There is no question that the gaming industry is incredibly huge. If you are a business offering games like sweepstakes, you may also know how tricky it is to appease your players by keeping your products and customer service high-quality.
In this article, you will learn all about the most common challenges companies in the gaming industry face – challenges that stand in the way of the growth and development of the business. Plus, how to address them, such as using software like RiverSweeps.
Major Challenges
Sweepstakes and promotional contests, no doubt, are cost-effective and dynamic marketing tools, especially when used with the power of the World Wide Web. But, despite their appeal, a myriad of state and federal laws cover such games, and any aspiring sweepstakes game business owner may face the claws of the law if these regulations are not followed closely. Here are the major challenges that gaming businesses like sweepstakes face.
1. Games Of Skill Vs. Games Of Chance
Before you start to operate, ask yourself: what is the nature of your games? Generally speaking, there are two categories of games like sweepstakes: games of skill and games of chance.
Games of skill are typically easier to manage because they are tied to fewer legal obstacles. But remember that games of skill can still conflict with the law depending on the structure of prizes awarded, as well as the level and degree of interference from the business running the game.
Having said that, games of chance are more “in conflict” with the law. Not all states and locations in the world consider sweepstakes games legal unless one of these elements is removed: the prizes awarded to the winners, the system for determining the winner, and how players can enter the game.
Of course, removing the prize breaks the entire point of the game. At the same time, the system for determining the winner is also challenging to remove, primarily if you use technology and software to facilitate this.
So, how do you bridge the gap? What you can do is offer a free means of entry that will not require the participant to purchase on the first try. However, to qualify as an elimination, the free entries must have the same chances to win as those players who made purchases.
2. Rules And Regulations
Furthermore, other aspects that also present challenges are the nature and amount of the prizes to be given away and the process of awarding those prizes. Depending on where the shop is, a sweepstakes operator may need first to register or bond the contest, retain an unaffiliated third party to facilitate the system, or offer cash equivalents as alternatives to merchandise-type prizes.
Additionally, the business owner needs to determine the critical aspects of the sweepstakes system. These aspects include the duration, amounts of prizes, number of prizes, and the like. This is because once a game commences and the rules are published, it is almost impossible to alter the material items legally.
To address this, it is recommended that you seek a qualified legal counsel to ensure you are not breaking any clause in the law and avoid the various potential legal pitfalls that loom if your games are not operated in compliance with the law.
Other Challenges That Sweepstakes Gaming Businesses May Face
Here are more challenges that gaming businesses may face. Albeit less major than the two previous challenges, they should still not be swept away, nonetheless.
1. Impatient Players
When your players get in their zone, they want to play non-stop. But, if they encounter any issue with your product, they will most likely be impatient and leave your café immediately. If this happens, there is usually no time for you to find a way to fix it. Thus, it is important to have a system that anticipates this problem.
It would be best if you delivered the proper customer support for these people with individuals who can help them when they turn distressed. You may also build knowledge bases that your players can refer to at their own time and pace. Also, ensure all troubleshooting methods are easy to find on your site and address various issues.
In addition, you must also have a 24/7 customer service. Nowadays, some technologies enable bots to communicate with distressed customers in the wee hours of the night, so you don’t have to actually employ humans 24/7 for this.
2. Atypical Communication Channels
But some of your distressed players may be more patient. Instead of approaching your customer support team immediately, when faced with a problem, they may rant on social media, post reviews on review sites, and flock to forums to air their grievances. But these are in themselves a monster, especially if you don’t have representatives present on these platforms.
So, to address this problem, your business must be present in these social media platforms, review websites, and forums. Sometimes, you wouldn’t wait for your customers to contact you. Instead, your team must be ready to find and reach out to customers. Go where your gamers are.
3. Measuring Customer Satisfaction
Sure, you may have a team that pays close attention to how your customers review and talk about your games and products, whether offline or online. However, are you doing enough to measure your customers’ satisfaction after every interaction with them? To address this issue, you can incorporate stuff that will ask for customer feedback. This is very crucial when getting your customers’ pulses.
4. Technically Complex And Too-Specific Subject Matter
Another problem looming is having customer service agents who need to be better versed in each gaming language. It is really you who would have to adjust, as the gaming industry has its own set of terms, etiquette, and rules. You can fake out your agents’ responses if they don’t have real knowledge. So, it is important to train your staff in these areas.
Final Words
To sum up, the gaming industry, sweepstakes games included, can be fascinating and exciting, but it does have its own challenges that may come sweeping through your vision. It is why everybody who wishes to venture into this type of business should keep up with the latest trends and ensure every customer gets the desired experience.
As you have learned, the problems in this industry are vast. But there are systems you can avail of that can address all these problems simultaneously. Have you heard of RiverSweeps? RiverSweeps is a sweepstakes gaming software from Riverslot that can provide all the tools you need to launch this kind of business successfully. You don’t have to worry about the challenges because this software complies with all the legalities and offers training, so you are familiar with the system. Get to know more about RiverSweeps. Consult them for free today.
