Formation of the Support Division of the Krasnodar studio Plarium
Traditionally, it is the customer support service specialists who provide interaction between developers and players. They officially communicate with users on behalf of the company and provide them with qualified assistance: answer questions, clarify the rules, the subtleties of game processes and provide technical support in various situations.
The Support Division of the Krasnodar studio Plarium works with a multimillion audience of Vikings: War of Clans and Throne: Kingdom at War projects. Our support managers not only respond to approximately 2,000 inquiries per day, but also engage in analytics, reacting to comments and collecting the wishes of the players, which allows them to take into account user needs and have a flexible approach to the development of projects. In this article we want to tell how this unit was formed, what it represents today and what goals it pursues in the future.
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At the very beginning, when Plarium studio in the south of Russia specialized only in games for social networks, the client support department consisted of several people who moderated official communities in Odnoklassniki, VKontakte, My World, and Facebook. Gradually, the company has a goal to reorient itself to the growing market of mobile games. Thus was born the project Vikings: War of Clans, which attracted a multimillion audience and ranked high in the app store ratings. Due to this circumstance, the structure of the Support Division has changed. His task was to organize support for users of social networks and mobile devices, respectively, there was a division into the Social Team and Mobile Team. The specifics of the Support Division also changed due to the introduction of the new Helpdesk tool, a system designed to help promptly process requests from users.
During the reorientation to new sites, we were faced with a sharp increase in the number of tickets (appeals from players) due to the success of Vikings: War of Clans. Previously, the subdivision received 300–400 requests per day, but this number increased on average to 2,000, and during the update it reached 5,000. In addition, we had other projects that required attention. Therefore, we decided to increase the Support Division staff several times and further optimize the processes within the team.
Thanks to ticket systems, including those developed by the company's specialists, we were able to provide most of the requests with pre-prepared template answers, which were based on the most frequently asked questions of users. So we have designated the first line of support, which includes an automatic response to the player's letter, the answer to his question and, if necessary, a template request for additional information from the user. To date, templates cover 80% of requests.
Analysis of the questions received allows us to predict the difficulties that players may encounter with the next update. This helps us to meet fully armed update, when the game activity increases several times.
If the user's request is beyond the scope of the existing templates, and the response takes time and analysis, then it is transmitted to the second support line. Experts in this direction are looking for a solution, in some cases, turning to the player for clarifying information, and then respond to him.
The third line of support - Technical Support Team. She considers non-standard questions, the answers to which could not find the first and second lines of support. As an example, one can cite such game situations as the loss or suspension of troops. With the help of tools for visualization of logs developed by our specialists, support managers check whether this situation has actually occurred and decide on compensation or return of any items. They also test special tools designed for the entire Support Division. It should be mentioned that Technical Support Team does not communicate directly with users. After the issue is resolved, the third line of support sends the answer to the second line, which passes it to the player.
Thus, the request processing process can consist of one, two or three stages, depending on its complexity.
In addition to a clear structure, various KPIs were introduced in the division. The most important of these are user satisfaction with the quality of service, the number of tickets processed per person, the player's waiting time for an answer, and the time spent processing one ticket. If we talk about the number of requests processed per day, then the rate is 100 tickets for a specialist with an eight-hour working day. As for the response time, it should be given within 24 hours. This applies both to issues on social networks and in the Helpdesk. It is highly undesirable to exceed this period. On average, the Support Division on the project Vikings: War of Clans processes the request within 20 hours, on Throne: Kingdom at War - 16 hours. In Facebook, this figure is even higher - up to 8 hours.
At the moment, we are engaged in supporting players 7 days a week, 8 hours a day, but we plan to move to around-the-clock work. Officially, we have Russian, English, Japanese, Korean, and Turkish languages spoken, but at the request of users we can provide answers in Italian, Greek, Chinese, Spanish, and German.
The well-being of the department is influenced by the selection of qualified specialists. Finding such is always difficult, regardless of the field of activity, and customer support is no exception.
A person needs to have a certain mindset in order to reach heights in this area. Requires the ability to maximize concentration, attentiveness and the ability to abstract. Stress resistance, patience and love for people are very important, because working with users is quite monotonous. You should also observe the etiquette of writing, it is desirable to know perfectly not only Russian, but also English.
Separately, I want to talk about cooperation with moderators, freelancers. As we provide support in many languages, their carriers help us remotely. When choosing a freelancer, the degree of proficiency in the required language, the structure of thinking and the ability to get out of non-standard situations, the overall adequacy of a person play a role. For remote employees, there are several levels of tests, the results of which are checked by native speakers. If the candidate has coped with the test task, his probation period begins. The supervisor by a special technique trains the remote support manager for all the specifics of the work and coordinates the execution of the assigned tasks. As knowledge accumulates, a new specialist passes several more levels of tests, which are gradually becoming more complex. In case of successful overcoming the trial period, our cooperation with him continues.
There is a myth that employment in client support is a kind of dead-end branch, a temporary part-time job for students where there is no place for improvement. In our studio, we are fully responsible for the quality of the Support Division, so for us, high motivation and professional development of employees are priorities. Support managers who perform well and have the courage to take more responsibility are encouraged by Plarium executives and climb up the job hierarchy. To date, all the leaders of the areas of support who came to the division as simple specialists have become strong leaders within the company.
Another important point is that such a profession is not taught anywhere. She can be mastered only in practice. It is also one of the directions of game development, where it is relatively easy to get into, and an excellent start, which allows you to explore this area from the inside. Here, it is realistic to learn about all the stages of project development, since the customer support service interacts with almost all departments. With the right choice of a company for further activities, you can get unlimited career opportunities.
In conclusion, we want to give some general tips that will help the newly formed customer support departments.
Probably one of the most important instructions is not to be afraid, but to do, take on serious tasks and cope with them. The world of gamedev is very changeable, and you don’t need to be afraid of change. You must be able to take a punch, as you are the link that establishes the link between developers and players. Know that your presence in the company alleviates the contradictions and, if necessary, helps to reach compromises where they simply do not seem to exist.
The Support Division of the Krasnodar studio Plarium works with a multimillion audience of Vikings: War of Clans and Throne: Kingdom at War projects. Our support managers not only respond to approximately 2,000 inquiries per day, but also engage in analytics, reacting to comments and collecting the wishes of the players, which allows them to take into account user needs and have a flexible approach to the development of projects. In this article we want to tell how this unit was formed, what it represents today and what goals it pursues in the future.
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Formation Support Division
At the very beginning, when Plarium studio in the south of Russia specialized only in games for social networks, the client support department consisted of several people who moderated official communities in Odnoklassniki, VKontakte, My World, and Facebook. Gradually, the company has a goal to reorient itself to the growing market of mobile games. Thus was born the project Vikings: War of Clans, which attracted a multimillion audience and ranked high in the app store ratings. Due to this circumstance, the structure of the Support Division has changed. His task was to organize support for users of social networks and mobile devices, respectively, there was a division into the Social Team and Mobile Team. The specifics of the Support Division also changed due to the introduction of the new Helpdesk tool, a system designed to help promptly process requests from users.
During the reorientation to new sites, we were faced with a sharp increase in the number of tickets (appeals from players) due to the success of Vikings: War of Clans. Previously, the subdivision received 300–400 requests per day, but this number increased on average to 2,000, and during the update it reached 5,000. In addition, we had other projects that required attention. Therefore, we decided to increase the Support Division staff several times and further optimize the processes within the team.
Support lines
Thanks to ticket systems, including those developed by the company's specialists, we were able to provide most of the requests with pre-prepared template answers, which were based on the most frequently asked questions of users. So we have designated the first line of support, which includes an automatic response to the player's letter, the answer to his question and, if necessary, a template request for additional information from the user. To date, templates cover 80% of requests.
Analysis of the questions received allows us to predict the difficulties that players may encounter with the next update. This helps us to meet fully armed update, when the game activity increases several times.
If the user's request is beyond the scope of the existing templates, and the response takes time and analysis, then it is transmitted to the second support line. Experts in this direction are looking for a solution, in some cases, turning to the player for clarifying information, and then respond to him.
The third line of support - Technical Support Team. She considers non-standard questions, the answers to which could not find the first and second lines of support. As an example, one can cite such game situations as the loss or suspension of troops. With the help of tools for visualization of logs developed by our specialists, support managers check whether this situation has actually occurred and decide on compensation or return of any items. They also test special tools designed for the entire Support Division. It should be mentioned that Technical Support Team does not communicate directly with users. After the issue is resolved, the third line of support sends the answer to the second line, which passes it to the player.
Thus, the request processing process can consist of one, two or three stages, depending on its complexity.
In addition to a clear structure, various KPIs were introduced in the division. The most important of these are user satisfaction with the quality of service, the number of tickets processed per person, the player's waiting time for an answer, and the time spent processing one ticket. If we talk about the number of requests processed per day, then the rate is 100 tickets for a specialist with an eight-hour working day. As for the response time, it should be given within 24 hours. This applies both to issues on social networks and in the Helpdesk. It is highly undesirable to exceed this period. On average, the Support Division on the project Vikings: War of Clans processes the request within 20 hours, on Throne: Kingdom at War - 16 hours. In Facebook, this figure is even higher - up to 8 hours.
At the moment, we are engaged in supporting players 7 days a week, 8 hours a day, but we plan to move to around-the-clock work. Officially, we have Russian, English, Japanese, Korean, and Turkish languages spoken, but at the request of users we can provide answers in Italian, Greek, Chinese, Spanish, and German.
Features of staff recruitment in the department
The well-being of the department is influenced by the selection of qualified specialists. Finding such is always difficult, regardless of the field of activity, and customer support is no exception.
A person needs to have a certain mindset in order to reach heights in this area. Requires the ability to maximize concentration, attentiveness and the ability to abstract. Stress resistance, patience and love for people are very important, because working with users is quite monotonous. You should also observe the etiquette of writing, it is desirable to know perfectly not only Russian, but also English.
Separately, I want to talk about cooperation with moderators, freelancers. As we provide support in many languages, their carriers help us remotely. When choosing a freelancer, the degree of proficiency in the required language, the structure of thinking and the ability to get out of non-standard situations, the overall adequacy of a person play a role. For remote employees, there are several levels of tests, the results of which are checked by native speakers. If the candidate has coped with the test task, his probation period begins. The supervisor by a special technique trains the remote support manager for all the specifics of the work and coordinates the execution of the assigned tasks. As knowledge accumulates, a new specialist passes several more levels of tests, which are gradually becoming more complex. In case of successful overcoming the trial period, our cooperation with him continues.
Job prospects in the department
There is a myth that employment in client support is a kind of dead-end branch, a temporary part-time job for students where there is no place for improvement. In our studio, we are fully responsible for the quality of the Support Division, so for us, high motivation and professional development of employees are priorities. Support managers who perform well and have the courage to take more responsibility are encouraged by Plarium executives and climb up the job hierarchy. To date, all the leaders of the areas of support who came to the division as simple specialists have become strong leaders within the company.
Another important point is that such a profession is not taught anywhere. She can be mastered only in practice. It is also one of the directions of game development, where it is relatively easy to get into, and an excellent start, which allows you to explore this area from the inside. Here, it is realistic to learn about all the stages of project development, since the customer support service interacts with almost all departments. With the right choice of a company for further activities, you can get unlimited career opportunities.
Tips for young support teams
In conclusion, we want to give some general tips that will help the newly formed customer support departments.
- As early as possible, begin to regulate work processes. This will greatly facilitate control over them. Prepare instructions, rules and KPIs, be consistent and follow the established techniques.
- Remember about flexibility. The sphere of computer games is constantly changing - after six months, the company's needs may be different, and you will face completely different tasks. Therefore, you do not need to be attached to the structures and tools that you have now. You may need to make changes to the hierarchy, hire professionals with specific skills, or learn new platforms and systems.
- Always be aware of what is happening in the gaming industry market, stay tuned to the platforms and systems used, and also analyze the work of your competitors. You can face great trouble if you do not notice changes in a timely manner that can lead to the reorganization of the customer support team.
Probably one of the most important instructions is not to be afraid, but to do, take on serious tasks and cope with them. The world of gamedev is very changeable, and you don’t need to be afraid of change. You must be able to take a punch, as you are the link that establishes the link between developers and players. Know that your presence in the company alleviates the contradictions and, if necessary, helps to reach compromises where they simply do not seem to exist.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/325268/
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