changing the game with player support

© 2013 TELUS International telusinternational.com

Changing the game with player support

Providing customer service in the

interactive-entertainment industry

White Paper

Part of the Best Practices Series for Customer Service by

TELUS International.

Learn more: telusinternational.com

http://telusinternational.com/

Customer service in the interactive-entertainment industry White Paper

© 2013 TELUS International 2

Contents Setting the stage ........................................................................................................................................... 3

Level up with customer service .................................................................................................................... 3

1. Improving player connection ............................................................................................................ 4

2. Streamlining player support ............................................................................................................. 4

3. The metrics that matter .................................................................................................................... 5

4. Personalizing sales ............................................................................................................................ 5

5. Proactive vs. reactive approaches .................................................................................................... 5

6. Being social ....................................................................................................................................... 6

Customer service tactics to unlock value ...................................................................................................... 6

Unlocking value with analytics .................................................................................................................. 6

Unlocking value with skill-based routing .................................................................................................. 6

Unlocking value by communicating in the right channels ........................................................................ 7

Unlocking value with dynamic sales ......................................................................................................... 8

Measuring success ........................................................................................................................................ 8

Real-time measurement of satisfaction .................................................................................................... 8

Meeting brand commitments with NPS ................................................................................................... 9

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 11

About TELUS International .......................................................................................................................... 11

Connect with us ...................................................................................................................................... 11



Setting the stage The interactive-entertainment industry is undergoing dramatic change. Gaming platforms are evolving

and studios must keep up by offering games on social networks, mobile phones and tablets. Along for

the ride are the players. Often viewed as a commodity, players have high expectations, but are often

disappointed when it comes to customer support. Every touch-point is an opportunity to deliver an

exceptional customer experience, however in gaming, customer service is often a secondary concern;

edged out in favor of rapid development and design.

With an increasingly competitive global gaming market – predicted to grow from $67 billion in 2012 to

$82 billion by 2017 (Source: Forbes) – the continuation of a de-personalized, homogenous consumer

support experience for players will make it difficult for game developers to sustain brand loyalty and

improve a player’s likelihood to recommend.

Now let’s talk monetization. Of the 400 million multiplayer online game players across the globe, 220

million did not spend money. The remaining 180 million constitute “paying” players that have an active

subscription, pay once, or purchase the game through a retailer (Source: PC Gamer). Understanding

players (whether paid or free-to-play) means understanding how to maximize return on game

development and potentially convert non-paying players into a loyal revenue base.

In short, what an opportunity for game developers today! Using customer service, studios can stand out

from the crowd – creating brand loyalty, improving games with real-time feedback, increasing a player’s

lifetime-value, and more. Forward-thinking studios realize that providing exceptional customer

interactions, alongside popular games, can directly impact the bottom line.

This paper will provide readers with a view of how gaming companies can benefit from offering a

structured customer care program for their players, as well as best practices to consider along the way.

Level up with customer service While technological advances have enabled real-time interaction with consumers via websites,

community forums, or with the latest handheld devices, many studios are forced to ignore customer

support programs due to the constraints of development. This inability to integrate customer service

into the development schedule can lead to a poor player experience and a loss of player base

surrounding the product.

An organization’s leadership team should consider how satisfaction is linked to revenue-producing

behaviors, including the probability of the player to purchase online or offline. A growing player base

requires happy players who are likely to recommend the game to other prospective players. Recurring

payments requires recurring customers. Customer service needs to move up the priority list.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngaudiosi/2012/07/18/new-reports-forecasts-global-video-game-industry-will-reach-82-billion-by-2017/

http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/12/15/mmo-infographic/



Does it take one to know one? Consider hiring

other game players to handle customer

service inquiries. The best customer service

results have come from customer service reps

that are culturally aligned (both values and

attitudes) with the player.

“Know your player” has been a studio mantra for a decade. Studios are now evaluating and segmenting

data in order to better understand and predict their players’ buying behaviors. As a result, product-

centric programs are being replaced with strategies centered on the customer experience. Intelligent

player platforms collect user data by individual game, franchise, or geography and dynamically present

different in-game experiences based on customer preferences. This creates a bond with the player and

demonstrates that a game developer really “gets” their audience.

The following are some of the top reasons to consider a customer support strategy:

1. Improving player connection Understanding each stage of the players’ lifecycle and recognizing the important role of customer

service in retaining players is no longer an option. Studios need to develop emotional connections with

players, particularly Millennials (often defined as the generation born 1980 to 2000), and match their

players with like-minded customer service representatives. Consider hiring game players as your support

agents and have them continually level up in the game to truly understand the players they serve.

As we know, not all game players are created equal. PC

game players are often proud of their technical abilities

and are more inclined to find websites to download

patches and fix their own problems. In contrast, console

game players are convenience-driven and typically

prefer having easy access to customer support. Free-to-

play game players are used to finding support in

community forums or on the developer’s website.

Hardcore triple-A title players are another breed altogether and expect their support experts to be just

as hardcore as they are. As a result, customer support needs to suit how each player likes to play.

2. Streamlining player support A positive shift occurs across the organization when customer service departments move their focus

towards dynamically routing and handling calls based on player history. The studio’s competitive stance

is improved by the ability to deliver highly differentiated services that actually drive revenue.

Operational efficiencies also increase because all key delivery components are better aligned with

players’ goals. Players enjoy a more rewarding experience because their customer support interactions

are tailored to their preferences, based on purchase history, interests, or value to the studio.



Everything can be measured, but focus on

those 2 to 3 metrics that matter most.

Metrics and customer contact channels may

vary depending on free-to-play vs. paid

player support programs. But in the end,

knowing and measuring what matters most

for each player type will deliver the best

player experience possible.

3. The metrics that matter In most studio environments, existing technologies and processes limit management’s ability to view

customer service and sales results based on what actually transpired during a call. Network analytics

such as call length, hold time, and transfer rates are often the only metrics used to evaluate and plan

future strategies.

For example, a customer service operation might track

average customer contact handle times, versus examining

ways to shorten handle times for low revenue-generating

customer contacts. They also might neglect to evaluate

appropriate opportunities to lengthen handle times with

high-value customers in order to resolve problems or

increase cross-selling opportunities. Another common

example is when a company’s operational team focuses on

measuring a support professionals’ sales performance

based on total revenue per month, while the outcome or

conversion of a high-value call may be a more relevant metric.

4. Personalizing sales Who better to translate the voice of the customer than the person they talk to most. Connections made

with customer service reps are a great opportunity to personalize revenue generation programs that

also positively impact the customer experience.

Revenue-building opportunities exist at every stage of the player experience and carefully targeted

offerings can be seamlessly blended throughout the players’ lifecycle. Typically, these types of revenue

generation programs can be converted into a transaction-based pricing model with a variable cost

structure. Changing player demographics and expanded platforms allow for the monetization of new

business models, creating a growing community willing to spend money in the virtual world.

To maximize incremental revenue, it is essential that game developers include additional services for

premium subscriptions, virtual goods sales, incentive marketing support, and application installations.

Innovative business models like free-to-play can generate revenues from micro transactions while

enhancing the game-play experience for the player if managed properly.

5. Proactive vs. reactive approaches When a studio adopts a basic customer contact strategy, engagement most often only occurs when the

players are unhappy. From a branding and loyalty perspective, the implications of this approach are

highly detrimental. Studios cannot maximize the players’ lifetime value or influence brand loyalty when

their personalized interactions occur only when a player calls regarding product delivery dates, billing

statements, or product anomalies. With proper planning, studios can create more proactive and positive

engagements.



6. Being social As players flock to social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, and others, game

developers should consider leveraging these communication channels to improve their customer service

and gain a competitive advantage. Social networks offer a tremendous opportunity to proactively

respond to player complaints as well as collect feedback to tailor the game. Using social media for

customer care can also create “brand promoters” within the player base. These are players that act as

an extension of the customer service organization, offering advice and gaming assistance in return for

non-financial rewards, like recognition and praise.

Customer service tactics to unlock value As the interactive-entertainment industry becomes increasingly fragmented and competitive, forward-

thinking studios are realizing the untapped potential of a customer service offering. The following is a

deeper examination of how a well-structured customer service plan can directly impact the bottom line.

Unlocking value with analytics As the value of data mining becomes table stakes for game developers, it will be important to avoid the

pitfall faced by many organizations – having customer information stored in multiple data repositories.

When organized well, this data represents a goldmine of information that can be used to design

different customer-focused support opportunities. Studios will benefit most from a centralized player

data repository that is universally accessible. This data has the potential to elevate customer service

delivery from a level of basic customer support to a high-quality, very personalized, customer

experience.

To assist, many studios are partnering with third-party customer service providers that can enhance

their business processes through the use of player analytics and performance optimization applications.

Typically, these systems leverage an established methodology to produce both component and

composite scores designed to identify opportunities to positively impact player satisfaction levels.

By embedding analytics in every step of a high value player’s life cycle, studios are better-equipped to

predict the player’s behavior. When player behavior becomes more predictable, sales, satisfaction and

revenue are all positively impacted.

Unlocking value with skill-based routing The concept of skill-based routing is simple. In a micro-transaction support setting, a high-value

customer (one who meets pre-determined criteria) can be serviced by a higher-skilled game specialist

who is capable of providing both service support and sales assistance.



Consider the use of internal social media platforms and tools – including the use of gamification elements that enable your customer service reps to work the way they play. By incenting customer support reps to share knowledge with the team and improve the support knowledge base – everyone wins – the studio, the player, and your support professionals.

Additionally, providing a richer support service by customizing the support professional’s skills to

specific product sets, and routing players based upon purchase history or the nature of the inquiry has

proven to increase brand loyalty and customer satisfaction. This approach is easily undertaken by

building tools that will adjust to and account for demographic variables such as player behavior history,

gender, geography, language, and credit history. More advanced approaches to data segmentation, such

as User Persona Research, can also identify how people

behave while playing online.

Before implementing any skill-based routing program,

however, it is important that support professionals are

equipped with guidelines, conversation etiquette, and

scripts to use as reference during their conversations

with players. This will not only increase efficiency, but

also provide a consistent customer experience.

Unlocking value by communicating in the right channels

When developing a customer care program, it is critical to know how your players prefer to interact with

you. Their communication channel of choice may vary depending on socio-demographics, time of day,

location, availability of technology and so on. It’s also important to allow players to initiate an

interaction in one communication channel and continue it in another – for example, moving from a

request on Twitter to a more private discussion via online chat.

The following channels are most commonly used as part of a multi-channel support strategy:

Web self-service. Helps players locate the right answers to their questions using web self-service

knowledge management.

Self-service to live-service transitions. Offers players the option to escalate a request from a

web self-service site to a live agent; notifies and forwards information to a customer service rep

when a session transitions from self-service to live service.

Telephone. Supports phone customer service reps in creating player incidents, routing incidents,

and handling inquiries within customer service guidelines, and provides full computer telephony

integration (CTI) capabilities with screen-pop.

Customer-to-agent chat channel. Provides reactive and/or proactive chat, co-browsing, and

page push.

Email. Effectively manages and responds to high email volumes via customer service reps who

have access to productivity tools such as canned answers, auto-suggestions, and auto-responses

and are linked to a single company-wide customer information database.

Community forums. Supports information-sharing forums with peers, including participant

registration and administration, integrated forums with knowledge bases, and ranking and

rewarding customer advocates.



Unlocking value with dynamic sales The keys to dynamic selling are data-driven routing and intelligent business routing. Data-driven routing

uses customer information to intelligently direct calls within the system, attach the call data, and deliver

it to the support professional’s desktop. This information provides the support professional with the

player’s identity and the purpose of the call. Intelligent business routing matches the caller’s profile with

the appropriate associate to ensure an optimal customer experience and maximize the value realized

from every interaction.

Creating predictive models, centralizing customer databases, and linking them to inbound channels

requires solutions that work across disparate systems. The effort to make these connections happen will

provide a significant return in customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and revenue generation.

Studios no longer need to disrupt player support experiences with inappropriate sales offers or risk

offending players for the chance to create new revenue streams. Dynamic selling is well within the reach

of every service delivery center that wants to leverage these essential strategies to stay competitive and

profitable.

Measuring success As the saying goes, “what gets measured gets done.” Any successful customer service program needs to

be backed by metrics that tell you what is working and what is not. Below is a framework for measuring

your customer service program to achieve player delight.

Real-time measurement of satisfaction Determining how your organization can positively influence future player behavior can yield significant

returns. To increase conversion rates, game developers should implement analytical tools that can

measure satisfaction with the following:

Pre-purchase website elements

Game drop-off rates

Overall purchase process

It is also important to measure player behavior at incremental stages of the customer experience. For

example, game developers should consider measuring satisfaction levels while the player is in beta. A

variety of research activities and information-gathering tools are available to capture this information.

While this is an often-ignored measurement, in many ways it is the most critical, as satisfaction at this

stage is key to influencing the purchase decision of a player.

Collectively these measurements enable the studio to make changes that increase the likelihood of

purchasing again and/or recommending the game to a friend. When consumers abandon their playing



Once a customer support program has evolved, Net Promoter Score (NPS) – a method for measuring customer loyalty – is one of the best metrics for assessing player satisfaction. NPS becomes a way of running the studio that focuses on the loyalty of both players and employees.

activity, it’s important for the studio to pinpoint which factors left players dissatisfied and identify

specific changes that will prompt the player to return to the site and/or make a purchase in the future.

To boost the retention rate, studios should know what contributes to players’ ongoing satisfaction.

These elements could be incorporated into other public and secure areas of the publisher’s website,

including purchasing, order tracking, and micro-transaction collections. For example, when the player

abandons their game without notice, did they jump offline due to performance, platform, or usability

issues? Or were they just browsing and intend to return later?

Meeting brand commitments with NPS As customer service becomes more consistent and homogenous, the traditional customer satisfaction

measure (CSAT) becomes less helpful for driving business improvements. Instead, Net Promoter Score

(NPS) is an extremely powerful tool for assessing whether a studio’s brand commitment to its customers

is being recognized and fulfilled. A player’s willingness to promote a service or product to friends and

family is based upon many criteria, but in most cases requires the customer support team to meet and

exceed the expectations set by brand and marketing messages.

The Net Promoter framework can create processes and systems

that help everyone focus on earning the loyalty of players and

employees. The business payoffs are substantial, as loyal and

passionate gamers play longer, spend more, share ideas, and

shout out your company’s praises within their networks.

The same holds true for the customer service reps that enjoy

working for your organization, generate new ideas, and take those extra steps to truly delight players.

As a result, it’s not hard to see why loyalty correlates with sustainable, profitable growth. On average,

an industry’s loyalty leader grows more than twice as fast as its competitors (Source: Bain & Company).

Source: Image from CheckMarket Survey Solutions

http://resultsbrief.bain.com/loyalty_insights/example/cm1112global.htm

http://www.checkmarket.com/2011/06/net-promoter-score/



The ability to quickly gauge your enterprise’s overall health with a single NPS score is useful to let you

know whether you need to make changes. However, NPS is not enough to tell you what changes you

need to make.

The Net Promoter Score has become a popular customer loyalty metric, but you need more than a

simple measure of the likelihood of receiving player recommendations to help you identify problems in

enough detail to get back on track.

That’s why the metric’s proponents are now recommending you ‘close the loop’ with follow-up

questions that get to the root of your customers’ neutrality or lack of satisfaction. Studios looking to

transform their Net Promoter Scores into actionable insight should consider an NPS-integrated solution.

Ask the right questions in the right way

Dig more deeply into data

Take immediate action based on new found knowledge

Following up on the standard NPS question, “How likely are you to recommend our service/product to a

friend or colleague?” is critical to knowing what drives customers to be Promoters, Detractors or

Passive. Follow-up answers often provide the key to understanding what changes need to be made.

Actionable information might include:

Where in the game are consumers dropping out?

What is the network effect of getting new players into the game?

How many players finish the game?

Is the game too difficult or too long?

Was the game overdeveloped or underdeveloped?

Did players finish too fast?

What scores are typically given by high value or frequent customers?

What topics or keywords frequently appear in player feedback?

Source: Questions adapted from McKinsey & Company interview with COO of Electronic Arts.

In today’s complex business environment you need a feedback solution that gives you a Net Promoter

Score accompanied by a comprehensive analysis of all the underlying data. In this way, you can establish

the groundwork for an effective NPS initiative by assigning the right leaders, forging links across

functions, and reorganizing frontline teams around your players.

http://hosting-qa.mckinsey.com/insights/business_technology/getting_into_your_customers_heads_an_interview_with_the_coo_of_electronic_arts_labels?p=1



Conclusion It has become increasingly difficult for game developers to generate and sustain brand loyalty. While

technological advances and the proliferation of social media have generated more real-time interaction

with players, it is important not to overlook the importance of player support, or to underestimate its

powerful influence on brand loyalty and a player’s likelihood to recommend.

Through strategic planning and investment in analytical and support tools, studios can create an

opportunity for highly personalized, engaging player service experiences that will “bond” consumers to

the brand. By accurately measuring consumer satisfaction levels after each customer interaction, game

providers can increase the likelihood of future purchases, gain brand loyalty, and ultimately identify

brand promoters who can spread the good word. In an industry where reputation is everything, this is

where customer service can be a real game-changer.

About TELUS International Many studios are opting to engage with an industry-experienced business process outsourcing (BPO)

partner to help them implement the technology and analytical tools that are vital to engaging today’s

savvy online players.

TELUS International is a provider of customer care and contact center outsourcing solutions to global

clients including social and MMO companies. Its interactive-entertainment support practice was

established in 2005 and has grown to over 2,500 associates providing player support. The company is

backed by its parent, TELUS Corporation, a leading national telecommunications company

headquartered in Canada, with over 13 million customer connections.

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changing the game with player support

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