With the Qatar World Cup fast approaching we spoke to Thomas Aigner, Head of Business Development at Ibex.Ai about how operators can begin to revolutionise their CRM tactics ahead of the biggest sporting event of the year. Here we explore the opportunities available for operators choosing to modernise their approach to CRM marketing and make use of personalisation and automation developments in this sector.

The World Cup not only represents the biggest sporting event of the year but also provides opportunities for operators to create engaging promotions to retain existing customers. Many players may visit a casino or sportsbook platform infrequently with events such as the highly anticipated World Cup being the perfect opportunity to reintroduce these players to the content, bonuses and promotions available on your platform. Introducing Artificial intelligence can re-activate these players and keep them engaged through the use of machine learning and AI-powered personalisation and automation allowing operators to optimise the CRM process and limit the likelihood of players using competitors’ websites. This also allows operators to begin reaching players using the correct channels, especially important as we enter a period of increased sports betting.

Assuming a great acquisition strategy is already in place, the big differentiator in creating a successful CRM campaign is offering players a fully personalised experience. This means showing the content that resonates with them to engage with their interests and this is what will fundamentally aid in their retention in comparison to a competitor’s campaign. Typically, this is achieved using segmentation and defined target groups, with many customers within a group being targeted using the same campaign. This may provide an illusion of personalisation however at this level of granularity true personalisation through segmentation cannot be achieved. Fundamentally what may work for one player cannot be extrapolated to work for all and with such a popular sporting event taking place, these concerns need to be resolved.

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It is presumed that the solution to this problem is creating additional segmentation groups with smaller and smaller groups being created and targeted. However, this becomes unscalable very quickly especially when an operator has multiple brands, trades across jurisdictions, has numerous CRM teams or has seen a recent increase in its player base whether through natural growth, affiliate opportunities or sporting events such as the World Cup. The segmentation currently used again doesn’t resolve the problem of personalisation. To answer this issue of personalisation the ecosystem has already begun modifying the CRM practices that it uses and introduced artificial intelligence and machine learning into the process. AI allows the tracking of players on an individual basis to determine what campaigns they interact with and what engages with them be that the content offered by a casino, a match deposit bonus or a particular game. In contrast to the segmentation approach AI also allows the CRM process to be fully automated with no need for managers to oversee this work or control workflow and no manual scheduling needed to initiate communication. The insights gained from the use of AI will be key to reintroducing customers to your platform to place bets during the World Cup.

Additionally, the World Cup will see operators increasing their spend on CRM to attract existing customers, however, utilizing AI and more specifically Ibex.ai operators can save money in this department. Players that are communicated with via an email marketing campaign will only be triggered if this communication will result in a positive spend for the operator when using Ibex. This negates overspending on customers who may not prove to be profitable and actively encourages the use of a smarter way of budgeting around CRM allowing for additional money to be saved. This process also avoids the ever-present and growing bonus abuse problem with users who seek these loopholes not being targeted by the AI and in turn reduces the costs of campaigns.

The email marketing campaign is also a key part of the CRM calculations used before generating messaging for a prospective customer. Timing and using the correct channel to reach an existing consumer is key for them to engage with the content and this is compounded during a month-long sporting event. Email campaigns, SMS, push notifications and more can be used to reach a customer however the timing of this messaging is also key. If they typically respond to a campaign during the evening marketing focused on an upcoming football match will need to be communicated the night before rather than on the day to encourage interactions throughout the month. Ai considers the timing and most useful channel to use prior to communicating with a player.

It is a guarantee that operators are asking themselves how they will manage their CRM practices during the World Cup and Ibex.Ai are offering a trial period to perspective operators looking to upgrade their services. This requires no initial integration and can deliver all your CRM needs before the first whistle blows on top of the current systems you have in place. We ask you to challenge the status quo and don’t simply reuse the same CRM tactics used for the last world cup to retain customers. As many competitors have begun to take advantage of the automation and personalisation offered through Artificial Intelligence, don’t fall behind. We can provide prospective clients with a trial focused on their churned players to provide insight as to the deliverables of our AI-powered services.