Customer Service for Game | 5 Benefits & 7 Tips

Customer service for game industry should be looked as revenue generator because it directly impacts the bottom line of the business.

The gaming industry has seen phenomenal growth in recent years and is expected to continue its unprecedented growth in the years to come. According to Forbes, the gaming industry was predicted to grow by 80 billion dollars by 2017, but it actually rose to 127.78 billion dollars, which further demonstrates the industry’s rate of growth.

Despite the industry’s vast potential on a global scale, only a few major companies focus on their customer support. The rest of them view gaming products as one-time sales with no need for further customer support or service. Some gaming studios view gamers as a commodity and fail to provide professional customer support for gaming-related issues.

Most companies focus on research and development, design, and promotion when launching a game, but neglect customer support services. In order to differentiate themselves and stand out in this rapidly growing market segment, customer support services will give them an advantage and improve their chances for success.

Benefits of customer support in the gaming industry

It is clear that if an effective relationship is established between the customer and provider, customer satisfaction will have a positive impact on the business. However, only a few major gaming studios currently provide quality customer support. The gaming community relies heavily on peer-to-peer support for technical or any other gaming-related assistance.

By providing the appropriate customer support and experience, companies can measure the satisfaction level of customers, and receive real-time feedback from gamer to improve their products, this can create brand loyalty and improve players’ lifetime value.
Customer support is often seen as a profit center instead of just a cost center. The gaming industry should also look at gaming support services as revenue generators because it directly impacts the bottom line of the business. The following are the positive outcomes of having strong gaming support for players:

1. Better player understanding:

Gamer understanding can be improved by addressing common issues such as toxic communities, game lag, and ineffective troubleshooting methods. By addressing these issues, gamers will feel more supported and be more likely to continue playing their game.

What we lack here is human intervention. Every time a gamer calls a customer helpline, they are taken to an Interactive Voice Process (IVR) for suggestions to follow. At the final stage, the voice prompts the player to reach out to the company’s website where they can view frequently answered questions. This can leave gamers feeling frustrated. Having a customer support team that includes people who understand the gaming community can help companies provide better gaming support.

2. Better Customer Segmentation:

It is essential for companies to tailor games to the different mindsets and demographic groups of gamers. For example, PC gamers generally possess technical abilities and they feel proud to make research to fix problems through well-designed gameplay. Whereas players who use consoles typically seek easy guidance through customer support. There are no other examples of players who tend to join communities to get their issues solved. With a personalized customer support system, gaming companies can design one that matches the gamer’s requirements.

3. Real-time and Multichannel Support:

Gaming firms are well aware of the importance of providing real-time and multichannel support to ensure that their customers have an optimal gaming experience. By offering support through various communication channels, gaming firms are able to meet the needs of a wide range of customers.

Gaming firms should seek to broaden their multichannel support strategies beyond the traditional offerings of live chat, voice, AI chatbots, and emails. The customer support agents should provide industry-specific and interactive pathways, such as in-game service options, participation in active gaming community forums, and social media support, to deliver a superior player experience. This approach will enable the agent to effectively connect, compete, and collaborate in this type of market.

Publishers are increasingly leveraging customer service software to ensure their customers keep coming back. If players are unable to contact the game developer during regular business hours, they may be deterred from following through with their complaints due to feelings of helplessness and frustration.

4. Partnership with 3D part vendor:

Partnering with a third-party provider can be of great benefit to game developers. Publishers often enlist the services of third-party providers for a variety of tasks, such as hosting e-games, running tournaments, developing multiplayer engines, finding streamers to promote newly released games, and much more.

Engaging a customer service provider in the gaming industry offers third-party developers fast access to specialized expertise, allowing them to concentrate on expanding the business and realizing maximum profitability through their preferred methods.

Given the potential for third parties to prove their value, developers should consider working with such vendors in the future. Those who are able to assist publishers in expanding their user and viewer bases will gain the most advantages. Therefore, it is essential to thoroughly evaluate any prospective third-party vendor before entering into a commitment.

5. Feedback-based products:

Gamers are a key demographic for businesses in the current market, and it is essential that companies collect and act on their feedback in order to effectively meet their requirements. Gathering continuous feedback from end-users and tailoring products to their opinions helps to ensure that consumer demands are accurately addressed.

By consistently monitoring customer feedback through a variety of channels such as social media, review sites, and direct inquiries, support agents can gain valuable insights into their target market and make informed decisions to improve the customer experience. In order to maintain peak efficiency, it is essential to take customer feedback into account when evaluating the quality of services and support, both positive and negative.

What makes great customer service?

Excellent customer service is essential for a successful game company. To ensure the highest standards of customer satisfaction, it is important to assign a dedicated customer service leader who can provide timely and professional responses to inquiries. This individual should be knowledgeable and experienced, as they are responsible for representing the company and building trust with customers.

The process of recruiting personnel who possess a customer-oriented mindset and can handle constructive feedback while compiling accurate data should be thoroughly researched and discussed with developers. As the team expands, it is critical to establish strong leadership to ensure a successful 24/7 customer service operation.

Customer service is primarily comprised of the ability to effectively interact with customers. This can be determined by the particular needs of the customer base and the most appropriate methods of communication.

Public Customer Service

In the context of providing customer service, it is important to be aware that customers will remember and store your words and actions. Consequently, it is essential to be concise, and informative, and to ensure that any communications reflect the values of the company.

Private customer service

Private customer service offers the same level of professionalism as any other department but provides customers with a more comfortable atmosphere to discuss their issues in-depth. When the situation calls for financial refunds or compensation for any damages incurred, customer service representatives must remain professional at all times.

In order to provide superior customer service, it is essential to equip your personnel with the necessary tools, such as empathy, knowledge of the company and its games, and excellent communication skills. Additionally, gathering data and insights into customer behavior can be invaluable in improving service and ensuring customer satisfaction. These resources can be used as “self-service” for customers, “direct assistance” for customers, or “operational assistance” for your team. Utilizing these tools will help facilitate the workflow, allowing your team to be leaner and more efficient.

Providing your customers with all the necessary information they may require through website FAQs, a knowledge base in the game or website, or a wiki can eliminate the need for them to contact you directly. The following tools are the best to choose:

Utilizing Direct-Help Tools

Depending on the size and competency of your team, there may be the capacity to communicate directly with customers. The most convenient and cost-effective methods are through filling out forms on the website and through email correspondence. These tools allow for simple issues to be quickly and easily addressed through the use of pre-written responses. Next is direct chat through chat rooms and phone calls. Direct communication offers greater opportunities for personalizing interactions and promoting professionalism for your organization.

Operational Support

New customer service personnel should be equipped with the necessary resources to expedite their transition into their roles. Providing thorough documentation to aid in the training process is essential, as it allows personnel to become acquainted with the product or company standards in an efficient manner.

Operational support includes providing training on the operational tools associated with each game. Each game should include a “support” tool to help identify issues, determine their source, and develop viable solutions. These tools should include a record of the player’s activity, any items obtained, and any other pertinent details about lost or hacked items.

Tracking team progress on issues, the duration of tasks, and customer service representative activity can help identify any weak points and provide key performance indicators to upper management.

How to cope with challenges?

One of the most significant challenges is managing feedback from gamers about potential issues with the game. While this provides an opportunity to be thanked for resolving complaints, it also involves receiving criticism and you have to face the blame for the company issue.

When faced with an issue, it is important to have a course of action that will provide the customer with an outcome that is both beneficial to them and the company. Additionally, having a system in place to prevent similar issues from arising again is key to a successful customer service experience so that other customers don’t come with the same problem.

It is important to remind customer service staff that they may politely decline a customer’s request when it would cause harm to the business or go beyond the necessary means. This should be done in a professional and courteous manner.

In order to ensure a successful operation, it is necessary to implement protocols for these items for reasonable customers. As a way to show appreciation to customers, I recommend incorporating tiered apology gifts. These items should not have a significant impact on the game’s economy but instead, serve as a token of gratitude. Examples can include in-game currency, items purchased with in-game currency, or small items for one-time use. These gestures showing your commitment to helping customers and promoting a positive impact on the game are appreciated.

Companies should prioritize addressing issues with high customer service volumes to ensure quick resolution. Quality is most important and a game with technical issues is worse than one lacking entertainment value. To ensure a quick resolution, companies should implement protocols for bug fixing and maintenance.

Essential Principles of Gamer-Focused Customer Service: Providing quality customer service for gaming customers requires a tailored approach. To achieve optimal results, it is imperative to adhere to the following core principles: prompt response times, comprehensive knowledge of gaming products, a friendly and accommodating attitude, and effective communication techniques. By adhering to these fundamental guidelines, customer service representatives can ensure a positive and productive experience for gaming customers.

Guidelines for Effective Gamer-Focused Customer Service:

Providing exemplary service to gaming customers requires attention to detail and comprehensive understanding of the gaming industry. The following are essential components of successful customer service in the gaming realm:

1) Treat customers with respect and provide personalized attention.

2) Ensure timely responses and solutions to inquiries.

3) Stay up to date on gaming industry trends, regulations, and technical advances.

4) Make sure to thoroughly address customer complaints and feedback.

5) Develop and maintain a friendly, positive attitude throughout all interactions.

6) Use clear and concise communication when answering questions or addressing issues.

7) Ensure the customer experience is always positive and satisfactory.

Final Thoughts

As the gaming industry continues to expand, gaming companies are increasingly recognizing the importance of providing exceptional customer service. To keep up with the rising demand, companies must strive to offer a diverse range of channels and services to ensure their customers’ needs are met. In order to generate revenue comparable to the organizations that are currently successful, it is necessary to replicate or surpass their accomplishments. Failing to provide quality customer service or having no customer service at all can drastically affect long-term profitability and result in the loss of valuable customers.

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