Industry News
Zendesk’s customer experience research reveals power of one “seamless conversation”
“Customer expectations are at an all-time high, and loyalty is fleeting,” according to the annual flagship report from leading global CRM provider Zendesk, which provides customer experience software to industry brands such as Big Fish Games, GameSys, Mr Green, LeoVegas, White Hat Gaming and more. At a time where brand allegiance is transient across land-based and online brands, the research provides insights into how companies, from start-ups to successful pioneers, can drive service and ensure customer reliability…
Zendesk, Inc., which serves more than 150,000 customers across a multitude of industries in over 30 languages, has been established in the gaming industry for more than twelve years and has recently released its annual Customer Experience Trends Report 2020 research, identifying trends that translate to gaming companies of all sizes.
Elisabeth Zornes, Chief Customer Officer at Zendesk explained: “While customer expectations continue to rise, the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2020 shows that companies aren’t living up to these expectations. For example, according to the report, many of the channels people want for fast, efficient resolution aren’t being offered. In fact, only a third of companies offer self-service options like knowledge base help centers, and less than a third offer chat, social messaging, in-app messaging, bots or communities.”
The issue of tech-based service solutions isn’t restricted to just iGaming as the report also highlights the increasing market saturation in land-based and hospitality too. “Businesses are facing competition from companies that are providing purpose-driven solutions in service of the customer, raising the stakes for everyone,” she said. “Well-established and iconic brands like the Four Seasons remain one step ahead because they invest in new technologies in continued pursuit of an easy and excellent customer experience.
“This presents a challenging landscape, and for companies that are struggling to navigate, the report identifies what businesses of all sizes, in every industry, can do to provide excellent customer service and create loyal customers, starting with the initial sales process.”
Based on global survey results and the Zendesk Benchmark, an index of product usage data from more than 45,000 global companies using Zendesk’s leading customer experience platform, the 2020 report highlights how the most successful companies achieve their position by executing four essential customer service attributes. These comprise: maintain one seamless conversation; harness customer data; embrace artificial intelligence; and, give customer experience a seat in the C-suite.
“Customers today expect uninterrupted conversations that don’t start or stop in the middle of their interaction or get lost in a different communication channel,” Zornes said. According to the report, half of customers will switch to a competitor after just one bad experience, and 80 percent will leave after multiple bad experiences. The research also reveals that service is a primary driver of customer loyalty, second only to price in determining whether customers feel loyal to a brand.
When it comes to data, the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2020 findings show that customers prefer companies to keep track of their data if it leads to better experiences, with more than 75 percent of customers wanting the personalization that comes with better insights. Being able to manage and interpret data is crucial for understanding customers and proactively identifying opportunities to better serve them.
Speaking about AI innovation in customer service, Zornes added: “As AI innovation becomes more accessible, it represents the future of customer service, and there is still a huge opportunity for companies to start taking advantage of the technology. Our findings show that only 37 percent of customer experience teams are using AI. However, high-performing customer experience teams are twice as likely to embrace AI, incorporating the technology across more channels and interactions with customers.
“And finally, in terms of C-level customer service approach, the most successful companies are tapping into the value of prioritizing the customer experience, and forward-thinking companies are bringing in leaders who can understand and champion the customer.”
While these four attributes aren’t a shortcut that immediately equals success, they are definitely a step in the right direction as customer service continues to evolve in the next decade. Focusing on the approach companies can take going into 2020 and beyond, Zornes concluded: “We are in an entirely new era of customer expectations to such an extent that service can make or break a company. To build a loyal customer base and truly differentiate themselves, companies of all sizes across industries and geographies must provide an easy and frictionless customer experience, earning and re-earning a customer’s business with every interaction.”
To learn more about the most important trends in the customer experience industry, the full the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2020 can be downloaded via https://www.zendesk.com/customer-experience-trends/.
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Romanian lawmakers have introduced new legislative proposals aimed at tightening gambling access and advertising rules, particularly to protect young people. The bills, submitted by MPs Raluca Turcan (PNL) and Diana Stoica (USR), would raise the minimum legal gambling age from 18 to 21 and restrict online gambling advertising between 06:00 and 24:00.
Under the proposals, individuals under the age of 21 would be prohibited from participating in gambling activities, while gambling ads would be banned across online platforms during daytime hours. The legislation also seeks to outlaw the use of influencers, athletes and public figures in gambling promotions.
Protecting young audiences
“We have an obligation to protect our children from the threat of gambling,” said USR deputy Diana Stoica, citing studies showing early exposure to slot machines and online betting among Romanian minors. According to Stoica, brain development, particularly in areas linked to impulse control and decision-making, continues until around the age of 21, making younger individuals more vulnerable to gambling addiction.
“One in four adolescents has played on these so-called ‘machines of death’ before turning 18,” she added, arguing that the legislation is a necessary step to reduce risks.
Aligning with European trends
PNL deputy Raluca Turcan called the proposed age increase a “simple change with deep effects,” noting that countries including Portugal, Greece and Moldova have adopted similar measures. She highlighted that individuals aged 18 to 21 often face increased financial pressure and impulsivity as they enter adulthood, making them a key target group for gambling marketing.
“By raising the age threshold, we protect young people during a vulnerable stage,” Turcan stated, referencing international examples where similar policies reportedly reduced early-age indebtedness and problem gambling cases.
Tighter ad rules and warning messages
The draft legislation further proposes:
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A complete ban on online gambling advertising between 06:00 and 24:00
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A ban on influencer and public-figure participation in gambling promotions
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Mandatory visible harm-prevention warnings across digital and physical gambling environments, modeled after tobacco and alcohol regulation
The measures would amend Romania’s existing legal framework under Emergency Ordinance 77/2009.
What comes next
The bills will now proceed through the legislative process, including debate and committee review. If adopted, the changes would introduce some of the most restrictive gambling-advertising and access rules in the region.
The initiatives reflect an ongoing trend across Europe, where regulators are increasing focus on consumer protection, youth safeguards, and advertising limitations in the gambling sector.
The post Romania Proposes Raising Gambling Age to 21 and Restricting Online Advertising appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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AskGamblers Casino Complaint Service (AGCCS) has a successful Q3 in 2025, helping players recover over $2.8 million and exceeding last year’s numbers.
The Q3 2025 numbers are out, showcasing the results achieved by the AskGamblers Casino Complaint Service. The report highlights the most important accomplishments between 1 July and 30 September.
In the previous quarter, the AGCCS team helped 2807 users get their funds from online casinos and sportsbooks, returning $2,813,351 in total. The team received exactly 3881 complaints that affected 960 operators and affiliates.
Things aren’t always running smoothly. Even if a complaint gets rejected, the users walk out satisfied with the service they’ve received. One of AskGamblers’ players ended up receiving the money from the casino, even though their complaint was rejected initially:
“I just wanted to let you know that the funds have been successfully returned to my account. Thank you a thousand times – I’m certain that without your help, this wouldn’t have been resolved so quickly.”
The AGCCS is actively working on sports betting complaints, too, returning $53,633 in Q3 to bettors all over the world. During this period, they’ve managed to break a record in the number of resolved complaints (1013).
Dijana Radunović, General Manager at AskGamblers, said: “Props to our AGCCS for doing an awesome job, staying at the forefront and being there for players. It’s a joy to see our users happy, wishing to send tips and buy us lunch. Even though we have to reject that (unfortunately), this just shows the commitment of our team to our players, which will continue in the future.”
The post AskGamblers Casino Complaint Service Returns Over $2.8M to Players in Q3 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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YouTube has announced that it will strengthen enforcement of its community guidelines on violent gaming and online gambling content, starting on 17 November.
“Starting on November 17th, 2025, we’ll be strengthening enforcement of our Community Guidelines around online gambling and graphic violence in gaming.
“Our policies are designed to evolve alongside the digital world. We’re making these updates to keep pace with new trends, like gambling with digital goods, and to more closely align our guidelines for mature content with industry standards.
Here’s a Summary of What’s Changing:
Online Gambling Content
“Our current policy prohibits content that directs viewers to online gambling sites or applications that are not certified by Google. We’re expanding our enforcement to now cover online gambling with additional items that have monetary value, including digital goods (e.g. video game skins, cosmetics and NFTs).”
Social Casino Content
“We’re updating our approach to casino-style games where nothing of real-world monetary value is wagered or cashed out. Content that depicts, promotes, or facilitates social casino sites will now be age-restricted.”
Graphic Gaming Content
“In addition to our existing guidelines around graphic gaming content, we will age-restrict an additional small subset of video game content featuring realistic human characters that focuses on scenes of torture or scenes of mass violence against non-combatants. We’ll consider several factors when reviewing this type of content such as:
• Duration – If the graphic scene is sustained (rather than fleeting). For compilation videos, we’ll now consider the cumulative duration of all of the graphic clips combined.
• Prominence – If the violent imagery is zoomed-in or the main focus of the scene
• Realistic human characters – If the violence is happening to a character that looks like a real human.”
“We expect most channels will experience little to no impact but we know this is a lot of information, and we want to ensure you have time to adapt.
Existing videos. Content uploaded before November 17, 2025, that violates these guidelines may be removed or age-restricted, but will not result in a strike. Remember, age-restricted videos can stay on your channel for 18+ audiences.”
“Making edits: For creators who have content that’s in-scope of these updates, you may be able to edit your video description or use our video editor trim or blur tools to make any necessary changes before November 17, 2025.
Notifications: If we age-restrict or remove your content, we’ll notify you by email. If you disagree with the decision, you can always choose to appeal.”
The post YouTube’s strengthened approach to online gambling and graphic violence in gaming appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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