In the ultra-competitive gambling affiliate world, customer service is something that no one can really afford to ignore. After all, Internet 2.0 put the power of publishing in the hands of the people and it doesn’t take much effort for a disgruntled player to sully your name forever.
While anecdotal evidence of the power of customer service (both good and bad) is readily available on forums like Casinomeister and SportsbookReview (SBR), some affiliates won’t believe anything short of cold, hard facts. For these folks, we’ve lifted a few facts from Jenna Hannington’s recent posting, 9 Must-Know Stats for the Customer-Centric Marketer, that might change some minds.
Make New Friends, But Keep the Old
According to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs, it costs about 6-7 times as much to retain a new customer as it does to keep an old one.
While you chew on that figure, consider the fact that simply returning e-mails in a timely manner is practically free and requires only a few moments of your time.
Add in the fact that Bain & Company suggest that increasing customer retention levels by just 10% can increase the value of your company by 30%, being good to your existing customers becomes a pretty cost-effective strategy.
Customers Read Reviews
Review sites are a huge presence in the online gambling world but just how important those reviews, especially the customer-generated reviews, is worth noting.
According to Dimensional Research:
90% of respondents who recalled reading online reviews claimed that positive online reviews influenced buying decisions, while 86% said buying decisions were influenced by negative online reviews.
Though affiliates and operators may think they don’t have a lot of control over user-generated reviews, they actually do.
Again, providing quick follow-ups to inquiries, fast payouts, and honest content are economical tools for providing the kind of customer service that prevents negative reviews from happening in the first place.
A few negative reviews will always slip through the cracks no matter what you do, but the best defense against them is a pile of great reviews.
Your Competitors Feast on Your Mistakes
It’s commonly reported that it takes 12 positive experiences to make up for a single negative customer service experience. Unfortunately, not many companies get a chance to put that rule into play.In the RightNow Customer Experience Impact Report, a whopping 89% of respondents said they stop dealing with businesses after a single bad customer service experience.
The takeaway here is that customer service is a pretty big deal that doesn’t cost a lot to implement, but can play hell with your bottom line.