
After saving, you will see a success notification:
Custom Questions: Fully personalized, user-created questions.
You can create questions using Custom Fields to collect data directly into fields you've already set up. These fields may have been created during onboarding or to store additional patron information. To create a question using a Custom Field, select it from the "Custom Fields" section, but note that the fields must already be created.
You must provide a question that the patron will see during checkout. For example, if you have a custom field called "Fave_Broadway_Show," you would ask, "What is your favorite Broadway Show?" instead. You can choose if the question is required or optional. The field type will be automatically set based on the custom field's type (e.g., Text Field, Number, or Date). Custom fields always appear on the Patron Profile under the "Custom Fields" tab.
You can also create completely custom questions. They can start this process by clicking “Add a new Custom Question” from the bottom of the list.
After doing so, you must name the question:
Next you can do the following:
Select whether or not the question is optional or required.
Select the field type.
Note that the dropdown requires the customer to provide options.
You can select where the data applies, and it will appear in different locations on the Patron Site and Dashboard:
Attendee: The question appears on the Attendee Page during booking and in the Patron's Profile under the Registrant's name.
Patron/Registrant: The question appears on the Checkout page and the first page of the Patron's Profile, meant for the Registrant or Patron to answer.
Order: The question appears on the Checkout page and on the Order itself, but not in the Patron Profile.
🎓 Recap:
This article introduces a feature on the On The Stage platform that allows Platinum customers to add custom questions for patrons during checkout. These questions can be pre-made or fully personalized, enabling organizations to gather specific information from attendees and patrons.
🚀 Best Practices:
Navigate to Checkout Questions: Access the "Checkout Questions" section under "Patron Segmentation" to create or manage your questions.
Select Applicable Productions: Assign your questions to specific productions or apply them to all current and future events to ensure consistent data collection.
Choose Question Types:
Pre-Canned Questions: Utilize existing templates for common inquiries like "Attendee Name" or "Skill Level."
Custom Questions: Design personalized questions tailored to your organization's needs, selecting appropriate field types such as dropdowns, text fields, checkboxes, or date fields.
Determine Question Placement:
Attendee Questions: Displayed on a separate attendee page before the cart during checkout.
Patron/Order Questions: Shown directly on the checkout page for the patron or registrant to answer.
Set Response Requirements: Specify whether each question is mandatory or optional to ensure you collect essential information without overburdening patrons.
Save and Publish Questions:
Save and Publish: Immediately makes the question live for all selected productions.
Save to Draft: Keeps the question for future use without displaying it during checkout.
By implementing these practices, you can effectively gather valuable patron information, enhancing engagement and tailoring experiences to meet your audience's needs.