Attention Aff Managers, About Customer Support and High Rollers

[bb1web]

Hi and thanks for coming in,

I recently played enough at a casino to apparently have reached a level of VIP.

that's great that this is acknowledged but what I came away with was my intelligence being insulted ... though admittedly in a good way.

Let me explain further. When I started out contacting CS, I would get good service and I have no complaint and when I had played there considerably more I began to notice when I contacted CS that they had the time to ask how my day was? etc.

At first, I thought well maybe i have talked with this person in the past (apparently more than once) and then I noticed everybody was doing the same.

What should be done, since courtesy costs nothing, is everyone should be treated in the same friendly manner, from the start.

When I figured out what was going on, I was insulted (again, not in a terribly bad way) but all the same, now when someone asks me how my day is, I feel like answering that they can check off the niceties on their checklist, job well done.

High Rollers should receive special treatment in the area of actual business. Everybody should be treated in as friendly manner as possible.

Do you get the difference?

[jctroy440]

That should apply to affiliate managers and affiliate program management as well. Little fish grow into big fish.

[LiveCasinoPartners]

Hey bb1web,
I would feel weird asking personal questions to players like that. When your a business and your overly nice and stand to gain money it seems like it could be "fake" or superficial to ask "How is your day?". I mean, do they really care. I think that the relationship with a VIP player would have to be so intimate that these types of questions would seem natural. That wasn't the case in your experience.

Strangely enough this reminds me of other things casinos should avoid as well:

"Make Money" casino advertisements: I've just received some emails promoting online casinos to help fight the cost of going back to school. WTF, Targeting parents who can't afford their children's school materials is in my opinion is unethical. It's insulting to tell players that they can make money by playing at a casino. This also applies to "recession emails" as well, where they advertise on making money in a recession. Keep in mind these are actual casinos that I saw doing this, not secondary affiliates. Seems to me that casinos should be promoted for their entertainment value only.

[AWH-Gemma]

"Make Money" casino advertisements:[/b] I've just received some emails promoting online casinos to help fight the cost of going back to school. WTF, Targeting parents who can't afford their children's school materials is in my opinion is unethical. It's insulting to tell players that they can make money by playing at a casino. This also applies to "recession emails" as well, where they advertise on making money in a recession. Keep in mind these are actual casinos that I saw doing this, not secondary affiliates. Seems to me that casinos should be promoted for their entertainment value only.

I haven't come across any of these yet. I agree, that kind of advertising is not a healthy route to go down, its like a whiskey advert with the slogan, drink and you will forget all your problems. You shouldn't gamble what you can't afford to lose and gambling is a form of entertainement not a get rich quick scheme.

[Amateur]

Hi Adrian,

Your comments are well-taken, but somewhat off-topic.

I agree with bb1 about cs training. Often CS interaction is stressful, and the CS Rep being polite is one way to diffuse a situation where the player may have a negative impression, one they are willing to pass along to other players.

In fact, that is the business of CS, spreading a positive impression of the casino, as well as giving correct information! It is customer service, after all.

A few days ago I was in live chat asking about a bonus offer for a sister casino. I had already accepted a bonus offer from another casino in the group, and wanted to know if I could also accept this offer. The CS Rep greeted me by name, asked how I was doing, and proceeded to tell me, "No, I could only accept the bonus at one casino." I didn't like it, but my negative impression was minimized by the cordiality of the CS Rep. I will undoubtedly play again at both casinos b/c I liked the way I was treated. I left with a positive impression of the casino group.

My view (and most people seem to think the same) is that if a casino (or anyone else) takes the time to do the little things right, then they can be trusted to handle the big things as well.

[vcasino]

Hmm.. I know what you mean about how it can be a little bit off-putting to have a customer service rep chatting with you out of the blue asking you about your day while you're playing in a casino.

I mean if it was a real casino rather than an online casino, you wouldn't see someone going around tapping people on the shoulder asking them how they're doing and how their day's going, before asking them if they are interested in a deposit bonus or whatever :P

I guess it doesn't hurt anyone, but I agree, at times it can be a bit intrusive or feel a bit ingenuine.

[bb1web]

Well if its on a level that is sincere, then I always have time to stop and talk and in fact (and this is why i find it a bit frustrating) is the polite thing to do is ask how their day is back.

Which again, if this is a sincere conversation, makes it also a credible one. But when you start realizing the person doesn't know you and that this is SOP for them to be asking ... then it becomes tedious if not insulting.

I have to add on that note: every mass email that goes out that even has a hint of being on a one to one basis, should have a notice at the top stating it is a mass mailing.

I remember I used to embarrass myself by writing back to answer how my july was.

[Melanie_BBP]

If I understood your concern, you're saying that you were treated different from when you started then when you became a highroller? had they a special department or section for high-rollers?

First of all I think and honestly believe that all customers/players should be treated the same. It should not matter if one did deposit $100 or the other did deposit $1,000 to receive a service. Everyone deserves an excellent customer service when requested.

However, when accounts are at high-rollers and representatives are assigned to accounts, at that level I think you can have the difference. The difference will be that the strategy is now of customer retention. So it is essential for the operator that the CS representative is polite and treat the players with courtesy.


From my past experience I can say that when a customer is assigned to a account manager, the online casino operator is allowing their agents to get more familiar with the customer, to let him/her feel home. I won't ask a player how is your day, unless he starts asking me about mine. It always depends on what the customer desires, into which direction he/she wants the conversation on chat or via phone to go. Some players like to flirt by calling a rep honey, sweetie, baby etc. I'm not saying that as a representative you should flirt back with them, but you have to try and actually do your best to let them feel good. Fact is they come on the site for entertainment, it is basically not for socializing, but some players think it is also part of the biz.

[casino2k.com]

I agree everybody should be treated the same way, if he generates 100$ of income or 10.000$

I had a weird experience with a poker room: I deposited 100$ and I started playing a lot, cash game, tournaments...
After playing a lot for 2 months, I had about 200$ in my account.
I become a VIP because of the rake I generated, and the CS started to call me very often, being very polite, asking about my day, my plans for the summer....
When I made a withdrawal request, they called me after 10 minutes to let me know the transaction (100$ LOL) was successful
That kind of situation was very frustrating, since I realized the more income you generate, the better you are treated
As soon as I played less often, I wasn't VIP anymore and no one called me again.

I mean if it was a real casino rather than an online casino, you wouldn't see someone going around tapping people on the shoulder asking them how they're doing and how their day's going, before asking them if they are interested in a deposit bonus or whatever :P

In some real casinos it happens, I've seen a person asking high rollers how was their day doing and something... and they were very happy with that behaviour.

[SlotsAff]

I completely agree everybody should be treated equally but unfortunately it doesn't happen.

As an AM, the bigger affiliates sometimes require a little more time as their demands are usually higher.

I do try my hardest to spend a fair bit of time talking to affiliates and developing a relationship so that down the line, they can come to me if they need help with a campaign for example.

Also, affiliates give me time to the AMs that represent the better operators as they make more commission for them.

I think it's just the nature of business and how the world goes round. Saying that, there is nothing more pleasing from my point of view to see a small affiliate develop into a large affiliate over time

[vcasino]

In some real casinos it happens, I've seen a person asking high rollers how was their day doing and something... and they were very happy with that behaviour.

Oh ok, I sometimes go to Star City casino which is a pretty big one and I don't normally notice it, maybe I'm not enough of a high roller to experience it there though hahah

But in my experience with the online slots, I tend to play pretty big amounts.. $12.50-$25 per hit, went up to $62.50 a slap as well on the Gladiator slot lol but after 4 or 5 duds in a row I dropped it back down again.
I checked how high that one can actually go, and if u play it on the max amount it goes up to $1,250 per hit! pretty insane.. I wonder if there are many high rollers that actually play the slots on that amount?

I've had some really nice wins getting the features on $25 hits and in all my experiences so far the people have been really pleasant towards me.
Personally I don't really mind it when the little chat window pops up and they lead into the discussion by asking me something like 'how are you today?' or 'do you like our slot machines?'

At first I would always take up the bonus offers that they offer me but you sometimes have to be careful with the terms and conditions on those things. Some places have like a 10x turnover up to 40x turnover I have seen before you can withdraw your winnings, which makes it very hard to turn it into a win on those sites. It's not impossible, but you need to have a massive win and then hopefully you don't end up losing it all back while you're waiting to go over that threshold before you can hit collect.

[Melanie_BBP]

At first I would always take up the bonus offers that they offer me but you sometimes have to be careful with the terms and conditions on those things. Some places have like a 10x turnover up to 40x turnover I have seen before you can withdraw your winnings, which makes it very hard to turn it into a win on those sites. It's not impossible, but you need to have a massive win and then hopefully you don't end up losing it all back while you're waiting to go over that threshold before you can hit collect.

Yes, it is not difficult to met the play through requirement but my suggestion goes always.. if you want to play just for entertainment and if you win it's great and if you lose it's still great.. I will say take the bonus so you can have more play time. But if you want to play and thinks that the very first big hit that you will withdraw.. I will say then don't take the bonus... play with your money so when you win you can take out your money. don't play with their money and when you win, you need to comply with their rules before you take out what you won...

[vcasino]

true, the bonus is only if you want your games to last longer, but I think if you are playing and want to collect out some cash in the process the bonus can make it pretty difficult.

For example, if you deposit $200 and take up a 50% deposit bonus so u get an extra $100 - on a site that has a 40x rollover before u can collect out that means u need to play $4,000 before you have a chance to collect.

With just $300 chips it's very hard to get past that amount and still be in front believe me - you need some monster wins in there to survive long enough to collect out in the end.

There was one casino I was playing on with a 10x rollover and I was up over $2K and tried to collect out but wasn't eligible, and by the time I could collect out it was down to around $1300, so the bonus ended up costing me $700 that time. Sometimes I think it's better to just play without it.

I agree with you though if you're just playing for fun and want a longer run for your money then the bonus is cool, just need to know the T&C before u take it up.

[Shaun O'neill]

Hei Guys <O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
Interesting thread.<O:p</O:p
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I agree that all players should be treated well and when they come to a site they should get treated correctly and professionally.<O:p</O:p
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But do you all really agree that all players should be treated the same?<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
If you really believe that all players should be treated in the same then manner then companies should not spend millions on VIP programs that retain the high rollers and keep them playing and in turn keep making both affiliate and the operators huge sums of money.<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
For example we have just taken 20 VIP casino players to the UK to watch a premier league match and have a bit of a party in the UK so do you think that we are wrong by doing this and we should have taken new players rather than loyal VIP players that have played with us for a long period time?<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
I feel VIP’S should have special treatment they have earned it and they have been loyal to that site and I also feel that all players no matter what level they play at deserve a high level of customer service.<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
Regards<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
<O:p</O:p
Shaun

[TheGooner]

Of course ALL customers should be treated politely and professionally - but definately not equally.

VIP customers are the sort of customers that drop enough money to keep the place running. It's no surprise that the gambling spots will spend 1%,2% maybe even 5% of that to keep them happy. That 5% may be as much as $500 or more. That supports a bit of service.

Similarly 5% of a $20 depositing player is about $1 (before expenses) - which is probably worth around 5 minutes of service time total. While being polite - the service will be briefer by necessity.

It is a simple dollars and cents business - big players and big affiliates do get better deals and more attention - and that is just simple economic sense and a practical policy that keeps online gambling sites profitable.

Deep down we really do understand that - right?
Yes - of course we do.

[Melanie_BBP]

When I say players need be treated the same, I mean the front office, the agent who delivers the service to the players.

There is a difference in same and equal. You can give 2 customers the same service, but both can receive an unequal treatment. You can give same bonus but have preferential rollover for the high-roller. Here you distinguish the treatment which is same but still not equal.


The back office gives the high-roller much more edge over a new player or one that is not a high-roller yet. The loyalty program should be in place for the high-rollers to keep them. Here good customer retention efforts are really essential.

Acquisition costs are higher and marketing efforts are much difficult than at customer retention level. It is better to lose a client to sign-up than losing a loyal client due to unsatisfaction with service delivery.

[wagerjunction]

From personal experience, I can say that it is not always "fake" when a CS rep asks a player if he/she had a nice day.

Before moving on to Affiliation, I was a CS rep for about 5 years and one important thing I learned and then passed on to the newbies is to make players - no matter what their status might be - feel valued. One thing that was instilled was that all players, big or small, contibute towards the salary that a rep earns at the end of the month and that consequently a top notch service is a must.

On the other hand, it is also true that those who are steered towards the CS job are in general what we call people-persons and who genuinely care about others or jovial/friendly individuals who naturally like to chat about everything and nothing.

[LuckyLizzy]

I think everyone should be treated equally as well because every player could be a potential lifelong depositor. I did have a situation with customer service that lost my business because of how they treated me without knowing anything about me.

When I was engaged to my husband I wanted to get a really nice wedding dress and I had the money saved up to buy whichever one I wanted. I was about to walk into this store where I saw the dress I wanted and the two sales ladies guarding the entrance told me I couldn't afford to buy dresses from there before I even got in the door. I was shocked.

To top things off, this couple who drove up in a Mercedes were invited right in and the two sale ladies had huge smiles on their face.

I know I was 19 and I had a 1991 Nissan Sentra and I had on blue jeans and a t-shirt but I was very offended by their judgement of me. It took all of my effort to leave without giving them a piece of my mind. It's ok though because they lost out on the thousands of dollars I would have been giving them.

So I see how the online casino customer service could be better even if the player is just a low roller. You never know- they could be just waiting to see how the casino treats them before they decide to make a huge deposit.

But as for the VIP customer service, I guess it's better late than never right?