Operators need to modernise approaches to personalisation as brands enter the market and compete for a place, according to Enteractive’s Andrew Foster.  

The retention supplier’s Head of Business Development said: “In the past, or at least until recently, gaming companies had the luxury of having a really good product, marketing really well, and the players will come and stay. But what we’re seeing is, especially with the smaller guys, those looking to establish a market share for themselves and grab a bit from the big players.

“The biggest push is providing a client with a dashboard or the game types they have asked to play.”

Foster believes success in personalisation lies in familiar, direct contact with players, but stressed it is not call centre work.

The business developer believes that to provide a uniquely personal experience, players must not be viewed as numbers.

He said: “What’s important to us is more about how long we are spending in a call to these players, because what we found is the longer you speak to them, the more brand loyalty you can build with them, and the longer the relationship will be with the brand.

“Our focus is not on quantity of calls, it’s more on the quality of the call, and that’s something we’ve always focussed on at Enteractive.”

Foster said players respond well to this direct contact, contradicting a “natural tendency” by putting the right member of staff in touch with the right player.

He said: “Sports guys will speak to sports guys and casino guys to casino guys, so when they mention Man United on the weekend, they can discuss how Paul Pogba did this or Alexis Sanchez did that, and that’s what really builds the loyalty and the feeling that you actually care about your customers.”

Foster was speaking to Gambling Insider for the January/February 2019 magazine. Register here for free access.