As with many areas of business, the gambling industry – once very visible on our high streets – has now moved largely online. There are still real-life, bricks and mortar bookies to be found in every town and city. But the vast majority of customers operate wholly online these days.
With that move online, even the top sports betting sites have to offer good support. Betting can seem confusing for many newcomers, so a helpful side to the business in the form of customer service is a must. Here’s how many bookmakers look after their customers online.
What is Available?
If there was any customer service – as in help – in the days of the high street bookie, it was just the person behind the counter assisting those who walked in. But now every betting firm has its own customer service team, with a variety of contact methods available.
Live chat is probably the most popular, with customers and betting firms, as it allows the human interaction that is wanted by many account holders. Other customers may prefer a phone number where they can actually talk to the help team. These started disappearing during the lockdowns and not all bookies have brought them back.
For less immediate issues, most betting sites have an email address for customers to get in touch with. But there is more and more evidence of these operators utilizing their social media platforms. This offers the immediacy the customer wants, but also provides the betting firms with a chance to boost their marketing.
Using Bots
As many of you will know, this is becoming an increasingly used method of offering customer service. It is true that many customers getting in touch with online betting firms are able to find the help they need on the site without actually talking to anyone. They might just need a little direction in where to look.
But the use of automated bots should be carefully rolled out. If the customer is forced to go around in circles if they cannot answer the bot’s questions in a way that works for the programme, it will only get them more irate. That is a good way to lose business. If this issue of stalemate comes up with a bot, there should be the option to talk to a real person early on in the conversation.
24/7 Support
It is completely understandable that some businesses don’t offer round the clock support. After all, high street shops close at a certain time every day and the customer accepts that they will have to come back the next day to have their queries answered.
But online betting sites offer opportunities to gamble on sports all around the world. That obviously means that customers are able to bet at all times. It also means that they might be in need of assistance at any time too. It is therefore very important that online betting site customer service is available 24/7 – it is what is expected these days.
Quick and Easy
This is something that should apply to just about any business and its customer service. Some may be more useful for expert help that can talk the customer through an issue resolvement as long as it takes. But with online betting, it is more a case of speed being of the essence.
If a customer account holder is in need of some help with a time-sensitive bet, it goes without saying that the service should be quick and easy. Easy to get in touch, a simple explanation of what is needed, and the customer can go on with whatever they were doing on the site.
Expert Help
Unlike some businesses, customer service teams for online betting sites need to be knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects. They also need to be able to adapt their knowledge for a wide range of competencies and experience on the side of the customer.
That is why these operators tend to have a lot of content on their sites answering frequently asked questions. A good bot can point to them before having to get actual representatives involved. These are the ways that betting firms can offer a good customer service, but still keep costs down and customers happy.
