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General discussionCustomer Experience Update: What we’ve done so far and next steps(163 posts)(163 posts)
(163 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted January 19, 2022
Some straightforward procedures should be tackled with no hassle involved. We know that, you know that. That’s why we’ve been thinking of ways to improve your user experience in different areas and implementing changes, paying attention to the needs you expressed. Actions speak louder than words – you can expect further updates.

We’ve already automated the username change process in mid-2020, streamlined the refund process by implementing a dedicated refund form, making it easier for our staff to process the requests in April last year. And now, we’re working on a solution to make your general experience smoother!

In September last year, we started testing a modern, autonomous chatbot system called Zowie, in hopes of improving your Customer Support experience. Since we’re currently in an advanced stage of evaluating the software, let us shed more light on the reasoning behind its implementation and our next steps.
We’re continuously checking your feedback, and know the bot is sometimes off the mark - we’re aware of that and regularly work on bettering the software. As an AI-based system, it’s constantly learning and its accuracy will improve over time - we hope you will see the results of that soon.

The idea behind supplementing our Support Team with a chatbot stemmed from two main considerations:

Providing you with shorter wait times. This of course refers to problem types that don't require involving a Staff member (for example redirecting to the refund form, relevant settings on the website and offering useful guidelines). Since a bot works at full capacity 24/7, 365 days a year, and never works off a backlog of tickets, it’s an immense help for our Support Staff and allows us to focus on more complex queries. Furthermore, it helps to significantly improve delays in replies during high-traffic events such as promos.

Improving indirect communication. The chatbot collects all the necessary details required for our Support Representatives to accurately address your inquiries and potential issues, improving their ticket-solving effectiveness by proxy.


Our chatbot evaluating process should last until mid-2022 and your input is a vital part of it.

Zowie’s chatbot is yet another step towards upgrading GOG’s self-service features in our continuous efforts of improving your Customer Support experience, and we already have preliminary data to prove it - depending on the spread of problem types at the time, out of all the requests we receive from you, roughly 40% are successfully addressed by the chatbot, whereas the remaining inquiries are automatically directed to one of our Support Staff by creating a ticket.

While there’s still plenty of time left until the end of the evaluation stage, rest assured that you - our community - will remain an important part of the decision-making process. After all, the Customer Support features we’re implementing are designed with you in mind, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Therefore, we welcome your constructive feedback, and at the same time would like to ask you to give our new bot a chance.

FAQ

Does the chatbot implementation mean you will no longer provide Customer Support by your Staff?
No, the bot is intended to supplement, not replace our Support Team.
Our goal is for the bot to swiftly assist you with easier topics, saving you the wait time before a human could respond. Thanks to that, our Staff will be able to direct their focus on more complex inquiries (or any that don't have self-service features implemented yet), and not be as swamped during big events like promos.

The chatbot completely missed the mark and didn’t answer my question.
We are aware the bot may sometimes be off the mark, which is why we continuously work on improving the software. Our Support Team is regularly using the bot’s backend systems to actively help it learn, as well as regularly adding new automations and improving existing ones.
As an AI-based system, it’s constantly learning and its accuracy will improve over time – we hope you will see the results of that soon! If the bot is unable to help you, it will create a support ticket so that our Support Team can offer you further assistance. We will also be able to review what went wrong and incorporate necessary improvements into the bot's software.

I don’t want to jump through hoops in order to have my request resolved. I feel like the chatbot unnecessarily extends the process.
The chatbot was implemented to actually speed up this process, as it allows for indirect communication improvements. It collects all the necessary details required (e.g. order ID, payment details, operating system information etc.) for our Support Representatives to later accurately address your query in a timely manner.

You mention that the evaluation process will last until mid-2022, what then?
We will either continue using the bot and invest more time in its further development, or close the project and look for other ways to provide you with better customer service.

Do you consider a scenario in which the chatbot implementation is unsuccessful?
Yes, we are regularly looking at the numbers and performance statistics, as well as your feedback, and are taking such a scenario into consideration (see above).

How is my data handled by the chatbot?
All information regarding processing of your personal data is provided in our Privacy Policy. Zowie and its chatbot have been checked cybersecurity-wise and legally – this also applies to every external tool and software we use.
You may object to processing of your personal data by our chatbot by sending us a message at privacy@gog.com. You may also use the same address to ask anything about processing your personal data by GOG and exercising your rights.

How can I provide feedback about the chatbot?
You can share your feedback by filling out this form.
Posted January 21, 2022
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Ramor_: While are you active here - are you also going to do something about the fact that you are removing reviews without sending any message about 'why'? If not, would you just inform that it happened? My review was just negative, while the game was in promotion and my review just "pooffed" away (without a sound). I have screenshot of that posted review, if it would be problem to verify that this is happening (I think I may already sent it a few months ago - the EU funded game - SteamWorld Dig 2).

Wouldn't be decent to inform people about it?
May be even better to give them chance to change it, if there was actually something 'bad' in it?
Maybe it would also help to identify the hole in the system where it's falling through, if it's a technical issue and not a design.
I really don't know...
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SmollestLight: All info regarding our review guidelines can be found here, and everyone who wants to write a review on GOG.COM agrees to those guidelines. We never remove reviews that are simply negative, constructive feedback about a game that is negative is still feedback.

Support also informs users about outdated reviews and asks them if we can delete them or if they want to edit them. We know that the current review system is not perfect, and we are currently looking into ways of improving it!
A quick question which isn't clearly outlined in your review policy: Is it required that the user who writes a review has actually played the game in question before writing the review? Ie. if someone leaves a 1 star review on a game he never played because, say, he doesn't like the devs, would that be a violation of gog's review guidelines?
Posted January 21, 2022
low rated
ponczo_: So, this is the first time you checked it? After it was already all rolled out and used by many? And all of it in just a one day? Your company seriously needs some control.

Could you also, please, remove:
"Safety and satisfaction. Stellar support 24/7 and full refunds up to 30 days."

I think that lots of people here understand it's false advertising even without a lawyer. For a very long time.

Also:
"DRM FREE. No activation or online connection required to play."

Is technically not correct too. Especially while it's under "Why buy on GOG.COM?" as general information.

You guys seem to don't even understand how your company could be 'so sued' at this point. It's shocking.

Well, not really that much shocking...

EDIT: Another one, if I want to exercize my right with you to collect less data about me, I have to send you a legal request you keep for ages (because of laws). You know, the way people write and stuff (e-mails) are data too. That is absolutely against the privacy itself and you should give people options to turn these things off themselves.

Have to send you a personally written request for data privacy is just.. It would be good only as a joke.
Post edited January 21, 2022 by Ramor_
Posted January 21, 2022
low rated
SmollestLight: None of that explained why my review just disappeard without any statement or explanation of what guidelines it broke. I guess none, or you wouldn't have any issue to tell me so before. I just happen to screenshot everything, because "I know the drill"...
You can't enforce guidelines 'unofficially'. It doesn't work that way.
Post edited January 21, 2022 by Ramor_
Posted January 21, 2022
high rated
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HypersomniacLive: I tried to make a couple of purchases during the winter sale using a card that was accepted by GOG just a couple of months prior. Yet this time, GOG decided to throw a fit and present me with that "something went wrong" message that blames one's bank -- which, from personal experience over the years, isn't always the case.
I had a similar issue, that went on for one full year before I understood that the issue was never with the banks but with GOG itself. Then I had to wait a month before a human answered to my support request.

In the end, as soon as I got a human looking at this, the issue was fixed in the next 48 hours. Yep, I’ve been blocked one year without being able to buy a single game because of an issue that could be fixed in two days.

If you ask explicitly in your support request to have it forwarded to the Finance team, it might help getting it fixed quicker. Assuming you get a human looking at it of course.
Posted January 21, 2022
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Ramor_: SmollestLight: None of that explained why my review just disappeard without any statement or explanation of what guidelines it broke. I guess none, or you wouldn't have any issue to tell me so before. I just happen to screenshot everything, because "I know the drill"...
You can't enforce guidelines 'unofficially'. It doesn't work that way.
Please enclose the review in question in your ticket. Support will be able to investigate your case and let you know why your Review was deleted / which guidelines you broke. Remember, this thread is for constructive feedback or questions about the chatbot, not for handling individual tickets that you have opened or to expedite them.

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SmollestLight: All info regarding our review guidelines can be found here, and everyone who wants to write a review on GOG.COM agrees to those guidelines. We never remove reviews that are simply negative, constructive feedback about a game that is negative is still feedback.

Support also informs users about outdated reviews and asks them if we can delete them or if they want to edit them. We know that the current review system is not perfect, and we are currently looking into ways of improving it!
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fronzelneekburm: A quick question which isn't clearly outlined in your review policy: Is it required that the user who writes a review has actually played the game in question before writing the review? Ie. if someone leaves a 1 star review on a game he never played because, say, he doesn't like the devs, would that be a violation of gog's review guidelines?
Should someone write a review without actually playing the game, simply because they don't like the developer, it's against our guidelines. Not liking a developer has nothing to do with the actual gameplay experience. It says so in our guidelines: Please note that if we feel the review is abusive or doesn’t concern the game or can be considered as spam, GOG staff reserves the right to delete it at any time.
Posted January 21, 2022
low rated
SmollestLight: Thank you for your answer. I just found it interesting that you don't delete all spam positive reviews, meme positive reviews and reviews from developers itself giving themselves 5* (one example: MDK "Official MDK response" being the promoted one + most helpful one). The all system doesn't make a sense and it's completely.. weird. But I guess that is all I can get here.
Posted January 21, 2022
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SmollestLight: Should someone write a review without actually playing the game, simply because they don't like the developer, it's against our guidelines. Not liking a developer has nothing to do with the actual gameplay experience. It says so in our guidelines: Please note that if we feel the review is abusive or doesn’t concern the game or can be considered as spam, GOG staff reserves the right to delete it at any time.
Thank you for the confirmation!
Posted January 21, 2022
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vv221: Customers of DRM sellers are the only ones who need to worry about the health of the store they bought their games from. Steam customers, Epic Game Store customers, etc. need these companies to go on so they can keep playing their games.

This is not the same with DRM-free stores like GOG, Humble Bundle or itch.io. They could close down right now without any effect on my ability to play the games I bought from them.

When GOG closes down I will be disappointed of course, because right now it is probably the best option to buy DRM-free games from (after direct selling from the developers/editors). But it will not hinder my ability to play already bought games, nor will it prevent me to keep buying games from other DRM-free stores.

So I do not care about GOG costs at all. All I care about is the customer experience they provide.
Fair point...
Posted January 21, 2022
low rated
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SmollestLight: Should someone write a review without actually playing the game, simply because they don't like the developer, it's against our guidelines. Not liking a developer has nothing to do with the actual gameplay experience. It says so in our guidelines: Please note that if we feel the review is abusive or doesn’t concern the game or can be considered as spam, GOG staff reserves the right to delete it at any time.
It would be great if that also applied to the description of the game or promo material that's misleading to customers such as "cinematic" screenshots which are different from the gameplay.
Post edited January 21, 2022 by §pec†re
Posted January 22, 2022
Since you have decided to start selling pornographic games, how about an setting to not display these types of games?
Posted January 22, 2022
low rated
SmollestLight: "Should someone write a review without actually playing the game, simply because they don't like the developer, it's against our guidelines. Not liking a developer has nothing to do with the actual gameplay experience."...

Me: Yeah, but simply 'liking' a developer is okay for a review? It has a lot to do with the actual gameplay experience..? There are positive reviews talking nonsense probably since GOG was made (the developer liking himself is from 2011). But negative reviews gets checked right away for it's "specific content" and are about to get into a very deep "judgement" if they said something "in between" that could sound bad for the company. Even "review bombing" is purposely made up term to have a way how to handle protecting of your customers that makes you money, and by that I mean companies selling games here. If a company will "mess up" and people will react to it, as they did all the time even if they didn't mess up, moderators will come in and declare "review bombing". Because that is where we ended up.

We are below that line for any respect.

Also it doesn't look good how you guys are choosing to answer only those "easiest" questions. I am talking about my other questions on the topic about why you didn't check your data security before - because you obviously didn't or you would be able to answer before - shocking, especially while some people know about all those debacles with your company about vulnerabilities and security issues you supposted to be working on..? Do you know there are guidelines on how software should be built from ground up with 'the' security/privacy in mind since the start, to make any security/privacy possible, at the first place? Your statements and facts surrounding them contradicts all of that. I am not sure, but doesn't that contradicts the law (and contracts)? You know, there are stuff you have to follow too...
Post edited January 22, 2022 by Ramor_
Posted January 22, 2022
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SmollestLight: Should someone write a review without actually playing the game, simply because they don't like the developer, it's against our guidelines. Not liking a developer has nothing to do with the actual gameplay experience. It says so in our guidelines: Please note that if we feel the review is abusive or doesn’t concern the game or can be considered as spam, GOG staff reserves the right to delete it at any time.
What about non-abusive reviews that gives the wrong idea about a game? For example:

I've seen people write a one-star review without playing the game just because they don't like what they believe the game is about, and I have also seen someone give a one-star review complaining about all game screenshots having characters of one gender only, even though that's clearly false, and the person doesn't own the game either. And I have seen people use the review system to ask questions (for example where the save files are located or how to change the controls) but adding a one-star to their "review".

Those kinds of reviews aren't abusive but they give a false idea of the quality of smaller games by bringing down the score a ton, even if there's only a few reviews like that. Are those kinds of reviews accepted or would it be considered spam or something that "doesn't concern the game"?

Even though we can click the not-helpful button, the stars (or lack of stars) still add up and are included in the total score so non-reviews will still bring a game's score down. It's not really a problem for the larger games that have thousands of reviews, but small indie games that might only have a one or two reviews will see their score get really low unfairly.
Posted January 23, 2022
It just builds my confidence every comment which expresses some worry about the direction of policies are systematicaly voted down by GoG's employees.
:sarcasm:
Posted January 23, 2022
low rated
twillight: Some user confirmed to me that new accounts can't see downvoted posts by default (it's an option in settings).
Plus yeah, talk about security while they are not even "able to handle" this.

No, I don't think it's a coincidence.

EDIT_1: And I am followed and downvoted around this forum all the time and since they left this thread to die, "bots" stopped downvoting me (just) here since. Just pointing that out.

The "downvoters" are always acting in a.. corporate interest. :D

Once it was funny... I pointed out that the moderator was the only one not downvoted from of all people (there were downvoted people further down in the topic) and it changed some time after I pointed that out. :D

Now some of my posts are shadowbanned for hours (my post is gone when I log off). Definitely in the boycotting thread.
It also makes the thread look like inactive (no bump-up) when I post.

And when I post and it gets some topic on the top (like the boycott thread).. the 'forums games' (etc) goes wild with an activity. :D I wonder why most of them have the icon that it was made by "GOG Team". :D (EDIT_3: Ah, it's "posts" by GOG Team, hard to read black on grey :D, but the rest is same)

EDIT_2: Haha, they came now to downvote it all, since this thread is alive again... :D
Post edited January 24, 2022 by Ramor_
Posted January 27, 2022
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vv221: Customers of DRM sellers are the only ones who need to worry about the health of the store they bought their games from. Steam customers, Epic Game Store customers, etc. need these companies to go on so they can keep playing their games.

This is not the same with DRM-free stores like GOG, Humble Bundle or itch.io. They could close down right now without any effect on my ability to play the games I bought from them.
Sorry, but that's simply not true as a general statement. That is true if, and only if, the following conditions are true: 1) the customer has already downloaded the game, and 2) the game doesn't rely on the store's website/servers or user account.

If you buy a DRM-free game on GOG but don't download it, and GOG then shuts down, you lose your game. You're probably thinking something along the lines of "well, duh!" and/or "everyone should download their games immediately" and I would wholeheartedly agree, but that doesn't make it any less true.

Also, there are many games which require Galaxy in order to be fully-functional. Most, if not all, are due to multiplayer functionality, but that's still a valid function (and major selling point) of the game(s) people purchase. If/when GOG shuts down the Galaxy servers, those parts of those games will cease to function.

And, of course, that doesn't touch on the way GOG is flirting with DRM-restricted games like Hitman (while simultaneously claiming the game is DRM-free).

While I understand where you're coming from, and I agree that it's true in many cases (for many games), it is not true when applied as a blanket statement.
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionCustomer Experience Update: What we’ve done so far and next steps(163 posts)(163 posts)
(163 posts)