First of all, Ticket Tips recommends you program the box office number into your speed dial. If you receive that annoying busy signal, you can hang up and push the speed dial over and over. Also, have a seat map of the venue in front of you so that you know exactly where the available seats offered to you are located.

Once you get connected into the box office, you may receive a recording telling you that the wait time is several minutes, making it too late to obtain quality tickets by the time you actually get through to an agent.

Once you get an agent on the phone, remember that they have to search their computer for the best seats available, obtain all your personal information and run through the confirmations. This process can easily take several minutes, making placing multiple orders with any speed or efficiency practically impossible.

Often agents are not well trained on their systems, are impatient, and have little concern where you are sitting at an event.

While buying tickets by phone will not require you to leave your home, or fight long lines, be prepared for busy signals, long hold times, as well as little chance of getting premium quality seats.

Have the box office number programmed into your speed dial. You may have to dial several times before you actually get through. Remember, you are one of thousands of people jamming the phone lines all at once.

Once you get through, be prepared for several minutes of hold time before you actually get through to an agent.

Have a map of the venue in front of you so that you know exactly where the available seats offered to you are located.

If the seats that are offered to you are not acceptable you can ask the agent to search again. Keep in mind, that the agent cannot retrieve the prior seats if the new search is not acceptable.

Most agents do not have the patience to do multiple searches and have little concern where you are sitting at an event.

Keep in mind that the agent must enter all personal information, payment method, and confirmations which could take several minutes, making placing multiple orders with any speed or efficiency nearly impossible.

The advantages of buying by phone are the fact that you don't have to leave your home or fight any long lines and crowds. Also, the box office agent's computers are super fast at seat searches, which can equal great seats!

The disadvantages are jammed phone lines, resulting in busy signals and long hold times which could result in being too late to buy quality tickets.