When surveying the vast landscape of online casinos, you’re sure to notice some sites that just instil trust from the outset and other sites that just look sketchy as anything and should be avoided. While this feeling that we get of either trust or the ick is from the initial UI/UX of the casino site itself, there are other ways that a casino can earn players’ trust - as well as lose it - especially as gameplay continues.
There’s an undeniable allure with real money online casinos. But, this doesn’t guarantee customer loyalty. There are other key factors to retaining customers, having them as regular players, and even referring their friends and family. Let’s take a look.
As we mentioned, the look and feel of a website can go a long way to establishing trust with players. A well-designed website and branding is likely to evoke a greater deal of trust than one with a strange layout, limited content, or badly designed hierarchy. While the games themselves might be developed by a video game house, casino brands also need to work hard to ensure the website around the games looks good to players, too.
The selection of games on offer at any online casino is a true test of whether they pass the quality test. There are plenty of quality game providers, such as Play’n GO and NetEnt, and when casinos skimp on the game contracts they ink, players can tell. Low-end games will be less of an attraction than the shiny new titles from the best casino game developers in the world, no matter how good the deals are.
Plenty of casino bonuses out there simply have no chance of getting a win and taking home some extra cash. For casinos offering bonuses, there should be a real chance that a player is able to win. If this isn’t the case, it can be better to offer no bonus at all for better player retention over time.
If a player makes a win, they may want to be able to cash out quickly. If a casino sets time limits, such as one week for cashouts, they will soon find their reputation fading fast. A player believes that since it is now their money, it should be available instantly - or as soon as possible - so the casino should aim to be able to provide this service.
Speaking of service, good customer service can take a company a long way. Whether it’s an intelligent bot, an excellent FAQ, or a 24/7 human to talk to on the phone when people run into issues they want the right help at the right time. A customer service function that fulfils this desire can keep customers happy and coming back.
Casinos that are properly licensed give customers the stamp of approval that their provider is working within a set of regulations that mean they aren’t being cheated. While not all casinos are licensed by the strictest licensing body in the world, the UK Gambling Commission, there are still other jurisdictions that offer licensing that can provide peace of mind to players.
Everyone’s online reputation is important, from Kim Kardashian to the little restaurant down the road, and online casinos are no different. Websites like Trust Pilot offer a glimpse into people’s dealings with given casinos, so it’s important to keep up these ratings. Casinos should be aware of counter-tactics by other casinos trying to bring their ratings down, as it’s not all fair play in these types of situations, and some companies play dirty.
A clever casino will have a clever loyalty program that gives great perks to returning players. As time goes on casino loyalty or VIP programs have become better and better, with prizes for tier levels, daily, weekly, monthly, and other bonuses, and other ways to keep players engaged. A loyalty program that gives value and not just dazzle is likely to keep players returning time after time.
As humans, we can all get distracted by shiny new objects. As a casino operator, this can be a risky prospect: a new casino enters the market and captures the attention of its audience. Casinos can help fight the shiny object syndrome by updating their website, selection of games, bonuses, and marketing materials often. If things are kept the same all the time there will be a core following, but lots will drop off over time in favour of the latest and greatest new thing on the market. An investment back into the business is almost guaranteed to keep players along for the ride with the business, too.