One of the specific contracts we enjoy the most is our Casino Secret Shopper program but making a change for the better within a casino business doesn’t always mean we will retire early.

We (not always secretly) are engaged by the casino owner of a land-based or online casino who feels that they are doing a good job but wishes to know if they can do better.

The two industries are very different but our extensive backgrounds give us the edge in knowing what we are looking for in both fields.

The process begins very simply in finding the marketing ploy that brings us in to this casino as customers. From this point of contact we follow the customer experience taking up the offer of an introductory promotion of sorts and analyzing the journey this casino customer now takes.

Our priorities are always the impact of first point of contact. First impressions in a casino are paramount to ensuring the continual positive experience as well as retention of this customer. The casino has spent from the marketing budget on getting them here and must now keep hold of them.

The points we are looking for are how the experience in the reception area was and were you acknowledged as a regular/1st time customer. If so, how were you treated as to not only encourage your spend but make your stay as comfortable as possible. On a recent Secret Shopper experience the Reception neglected to either inform or enter us into the large cash prize draw missing out on our opportunity to win the prize that evening but also misinformed about redeeming our 1st time player coupon which resulted in a lengthy wait in the wrong queue. This could be a devastating experience to a real 1st timer.

We intensely observe the casino floor, the table games, how the hierarchy is visible, the dealer efficiency and game security. How are the dealers’ skills and calculation as well as overall ability to manage their games? How the games are proactively preventing unwanted incidents whilst maintaining a sensible pace and enjoyable experience. What happens in an event of employee/customer error and is there a process for feedback or complaint. Are the table minimums and maximums suited to the volume of business and do the customers feel they are getting value for their money?

How efficient and knowledgeable are the slots staff and how easy is it to play and change/spend money. Not always obvious and sometimes made incredibly difficult unknowingly by some operators.

Are information displayed sufficiently so any customer has an awareness of the entire operation, current promotions and does the casino utilse their opportunities for cross selling of all casino facilities.

Was security and surveillance discreet/visible/effective and how do they work in regard to optimizing the business and maintaining the safety of customers/employees.

Customer Service is more than being nice!

Online casino and betting businesses have a faceless side to this industry but the competitive online market dictates the best service retains the best customers. A polite Customer Service Representative will go a long way in retaining a customer but equally drive away if unknowledgeable about the product they are representing.

We present very regular and real scenarios and monitor the handling of the call, email and/or live chat response. Whether the casino can handle this issue at first point of contact is paramount to us. Escalating unnecessary issues to product suppliers delays the resolution time and increases customer dissatisfaction apart from creating additional work load for CS and technical staff.

In addition, we want to experience and road test the compliance side of the operation. Are we who we say we are and are our details as secure as we would wish?

The above are our favourite roles to perform but not always financially rewarding as we said.

Our Secret Shopper and analysis program is FREE. Our Corrective Training is charged only by the day and we ask only that our travel and accommodation is taken care of. However, sometimes we have Gordon Ramsey empathy moments where having presented our findings, facts and corrective training modules to the casino only to find the management are facing a bigger challenge, and that is having to accept a change.

You can lead a horse to water…

80% of companies say they deliver “superior” customer service.

Only 8% of people think these same companies actually deliver “superior” customer service.

Source: “Customer Service Hell” by Brad Tuttle, Time 2011

Andrew and Andrea Flynn are seasoned casino veterans with a long and professional career in Casino Surveillance, Table Games, Slots and Training as well as Online Customer Service, Fraud, KYC and VIP Management.

They operate AACASINO Ltd from their offices in Malta.

In the last six years they have migrated their skills to the Online side of the gaming profession and have covered all betting products from a Fraud and KYC point of view as well as the Customer Experience and VIP management side of the industry. Having worked with the largest as well as smallest operators, they have a unique perspective of the business and are frequently called upon for consultation in either casino area.

Their Casino Solution business, www.aacasinosolutions.com is a one-stop shop with casinos for sale, AACASINO offer a complete turnkey solution for either a Land-based or Online casino. Staff recruitment, training, equipment, i-gaming platform, software, hardware, CRM, social media, marketing, payment options and gateways all to suit the country, jurisdiction, target market and more importantly the budget.

“Current times are tough for any business, especially the casino industry. We know we are the low cost solution as well as the all-rounder. Long gone are the days of any Casino being a cash cow. We know we can positively affect the bottom line of any casino business and protect the ROI. Our reward comes from witnessing the change of any operation for the better. On one of our revisits the table games team were delighted to inform us they caught their first cheat shortly after our awareness training.”

Andrew Flynn - Director of AACASINO Ltd

“We have been around a long time in this Casino World of ours. This gives us the advantage in the popular new concept of converging Land-based with Online casino and vice versa. Having in-depth experience in both sectors enables us to give the best advice and assistance without throwing money at any casino project. We firmly believe that in the next five years we won’t find any casino not operating online and offline simultaneously.”

 Andrea Flynn – Director of AACASINO Ltd