Customer service and engagement platform Zendesk stresses that customers’ experience is essential and that excellent service needs to happen from the inside out, as it portrays a belief that the betting and gaming economy can maintain growth through internal focus.
Coming amid online gaming success that is “often reported as a result of new technology, emerging markets and exciting content,” the firm states that customer retention isn’t all about keeping players happy and sometimes it’s what’s on the inside that counts
Sarah Manning, human resources director of EMEA at Zendesk, believes the improvement of employee experience remains a vital part of overall expansion strategies: “Companies that excel at internal customer service strive to instill a culture of collaboration and cooperation, where everyone is on the same team working toward the same goals.
“That could mean a marketing manager promptly fulfilling a sales request, or an IT tech patiently resolving system issues for a member of the customer support staff. By having clear systems for employee engagement, you can unite the team around the common mission of delivering a market-leading customer experience.
“When a company prioritises internal customer service, its employees are happier and better equipped to provide the type of external customer service consumers expect. Happier employees are also more loyal and help boost the company’s bottom line.”
Moving on, Manning highlights the need for three core essentials for internal customer service, namely a strong emphasis on communication, an ability to recognise greatness and putting the power in employees’ hands.
Connecting conversations between employees and management on any messaging channel, from websites and mobile apps to messaging apps, is also said to be “the path to empowering from the inside out”.
“Successful internal customer service requires employees who can effectively communicate. When a manager in operations asks for information from finance, they should know who to approach and be comfortable doing it.
“Employees on the receiving end of the requests shouldn’t just be willing to work together, they should be eager to provide answers. One way to improve in office communications is to encourage alternatives to email.
“Replacing the passive, time-zapping form of communication with something more active, such as Slack, will encourage conversations, camaraderie and the use of GIFs.”
Adding: “Happy employees lead to happy customers, and one way to keep members of any team in good spirits is to celebrate them when they do well.
“This could mean a year end bonus to the top salesperson or a end-of-the-week shout out to the highest rated customer service rep. Letting employees know they’re doing well is a key part of letting know they’re appreciated.”
