Casino Customer Service

Not everyone wins when they play at a casino and that's why casinos must provide superior customer service.  Providing quality service is one way they compete against other entertainment venues.

Casinos must provide service that is superior to other entertainment venues because people spend more money at casinos.  Customers who spend $15 for tickets and popcorn at a movie theater only to experience dirty premises and a lousy show will be disappointed, but they will return because the expense was minimal.  Chances are casino customers will spend far more than $15 and they will need an outstanding experience to make up for the money they will not be taking home.  Stellar customer service and an enjoyable experience will convince guests to come back.

Martin R. Baird

Robinson & Associates, Inc.

mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com

www.casinocustomerservice.com

480-991-6420

Customers who walk into a casino do so because they expect to have a wonderful gaming experience.

Each customer who comes to your property is expecting a great experience.  They want to have fun, a good time and know that they stand out and that they're special.  You need to make sure that each guest has a great experience.  This is your first priority any time you are at the casino.

Martin R. Baird

Robinson & Associates, Inc.

mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com

www.casinocustomerservice.com

480-991-6420

It's amazing how much smiles can help casinos go the extra mile in providing quality customer service.

Sometimes it's the simple things that really make the difference in creating a pleasant customer experience.  Having a smiling staff on the property is truly a simple technique, but it's effective.

Following are five tips on why smiling is an important element of top-notch customer service. 

Number 1 – By simply smiling while you are at work, you are helping guests have a more enjoyable visit.

Number 2 – We all like to be around smiling and happy people.  They make us happy, too.

Number 3 – It's a proven fact that people feel better when people smile.

Number 4 – Smiles make a great first impression. 

Number 5 -- People want to stay and play at a happy, fun casino.

A smile can make all the difference in the world – even the difference between an outstanding gaming experience at your casino and a less fulfilling experience at a competitor's establishment.  That's a difference you definitely want to cultivate.

Martin R. Baird

Robinson & Associates, Inc.

mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com

www.casinocustomerservice.com

480-991-6420

Casino operators who strive to improve their customer service will achieve a higher degree of success if they simply hold themselves accountable for reaching their service goals.  One way to do that is to have a customer service buddy.

 A little help from a friend is a great way to stick to your service plan.  I call it the customer service buddy system and it's simply partnering with someone to reach your service goals.

Here are four tips on how to implement a customer service buddy system. 

·         You can use a variety of people for your buddy.  It could be a close friend or an employee.

·         After you have selected your service buddy, explain your plans and what you're trying to accomplish.

·         Give your buddy important dates and milestones in your service plan so they can contact you and see how you're progressing.

• Offer incentives.  For example, take your buddy out to dinner each time you meet or exceed your monthly service goals.  That's a very small investment for reaching your goals and staying on plan.

A customer service buddy system is something simple you can do to make it easier for you to succeed with your service plan.  Doing this could be the first step toward climbing to that new level of service that you have always wanted to reach.

Martin R. Baird

Robinson & Associates, Inc.

mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com

www.casinocustomerservice.com

480-991-6420

My company, Robinson & Associates, Inc., has teamed up with Service Sleuth to offer mystery shopping for casinos that provides results within a day instead of weeks and comparisons to the level of service at other casinos.

A recent survey by Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell (www.ypb.com) and The Innovation Group (www.theinnovationgroup.net) shows that 84 percent of casino customers rate service as extremely important.  Other areas of interest to casino guests, such as games, entertainment and food and beverage, weren't even close in importance. 

Casinos need to ask themselves a serious question – what is the quality of their customer service right now?  With Service Sleuth, we can answer that question very quickly.

My company and Service Sleuth also can take mystery shopping to the next level by showing casinos how their service stacks up against similar properties.  Those properties are not named to keep their shopping results confidential.

Typically, casinos wait weeks to receive the results of their customer service mystery shops because the data must be entered into computers from paper reports submitted by the shoppers.  Shoppers for Service Sleuth input their findings online and results are available to casinos at a special Web site as quickly as the same day of input.  The data is available to Service Sleuth clients online 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Casinos in Nevada will be interested in knowing that Tom Mills, executive vice president of Service Sleuth, is licensed as a private investigator in that state.

Martin R. Baird

Robinson & Associates, Inc.

mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com

www.casinocustomerservice.com

480-991-6420

Top-notch customer service is a valuable survival tool for casinos in today's highly competitive gaming industry.  Good service is one way they can set themselves apart from the competition and encourage guests to pay a visit.

Here are seven tips on the importance of customer service and how to improve it.

 Number 1 – People rarely tell you what you're doing wrong, but they are more than happy to talk behind your back.  When you have great customer service, they will talk behind your back in a manner that benefits your business.

Number 2 – To provide outstanding customer service, an employee must understand what it is.  It's the manager's responsibility to define good service for

employees and then set realistic and achievable customer service goals.

Number 3 – Good service results in longer and more frequent casino visits.  The length and frequency of these visits are directly proportional to revenue.

Number 4 – Longer and more frequent visits translate into more gratuities for employees.  Staff members can earn as much as 20 more in tips. 

Number 5 – The collateral benefit of improved gratuities is improved morale and employee retention.

Number 6 – Casino management that rewards its employees for excellence achieved on a daily basis will realize fiscal benefits quickly.

Number 7 – The choice to provide exceptional customer service is a daily commitment.  Providing quality service does not always come naturally.  It usually is something that must be learned and practiced.

Martin R. Baird

Robinson & Associates, Inc.

mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com

www.casinocustomerservice.com

480-991-6420