10 out of 10: Customer Support Team Head speaks up about iGaming industry
The core of every business is communication. And iGaming is not an exception here at all. Customer Support team is not just a valuable instrument to solve issues of your players timely, this is a channel of insights and feedback from your customers that is often not used for its full potential. Even more, nowadays it has to do something with retention as well. Unlocking the capabilities of your Customer Support team and making it shining brighter - what we believe is a real challenge for operators. Digging deeper in this topic with our invited professional.
Monoup launches a new thread in our blog for iGaming and game brands where we will offer insides and secrets for successful projects from industry professionals. We will talk about optimizing processes and minimizing costs for operators by implementing a really working approach in practice. The series of interviews will cover different parts of product operation and every professional will answer 10 questions to help make your product “10 out of 10” level.
Today invitee is Head of Support team, let’s move on:
Q: Please tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you are responsible for within your work scope.
A: My name is Anna and I have worked in iGaming for more than 5 years now. I am a Support team lead so basically my day is always around players and team management. Our team is quite big already, so there’s something to do, hah.
Q: Do you gamble yourself? How did you come to the industry?
A: Oh no, I don’t. I would lie if I say that I never tried but it happened already at work just to familiarize myself with a product. I started my career in gambling accidentally, actually. I was looking for a customer care role and didn’t know that company was a casino. I realized that just after the probation period started and really loved the industry over this time. I didn’t want to change it.
Q: Do you agree that the Support team is the face of the brand and why?
A: The face of the brand is formed by a large number of factors, but thanks to the high-quality support service, we can improve the overall brand reputation, adapt to the client's expectations and receive direct feedback very timely. Also, good management of the Customer Support team can help to conduct an audit of player’s needs and improve customer experience. The support service is sometimes treated as just a means for solving the client's problems, but I disagree it is for that only. Now it is a full-fledged component of marketing and retention. Therefore, no, I don’t think that the Support team is the face of the brand, but it precisely shapes the customer's attitude towards the company as a whole. If we are in a competitive environment, then having high-quality support, can build the strongest connections between brand and the player.
Q: Many think that the support team is a place for newcomers. We personally know a bunch of great specialists that started with Support. What do you think about that? Can you say this position can be an entry role for the entire iGaming?
A: I agree with the statement that a support specialist as a therapist should know everything. Any specialist can usually be grown from support service agents, as they are stress-resistant, able to work with a large number of tasks, resolve conflicts and most importantly, they understand all the processes in the company, since they have to communicate with all departments.
To start working in the Customer Support department, you don't need any experience or special skills, but if you are in a good company and you are proactive and don't wish to stay in your comfort zone, you can become whoever you want within the structure. Donald Trump once said in an interview that if he had not been born a millionaire, he would have become a sales representative and he would have become a millionaire anyway. With Customer Support it’s about the same, if you are just starting your path in iGaming, please do not be scared of the Support team, take this opportunity and then you will not be afraid of absolutely anything.
Q: Do you really love players? How hard is it to navigate the complex issues if the player acts rude and impolite?
A: You shouldn’t always love players to be able to help them. But you need to understand that scripted answers will most likely not help you to resolve the complicated situation. In my opinion, there are 3 main rules for communicating with negative customers:
- Ask yourself whether you can personally influence the solution of the player’s problem. If not, then don't take everything so close.
- Separate work and personal feelings. This is not about you or him, this is about a problem that has to be solved in mutual cooperation.
- Try to find an approach to the player. Player should feel that he is not talking to a robot and is treated with understanding.
The main thing is a genuine desire to assist in communication. And I also recommend always mentioning an approximate time for solving the problem you are working on. This way the player feels that you are not going to forget about him next moment and keep control over the situation.
Q: What was the most tough client case in your career that you can share with us?
A: Once I had a client that I will remember for the rest of my life. I don't remember his name for sure, but I remember that he was a VIP client. He was coming two or three times a night (night shifts always), texted a very long hate message as a start of communication without any reason. And if I answered him in a robotic reply, then our conversation dragged on for hours and was very difficult. However, if I didn't use the template from the very first message, but was more about “here and now”, any issue would be solved in 10 minutes. So, I felt that he just needed a real human conversation and that is what we all expect from Customer Service.
Q: How to create a team that really cares? So, your colleagues are not just working shifts and going back home - but they are connected with the company goal and strive to show best results?
A: In my opinion, a really good Customer Service is a motivated Customer Service. Therefore, it is very important to build friendly ties in the team, both between agents and between the manager. Fewer fines and unnecessary KPIs, more motivation to work and an understanding why we do it. If the employee is motivated, then everything will be much easier.
I have encountered companies where the answers of the support service were limited only to standard phrases and in my opinion, this is very weak, I did not want to go back there anymore as a customer. The same is with iGaming.
We usually ask for feedback after a conversation not only about Customer Care Agent performance, but for the company in general, in order to analyze what the player likes and what we would improve within the whole brand. We are eyes and ears for the entire product, I think. We know the player and we know what he looks for in the casino today.
Q: AI is surging its rise right now and has become implemented in a lot of spheres. Do you think AI can replace Support Agents?
A: I think that AI will be able to greatly help agents, but completely replace them - not possible. Again, the Customer Support team is the connecting bridge between the player and all departments of the company. Only a person can understand another person. And please, we all have already learned how to use ready-made FAQs. So, AI would replace humanity.
Q: Do you work in the office or remotely? Do you think it is possible to operate a successful Support team fully remotely and how to make sure that agents are involved?
A: I work from the office, but this is company policy. In my opinion, after the pandemic, we all see that working from home is not the same as a drop in productivity. If you have a motivated team, they will work both from home and from the office on the same high level.
My team works from home on weekends and I haven't had any issues with that. On the contrary, I do believe that a person is more relaxed at home. But I don’t see anything bad about that. In a quieter and more relaxed atmosphere we could be more creative and we had a few amazing takeaways from remote work. Bright ideas from employees.
The only thing you have to do is to listen to your team and accept their suggestions, because quite often the ideas are really good and fresh. By the way, tracking is not so difficult, working time tracker, number of active chats, quality of chats, short scheduled meetings - doing their job. A well-written manual, company policy and rules are already 60% of the work if you want to build an effective remote team.
Q: As many say, Support is just a start. Which further steps in your career do you plan to take?
A: This experience really opens up a wide range of options. From my perspective, the Support operator, who is extremely motivated and proactive really can outgrow the Support department very fast. When I see that, I never try to slow down the process even though I understand that he most likely will leave our company, if we don’t have a vacancy in another department.
This is a great opportunity for development from the very beginning of a career. And this is not a unique example, the Support Team supplies high-quality specialists. The main thing is perseverance and the desire for more responsibility and salary, of course. As for me, I am now happy within this role but thinking about further Retention movements.
To sum up, Monoup editorial wants to thank the interviewee for this valuable piece of material that we created together and shared with our audience. As Support team is the first step into the iGaming world, we decided to dive into this topic as well from the very beginning. Next articles we will talk with other industry professionals to uncover strategies for personal and company growth. See you in the next chapters of this topic articles at our website!
