HIPTHER, organizer of the Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025, is excited to welcome Cloudfresh as the Networking Break Sponsor, a company empowering businesses with top-tier cloud services. As a Zendesk Premier Partner, Cloudfresh specializes in integrating, optimizing, and scaling the best in-class cloud solutions, acting as a vital link between companies and cloud technologies. In this exclusive interview, we speak with Vita Usatyuk, Sales Executive at Cloudfresh, to explore how AI, omnichannel support, and personalized player interactions are reshaping customer service in gaming.

Player support is becoming a crucial factor in gaming retention. How can integrated customer service solutions enhance player satisfaction and engagement while keeping gamers in the game?

Integrated customer service solutions are essential for enhancing player satisfaction and engagement, ultimately driving player retention. By providing support across various channels like chat, messaging, phone, and email, gaming companies can meet players where they are, offering seamless and convenient assistance. This omnichannel approach ensures that players can easily reach out for help before, during, or after a game. Furthermore, AI-powered tools can provide instant help and personalized interactions, addressing player needs proactively and efficiently. A robust support system contributes significantly to a positive gaming experience, fostering loyalty and encouraging players to stay engaged with the game.

The gaming industry faces unique challenges in customer support, from omnichannel demands to peak traffic surges. How does Cloudfresh leverage Zendesk to help gaming companies streamline support operations and optimize agent workload?

The gaming industry presents unique customer support challenges, including omnichannel demands and peak traffic surges, especially during new release windows. We in Cloudfresh implement Zendesk solution for the customer support to help gaming companies streamline their support operations and optimize agent workload. Zendesk offers a unified platform that integrates various support channels, enabling agents to manage interactions from a single workspace. AI-powered automation can handle routine inquiries, allowing agents to focus on complex issues. Zendesk also provides tools for intelligent ticket routing, workforce management, and performance monitoring, which helps optimize agent efficiency and ensure timely issue resolution.

Personalization is key to delivering a top player experience. How can gaming brands use AI-driven customer support to provide more tailored interactions and proactively address player needs?

Personalization in gaming support is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity. AI-driven solutions are empowering gaming companies to meet this demand in innovative ways. Here are some practical examples:

1. AI Agents for 24/7 Support and Instant Answers: Players expect support around the clock. Zendesk’s AI Agents can provide instant, accurate answers to common questions, drawing from your knowledge base. This ensures players get the help they need immediately, any time of day.
2. Intelligent Triage and Routing: AI can analyze incoming support tickets and route them to the right agent or team based on the player’s issue, game, or platform. This ensures that players are connected with specialists who can address their specific needs efficiently.
3. Proactive Support and Personalized Recommendations: By analyzing player data and behavior, AI can help anticipate common issues and proactively offer solutions or tips. This could include in-game notifications, personalized FAQs, or tailored support articles. For example, Kaizen Gaming, a European eGaming company, delivers 95% resolution at first contact with live chat and 360° views of customers. This level of insight allows for highly personalized and proactive support.  
4. Automation for Scalability: Gaming companies often experience peak support volumes around game releases or updates. Zendesk’s automation capabilities, enhanced by AI, can handle surging ticket volumes and reduce wait times. Play Games24x7, an Indian online gaming company, reduced their resolution time by 68% by leveraging Zendesk automation and analytics. This demonstrates the power of AI in scaling support operations efficiently.  

By leveraging Zendesk’s AI-driven features, gaming companies can provide more tailored, efficient, and proactive support experiences, ultimately driving player satisfaction and loyalty.

Cloudfresh has extensive expertise in implementing and optimizing Zendesk solutions for gaming businesses. Can you share a recent success story where your solutions significantly improved customer experience?

Yes, we have many success stories, and one recent example is our work with Bloober Team, a renowned game development studio specializing in psychological horror games. Bloober Team faced challenges in providing efficient player support, especially during peak times around game releases.  They needed a solution that could scale, provide comprehensive data from players, and streamline their support workflow.  

We implemented Zendesk’s Enterprise Suite for Bloober Team, including add-on apps and a custom ticket form to gather essential information from players.  We also integrated DeepL for translation to assist with their diverse player base.   

The results were transformative.  Bloober Team now has a robust system to manage player support, allowing them to react quickly to issues and provide timely solutions.  This has significantly improved their ability to maintain contact with players, address concerns, and ultimately enhance the player experience.  This case demonstrates our ability to tailor Zendesk solutions to the specific needs of gaming companies, helping them to overcome support challenges and foster stronger player relationships.

At the Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025, AI and automation in gaming support will be major discussion points. How do you see AI-driven support evolving in the next few years, and what should gaming operators focus on to stay ahead?

It’s clear that AI is no longer a future possibility in gaming support – it’s the present and the driving force of its evolution. We’re seeing a distinct separation between companies that are embracing AI and those that aren’t. Those “CX Trendsetters” are pulling ahead, and gaming operators need to be in that category. It’s not just about replacing human agents either; it’s about ‘human-centric AI.’ We’re talking about augmenting agents, giving them superpowers to handle complex issues while AI handles the routine.

Looking ahead, expect AI to get even smarter – predictive, hyper-personalized, with more natural conversations. And it’s not just chatbots anymore; AI-powered automation will touch every support channel, creating those seamless omnichannel experiences players demand. Crucially, AI will provide a wealth of data and insights, allowing for data-driven optimization of support strategies.

So, for gaming operators who want to stay ahead, it boils down to this: invest strategically in AI, empower your agents to work alongside it, focus on leveraging those AI-driven insights, build systems that can scale and adapt, and, of course, prioritize data security. That’s from my point of view the roadmap for success in the AI-driven future of gaming support.

With Cloudfresh at the Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025, this year’s event will showcase the latest innovations in AI-driven player support and customer service strategies. Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with industry leaders, gain exclusive insights, and explore the future of gaming support technology!