Online gambling sites live and die by their ability to attract and retain players. While bonuses, promotions and a slick user interface certainly help, there is one factor that is often overlooked yet critically impacts player loyalty – customer support.
In this highly competitive industry, players have their choice of hundreds of sites. If they encounter any issues from deposits not going through to questions about rules and payouts, they will quickly take their business elsewhere if they don’t get prompt, knowledgeable assistance. By providing best-in-class customer support, operators, like Playfina Casino, can gain a competitive edge while also ensuring maximum player lifetime value.
The State of Online Gambling Support
Most players have had poor experiences trying to get help from online gambling sites. A study by Forrester Research found that 57% of US online consumers say that most companies fall short when it comes to customer service. Specific issues include:
- Long wait times – Many sites rely solely on email support, which means delays of 24 hours or more for a response. Live chat is often offered but with limited availability.
- Cookie cutter responses – Support agents rely on pre-written responses instead of addressing the player’s specific issue. This frustrates players who feel like their problem is not understood.
- Unknowledgeable staff – Support roles have high turnover, resulting in many agents lacking experience with the site’s products and services.
- Language barriers – Many sites offshore their support to save on costs. While affordable, this can cause confusion when players struggle to communicate with agents.
- Lack of empathy – Players often complain that support staff seem indifferent to their problems and exhibit poor listening skills.
These shortcomings cause players to lose trust in a site. After one or two negative experiences, they will simply stop playing at that site altogether.
Support As a Competitive Differentiator
Savvy gambling operators realize that providing exceptional customer support gives them an edge over the competition. Here are some of the key advantages of getting support right:
- Increased player lifetime value – By quickly resolving issues to players’ satisfaction, sites can retain players longer. Support helps minimize player churn.
- Improved brand reputation – Positive support interactions where agents are courteous, empathetic and helpful build the site’s reputation among players.
- Higher ratings and reviews – Players are much more likely to leave positive feedback when their issues are resolved promptly by knowledgeable support staff.
- Enhanced loyalty – Players remember when a site’s support staff went above and beyond to address their problem. This builds an emotional connection that fosters loyalty.
- Word-of-mouth referrals – When players have great support experiences, they are eager to tell friends and family about the site, providing highly valuable organic promotion.
For gaming companies that excel at support, the payoff is well worth the investment required. Industry studies show that loyal players spend 2-3x more than new sign-ups. Promoting support staff and practices from a cost center to a profit driver has become a best practice among top online gambling operators.
Best Practices for Superior Support
So what sets leading online gambling sites apart when it comes to providing exceptional support? Here are some of the top strategies and tactics they employ:
Offer Omnichannel Support
Today’s players expect to be able to get help whenever they need it through the channel they prefer. Savvy gambling operators provide support across these key channels:
- Live chat – Instant answers to questions are now the norm. Live chat with short wait times should be offered 24/7.
- Phone support – For more complex issues, speaking to an agent is preferred. Make toll-free numbers available in all your target markets.
- Social media – Players increasingly complain and seek help on Twitter, Facebook and other social platforms. Monitor these channels closely and be responsive.
- In-app messaging – Allowing players to message support directly from within games provides help at the moment when players need it.
- Community forums – Well-moderated forums allow players to get help from fellow community members as well as support staff.
- FAQ databases – Comprehensive databases with extensive articles and videos on common questions and issues can deflect many support requests.
- Support portals – Players should be able to log in and track tickets, access previous correspondence and see status updates.
Invest in Knowledge Management
Even the most seasoned support agents cannot be experts on all the site’s games, promotions, payment methods and more. That’s why leading sites maintain extensive knowledge management systems including:
- Knowledge bases – Searchable internal wikis and databases with constantly updated troubleshooting guides, product manuals and policies.
- Communities of practice – Support forums where agents can collaborate with peers, share experiences and document solutions.
- Training programs – Robust new hire training along with ongoing courses and certifications to expand agent expertise.
- Coaching/mentoring – Senior support staff providing guidance to junior agents to aid their development.
With the right knowledge resources, agents can quickly find answers to better assist players. Gambling operators who neglect knowledge management inevitably struggle with inconsistent support quality.
Prioritize Soft Skills
Technical skills alone are not enough for support agents to excel. They must also possess the soft skills needed to provide a positive customer experience, including:
- Active listening – Letting players fully explain issues without interruption shows respect.
- Empathy – Understanding a player’s perspective builds an emotional connection that fosters loyalty.
- Clear communication – Agents must avoid industry jargon and explain solutions in an easy-to-understand manner.
- Problem-solving – Agents should think creatively for solutions when policies and procedures don’t readily address a player’s unique issue.
- Patience – Players can be frustrated and even irrational when they have problems. Agents must keep their cool.
Hire support reps with natural emotional intelligence and nurture these soft skills through ongoing training and coaching.
Make It a Culture Priority
For support to be truly great, it must be woven into the fabric of your organization’s culture. Leadership plays a key role by:
- Making support a strategic priority, not just an operational function
- Role modeling desired support behaviors when interacting with players
- Ensuring support teams are properly recognized and rewarded
- Giving agents the resources, training and authority to deliver excellence
- Soliciting input from support teams to improve policies and products
- Monitoring support metrics like satisfaction, resolution time and agent turnover
When an organization rallies around the goal of providing unmatched customer support, players notice and reward that site with their loyalty.
Conclusion
In the fast-moving online gambling industry, one thing remains constant – players’ desire for quick, caring and effective support whenever issues arise. Sites that rise to the challenge give themselves an edge. By adopting leading practices from top operators, any gaming company can transform their customer support into a source of competitive differentiation and player lifetime value.
Those that neglect support as an afterthought place themselves at risk of losing customers. In an increasingly crowded market, a reputation for top-notch support provides the loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing that sites need to both attract and retain players in the long run.
