Player Support: What Is It and Why Is It Important?

Much like firefighters, support agents are the first line of response that help players fix issues. Agents use specific tools to make informed decisions and undergo intensive training to ensure that they are familiar with issues and systems.

Player Support: What Is It and Why Is It Important?
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When downloading a game, players are generally excited by the graphics and intriguing features created by game developers and designers. However, developing an entertaining game is not the only factor to keeping players happy. Whenever there is a glitch, a problem processing a payment, or anything else that impedes users from playing, Player Support is there to help.
Much like firefighters, support agents are the first line of response that help players fix issues. Agents use specific tools to make informed decisions and undergo intensive training to ensure that they are familiar with issues and systems. They are also responsible for reporting incidents to the development team so other players don’t face the same issue again.
Player Support is crucial for these three main reasons:

Prevent your players from abandoning the game

Players are very engaged and passionate about the games they play. When a system bug or payment issue occurs, the consequences can be catastrophic. Often a large population of the player base is affected by a single issue, which — if not attended to quickly — can lead to a mass exodus of players.
As reported by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, “73% of U.S. consumers say that customer experience is an essential factor in their purchasing decision, so much so that even if they love a company or product, 59% will still walk away after several bad experiences and 17% will walk away after just one bad experience.”

Gather feedback to improve your game and increase revenue

Having a system in place to gather player feedback and using that information to develop a product that reflects your players’ input and suggestions will increase their happiness and improve player retention. Understanding the problems that players face can be utilized to redesign and improve the game as an ultimate marketing strategy.
Aside from gameplay, in-game purchases can also be optimized. By combining player support data with game analytics, it is possible to gain advanced insights which enables gaming companies to improve monetization and lifetime value (LTV).

Nurture greater loyalty

The main goal is to solve issues fast and get players back to the game. In order to do so, it is invaluable to have agents that are familiar with your game and speak the same language as your players. This enhances the experience and allows them to solve issues more diligently.
Good player support is a great way to nurture your players’ loyalty. By attending their issues swiftly and helping them get back into the game, you can get players to embrace and appreciate your brand. It creates brand advocates, positively impacting the company’s image and perception.
Gamers make up one of the most extensive online communities. According to the latest data by Statista, there are approximately 3.03 billion active video gamers worldwide. Many players are active in community and voice their opinions on social media and online forums. For that reason, any issue is bound to spread virally fast. Player support can turn around a negative experience and prevent it from having a widespread impact.

Final words

In conclusion, every player has a voice of their own. A single complaint can have a huge impact, leading to negative publicity and player churn. Player Support should not be seen as a cost center but rather a marketing investment — it is a tool to gather feedback, engage, and grow the community to ensure the game’s success.

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Written by

Jonathan Shroyer
Jonathan Shroyer

Chief CX Officer at Arise Gaming