What are the main challenges for modern CRM in online gambling? (A) Create a unique gaming experience; (B) Sustain customer satisfaction; (C) Protect customer loyalty.
Well, you probably think right now – who said so?
Olivier Maugain from AsiaAnalytics said so. Eh, you think – why should I listen to him?
Because he Continue reading
In other, less interesting industries, they hire CRM people not according to how they look, but according to the benefit they can yield out of the company’s existing resources. It’s the sales people job to acquire new customers (AKA Invest), and the entire operation rely on CRM to maximize the revenue, or generate the Return On this Investment.
Fast forward to our highly moral industry: while unfiltered glances at iGaming CRM people can definitely harm your eyes (along with a good chance of picking up “digestive disorders”), what do we do with ROI?
Yes, we have our own metrics and KPIs, and we always strive to increase our players’ lifetime value, yet can we learn from those boring non-gaming people and adopt their practices? In the following article by crmbuyer.com, they highlight “5 Things That Kill CRM ROI Dead”: Continue reading
Another boring article? Coming right up! But this time it’s a classic. As classic as seeing Thomas updating another failing KPIs chart on his iPad… using a pencil.
Unlike Thomas, this document had a major positive effect on everyone who is dealing with Player Development in our highly moral industry: it’s the story of Gary Loveman, former CEO of Harrah’s (recently changed to being called Caesars), who describes how, under his management, they have “increased customer loyalty, even in the current challenging economy, in two ways. First, Continue reading
WARNING: the following article was written for the good people at igbaffiliate.com, and you can only guess who their targeted audience is (hint for Thomas: affiliates!). This is why we are going to use very short words :)
So go ahead and read the complete article on their oh-so-impressive online magazine (page #32), and remember to hug our traffic generating friends if you happen to meet one!
*** UPDATE: Highlights Clip From The 2012 Show ***
[youtube http://youtu.be/QGYNtDo66JA]
“Affiliates are missing a big opportunity to earn more revenue because they don’t take a close look at their operators’ CRM practices“. As Retention people we obviously know that, but the message should go through to the other side of the iron curtain as well – to our beloved affiliates.
Next month, on June 6th, our own Shahar Attias, CEO of Hybrid Interaction Ltd., will hold a presentation during the iGaming Russia Affiliates Conference in “Sokolniki” – Moscow’s Congress and Exhibition Center.
To read more about the presentation and its content, please click here for the event’s PR.
Meanwhile, here are some pictures from last year’s event:
Now, after you are convinced that you must be there as well, in order to review in person the discussed matters (in a fully professional manner, of course), register at this link :)
We’ve pointed out in a couple of posts how companies hurt themselves with poor customer service — one involving yours truly and another involving a frequent flyer. In the latter example, there’s room to disagree on who’s to blame, the company or the customer, but imagine if you would a world in which company and customer actually seem to LIKE each other.
Can’t quite imagine that? I hear ya. But it’s true.
For evidence, take a look at the story here that captures all sorts of examples about great customer service — from a bakery that isn’t too proud to let a 3-year-old drive its branding to companies that automatically or manually find ways to return money to customers to airlines that will hold the plane to let a man visit a relative within hours of dying.
One of our favorites involves a family stay at a Ritz-Carlton resort in Florida. Like the case of the CEO of a company dealing in customer retention who was mistreated, the storyteller here is a guy in charge of a company’s services. Except unlike me with my T-shirt company, this guy had a fantastic experience with Ritz-Carlton. And what’s even more thought-provoking, the staff that gave the great service — capturing photos of a little boy’s lost stuffed animal enjoying an extended vacation — got a kick out of the work.
The father of that little boy succinctly summarized the benefits to companies that provide superb customer service:
At my company, we’ve always pushed our employees to go the extra mile for clients because the ripple effects of terrific customer service extend beyond mere satisfaction and retention. Exemplary customer service distinguishes your brand, builds repeat business, combats price competition, and even improves employee morale.
How about you? Any stories you have about your company doing well by your customers? Please share them below! If you don’t have anything to share now, keep your eyes open for opportunities to create a great service experience (or wake up, stop dreaming, and get back to work… after all – it is iGaming by the of day :).
Berlin, April 1, 2013 — iGamingCRM, the leading blog for retention experts in the online gambling industry, is to be purchased by the mysterious Thomas to provide “the final solution to that continuing series of insulting posts.”
Speaking on behalf of iGamingCRM, Shahar Attias, said negotiations went quickly. “When we asked him what the blog was worth to him, he sort of kissed his right pinky finger and then said, ‘One million U.S. dollars.’ We told him that we live by the motto that the customer is always right, and as loyalty experts, we readily agreed to his offer.” Attias is CEO of the blog’s parent company, Hybrid Interaction Ltd.
Remember last fall when I told you about the horrible experience I had with a company that I previously liked? (Sure you do. You remember EVERYTHING I post, right?)
Anyway, my complaint was just with a little company purveying T-shirts and other cheapo items. Now comes a post from a guy who’s got a beef with Virgin Atlantic airlines, an organization in much more dire need of good PR than the hipster T-shirt outfit than earned my wrath.
Funny thing, though: I didn’t receive any comments saying I was out of line for my attitude toward the object of my scorn. (I didn’t get any comments agreeing with me either, but that’s another matter.)
This guy gets a fair amount of push-back in the comments section. Let me restate that. This guy gets a royal thrashing for his comments from many readers who accuse him of being a snob, an elitist, a whiner, a pompous jerk with an unearned sense of entitlement … you’d think his last name was “Romney” or something.
It’s an interesting read if nothing else than to get you thinking about what constitutes bad customer service — and what constitutes a bad customer.
BTW: This year we won’t have time for a 2013 Easter Promothon (Click Here for last year’s review), but if it’s bunnies you are after – you came to the right place…
** UPDATE
After reading this post and its related article, please watch this clip (below). It is very much geared towards beginners, but it smartly says: if you wish to win at Roulette – you should pile some luck, as there is no system for it, and being smart doesn’t really help :)
[youtube http://youtu.be/NJ0IszgNhiM]—————————————————–
An old man, who had spent his life looking
for a winning formula (martingale), spent
the last days of his life putting it into practice,
and his last pennies to see it fail.
The martingale is as elusive as the soul.
— Alexander Dumas, Les Mille et Un Fantomes (One Thousand And One Ghosts), 1849
Last week we have celebrated our 100th post, so you may refer to this week edition as “Online Roulette 101”, if you wish. You don’t? You know exactly how much we care about your thoughts and feelings…
The term Martingale refers to a harness, originally used for horses and later with dogs (and on Thomas when he misbehaves in front of his wife’s friends). In our industry, it’s the name for a common betting system based on a very simple concept – Double your risk every time you lose. Here’s how it works:
A roulette wheel has 18 blacks, 18 reds and our beloved single green: zero. That’s 37 spots all together. Each spot has a winning potential of 2.7%, which miraculously, also happens to be our house advantage, or edge. This is a very important little percentage: It makes it possible for you to earn a salary. That and your superb qualifications and unbelievable good looks, of course.
So when your players bet $5 on, say, red, they have an 18-in-37 chance to double their money and a 19-in-37 chance of losing it. The Martingale system says the player should bet again, except make it $10 this time. What’s going on here? Continue reading
Over the past 99 posts we have offered you a glimpse into the luxurious lifestyle of iGaming CRM executives, provided summaries of seminars you missed because your boss was too cheap to send you, and made loads of fun of Thomas (which he deserves. After all, this is the guy who for years believed that a board chairman was some kind of super hero who could transform himself into a … chair.).
So for this, the 100th post, we are simply focusing on the number 100 and mentioning a few interesting pieces of trivia about it:
Did you know that the Hundred Years’ War actually lasted 116 years? Curiously enough, that’s very similar to the answer you give when asked what you brand’s average first deposit totals. “Oh, it’s about 100,” you say. (Yeah, that covers anything between 84 and 116).
Moving from war to sports: Earlier this month we celebrated the half-century anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain’s phenomenal achievement of scoring 100 points in a single game. On the same topic, only once in a hundred years will you see a dunk like this one:
Also, did you know that on average 1 out of 100 men is red headed? Lucky for the rest of us guys, we at least can expect to have sex at least once in our lives! Please note: The last Friday of March has been declared “Hug a Ginger” day. The idea must have come from the London Affiliates Conference initiative:
Speaking of percentages, obviously our highly moral industry wouldn’t be the same without the iconic “100% Match” (!!!) bonuses. But on the other hand, 1% is the conversion rate you can expect when sending mailers to lapsed players, as long as you include an amazingly attractive offer and images of even more attractive models :)
Any other fun facts about 100 you can think of? Share it with us. It might help us take our minds off our current condition. The day’s just started and already we’re having 99 problems:
iGaming CRM 