BetBeast: “Complaints are opportunities to form strong player bonds”

BetBeast is a shortlisted candidate in the Casino Guru Awards 2024 and the company makes a compelling case for why customer complaints matter and how they can be the basis of forming stronger bonds with the community and audiences. While BetBeast disagrees with the statement that the customer is always right, the casino is convinced that "a happy customer is a loyal customer," and strives to live by this adage every single day. There are technical steps to resolving complaints, but a positive attitude and communication with players is what helps BetBeast stand out and even turn distrustful patrons into loyal players for years to come.

Q: We always talk about the customer being always right in e-commerce. Is this indeed the case when it comes to handling complaints in the iGaming industry?

In my opinion, the term "the customer is always right" is very generic which I personally don’t agree with. I firmly believe and go by the term "a happy customer is a loyal customer". It is the responsibility of any person facing complaints to be able to guide and instruct customers towards the best solutions available. Even if it means going against what the customer is claiming, there’s always an alternative solution to keep customers satisfied.

Q: How important is the handling of complaints in a fair and transparent manner in today’s industry realities and what benefits are there to both players and businesses?

A strong part of a business’s success relies on the quality of service provided to its customers. A customer that feels valued will not resort to competitors. It is imperative to always show transparency and provide all the time and patience needed to address and guide customers through their queries. The operations and standards provided can be assessed through the customers’ feedback.

The best source of feedback comes from unbiased users who are testing your product daily. Customers will compare with competitors and some of them will also address these comparisons directly to the business. It is crucial for any business to keep its ear to the ground and take on board the feedback received to constantly improve and offer a stronger product to the customers.

Q: Can you give us examples of why you consider the complaints handling process at Bet Beast to be efficient and fair to players?

I’ll use two cases I handled on Casino Guru as an example.

The first case was an issue related to withdrawals. A player with a big win couldn’t withdraw his funds due to a technical fault on our side. The player proceeded to create a complaint thread on Casino Guru, venting his frustration, which is completely expected given the situation. To go around the technical issue, the player was offered a manual withdrawal, but this was a time-consuming procedure which relied on the financial department to handle.

From my side, there wasn’t much I could do, the matter was completely out of my control. The only thing I could do was to push the department to process the withdrawal as fast as possible. I kept the player constantly updated both via email and through the Casino Guru complaint thread to keep matters as transparent as possible.

My main objective was to avoid making the player feel cheated or even worse abandoned. It took a few days to handle the issue but by keeping constantly in touch with the player, I managed to create a positive bond that helped the player to patiently trust the process. I also offered to place limits to safeguard the player’s win, but he refused. After a few days of back and forth, the issue was finally resolved, the withdrawal was completed, and I gave the player a bonus as an apology for the delay. Following the complaint, the player returned with fresh deposits.

The second case involved a player having trouble to withdraw his wins to his Russian bank account. I explained to the player the issue, worked out together an alternative solution and fixed the problem within a few hours.

In both cases an open dialogue keeping the players updated and aware of the issues helped to build a strong bond of trust. I never shy away from being honest and direct with our customers. This will always give customers a real picture of the situation, will help them to trust more and help to create a safe environment. Open communication unlocks further information that like in the second case, could be used to find a solution which wasn’t even considered before.

Q: What do you believe are the weak points you need to continue working on?

I’d say that my weakest points lie in my direct approach and in wanting to resolve problems on the spot without any delay. I must always keep in mind that sometimes it’s better to take a step back and let things move at their own pace rather than forcing them.

I sometimes see myself as too pushy with the rest of the team to try and get solutions to cater for complaints or to fix issues. An elevated sense of urgency increases the risk of errors and my direct demands to my team members might make them feel uncomfortable working together. I always try to keep myself in check to ensure that I handle the team behind BetBeast with the same professional and nice manner in which we handle our customers.

Q: Has BetBeast been in a situation where you have realized that although your complaints handling process is on point, other areas may have been lacking to lead to the complaint in the first place?

Yes of course. As I explained in a previous question, the first case I described is a clear example of this. Sometimes, issues beyond anyone’s control arise out of nowhere. Some of these issues are handled within minutes whilst others are of a more complex nature which take days to resolve.

My priority to fix a complaint might not be a top priority for other departments who are handling different tasks. This creates a bit of an uncomfortable situation for the customer who would be expecting a prompt fix but that is my responsibility to keep the customer satisfied even while waiting for a solution. No process is perfect but we can always push to get as close to perfection as possible.

Q: Are you confident that Bet Beast will continue to deliver a player-centric dispute resolution in the future?

Most definitely. There’s no doubt that every complaint is given top priority. We also ensure that future members joining the team, will be trained and to deliver the constant proper standard fit to our customers.

Q: Has the Casino Guru Awards made you more aware of the importance of implementing an efficient complaint-handling process into your core business? Have there been any moments in the reviewing process that have given your ideas how to improve?

Casino Guru is one of the reasons we always push to deliver an impeccable service to our customers. Being shortlisted for such an award was a seal of approval to the standards we impose. Such recognition is very important to us.

The belief and mentality at BetBeast are customer oriented so we are constantly observing and taking notes to constantly improve.

During the Q and As with the judges, there were particular questions asked which showed where the important factors lie to ensure proper complaint handling. I took note of such points and set up a list of proposals. New procedures were set up to monitor and reach out to our customers even before complaints would arise.

Q: What has motivated you to sign up for the format, and what do you hope to gain as a result of your participation and potentially winning the awards?

To be honest, BetBeast was nominated through a third party outside the company that was impressed with how complaints were handled. It was a very encouraging surprise.

Even from being shortlisted, we have observed a higher brand awareness among the gaming community. Whether we win the award or not, we will keep pushing to deliver and provide an even stronger product to all our customers. We are here to stay and having Casino Guru recognize our efforts, is a strong start to reaching our goal.

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