Exclusive Interview with Mihail Cojocaru: The Human-Centric Architect Behind Endorphina's Client Success

Interview with Mihail Cojocaru: The Jackpot Approach to Client Success

Where wild symbols trigger fortunes (Fortune Capybara) and scatter pays build empires (Janissaries), Mihail Cojocaru orchestrates Endorphina's client success like a high-rolling conductor, turning every partnership into a progressive jackpot of mutual growth.

In the electric casino of iGaming relationships, where bonus rounds of collaboration can multiply outcomes overnight, this Client Success Team Lead has coded a winning algorithm.

All the inside moves, sharp strategies, and secret cheat codes? They’re all revealed in this interview. What happens behind the reels, stays behind the reels, unless you keep reading.

Redefining Client Success: The 3 Cs That Drive Growth

Joshua: As Client Team Lead, how do you define “success” for Endorphina’s clients, and what metrics do you prioritize?

Mihail: For Endorphina’s clients, I believe true success reaches its highest level when it's deeply interwoven with what I call my '3 Cs': Consistency, Collaboration, and Creativity. These are core values that guide my team's approach, and when combined with the strategic framework of the Eisenhower Matrix – prioritizing what’s truly important and urgent – they create a powerful formula for our clients’ growth.

While we certainly have robust team KPIs that guide our overall performance, I firmly advocate for a degree of individual freedom within my team. I believe that as long as everyone understands and applies the priority matrix and embraces a creative, collaborative mindset, each person can achieve outstanding results in their unique way.

Different personalities will naturally bring different expressions of creativity and collaboration to the table, and if that leads to excellent outcomes for our clients, then I encourage that consistency, even if it deviates from a conventional approach.

From Demo to Deployment: Helping Operators Unlock Game Potential

Joshua: Endorphina is known for high-quality slots - how does your team ensure operators maximize the potential of your games?

Mihail: Ensuring our operators maximize the potential of Endorphina’s high-quality slots is a multi-faceted process that I distill down to our '3 Ts': Training, Testing, and Tailoring.

Training begins well before a game even goes live. We conduct comprehensive pre-release demos and training sessions. This isn't just a presentation; it's an open forum where we discuss the game's concept, delve into its features, and gather initial feedback.

Testing is a continuous process. We rigorously test each game not only before its official release but also monitor its performance and conduct further testing post-launch. This allows us to identify any areas for optimization, ensuring seamless integration and peak performance on our clients' platforms.

Finally, Tailoring is crucial, and it operates on two significant levels. Firstly, at a cultural and geographical (GEO) level: thanks to their specific features, themes, and design elements, some of our games are tailored to resonate with particular GEOs and their unique cultural backgrounds and histories.

For example, our Fortune Snake slot was specifically designed with Asian audiences in mind, drawing on culturally relevant themes, and has seen tremendous success there. This deep understanding of regional preferences ensures that our content truly connects with players.

Secondly, tailoring extends to each team member's personality: by fostering an environment of creative freedom, we empower individual team members to infuse their unique perspectives and imaginations into how we present and explain game features and design.

This diversity of approach ensures that our communication with clients is as varied and rich as our game portfolio, allowing us to connect with a wider range of partners on a more personal level.

From B2B to H2H: Managing Expectations the Human Way

Joshua: What’s the biggest challenge in managing client expectations in the fast-evolving iGaming industry?

Mihail: Although the fast-evolving iGaming industry is going in one direction, the clients, as well as their expectations, are all different.

The biggest challenge we’ve overcome, and continue to manage effectively, is shifting our mindset from viewing 'clients' as mere business entities to recognizing them as 'humans.'

In my team, we have individuals with varying levels of experience in the iGaming sector. If we were to strictly apply a traditional B2B (Business-to-Business) model, those with less industry experience might feel at a disadvantage compared to seasoned veterans.

By changing our perspective from B2B to H2H (Human-to-Human), we emphasize the shared values that are fundamental to Endorphina, rather than solely focusing on industry experience. This H2H approach fosters genuine connections, builds trust, and allows for more empathetic and proactive expectation management.

Balancing Act: Aligning Client Needs with Company Goals

Joshua: How do you balance between being a client advocate and meeting Endorphina’s business objectives?

Mihail: When we focus on H2H, we prioritize truly understanding and matching what we offer with what the client genuinely needs, rather than solely fixating on the 'money part' as a traditional B2B model might.

This strategy is built on three main points, or steps:

• Relationship: We cultivate friendly, authentic relationships with our clients, often intentionally setting aside purely business-related discussions initially. This builds a foundation of trust and openness, making them comfortable sharing their challenges and aspirations.
• Probing: We ask insightful questions to truly get to know the client, understand their operational environment, their specific market position, and strategic goals. This detailed understanding goes beyond surface-level requirements.
• Matching: With a clear picture of their needs, we match our features and benefits to their precise requirements. For example, if a client in Latin America is seeking high-performing content, we might highlight the consistent success of Hell Hot 100 or the cultural resonance of Jade Coins and Oriental Dragon in that region.

Standing Out in the Slot Jungle: Diversity & Adaptability in Action

Joshua: With so many slot providers competing, how does Endorphina differentiate its client experience?

Mihail: In today's highly competitive iGaming landscape, Endorphina differentiates its client experience primarily through two key pillars: Diversity and Adaptability.

Firstly, Diversity in our game portfolio is paramount. We recognize that in many markets, players are no longer solely satisfied with the traditional 'fruits and bells' slots. There's a growing demand for a much broader spectrum of themes, mechanics, and creative narratives.

We offer over 200 distinct titles, ranging from classic formats like Crown Coins and 2025 Hit Slot that still resonate strongly in many European markets, to culturally specific games like Fortune Snake for Asia, and vibrant, feature-rich options that appeal to diverse global audiences. This extensive and varied offering ensures that our clients can cater to every player segment, maximizing their reach and engagement.

Secondly, our adaptability stems from being intimately connected with our clients on a daily basis. This constant communication keeps us aware of any changes, emerging trends, or critical news within their specific markets.

This real-time insight allows us to be incredibly agile and responsive. We can quickly adapt our recommendations, tailor our support, and even contribute to the development of new content that directly addresses evolving market needs or specific client requests.

Future-Ready Teams: Teaching Anticipation Over Reaction

Joshua: How do you mentor your team to anticipate client needs before they arise?

Mihail: Mentoring my team to anticipate client needs before they arise is rooted in a fundamental shift from the conventional B2B paradigm to our H2H (Human-to-Human) approach.

• Relationship Building: By fostering genuine, friendly relationships with clients, our team creates an environment where clients feel comfortable openly sharing not just their immediate needs, but also their long-term aspirations, challenges, and even informal observations.
• Probing for Insights: We train our team in advanced probing techniques. This means going beyond surface-level questions to truly understand the client's business, their operational ecosystem, their target demographics, and their pain points. By asking the right questions, we can uncover unstated needs or potential future challenges.
• Proactive Matching: With the insights gained from strong relationships and deep probing, our team can proactively match Endorphina’s features and benefits to anticipated needs. For instance, if a client mentions a desire to boost retention, our team might proactively suggest our upcoming slot with new retention-oriented mechanics, even before the client formally requests new tools.

Creative Collisions: Breaking Down Silos for Seamless Collaboration

Joshua: How do you ensure smooth collaboration between Client Success, Sales, and Game Development teams?

Mihail: Beyond the '3 Ts' I mentioned earlier – Training, Testing, and Tailoring, which naturally foster cross-departmental understanding – we champion an 'open space' and 'open door' policy. This means anyone from any department can directly approach and discuss ideas, concerns, or questions with colleagues across the company, ensuring no silos are formed and communication flows freely.

This combination of 'open door' and the '3 Ts' cultivates three main advantages that are critical for seamless collaboration:

• Freedom: We recognize that each individual is unique. While we have unified team KPIs, we encourage personal freedom in how our team members approach their work. This empowers each person to leverage their unique strengths and methodologies, ultimately bringing their best to the table.
• Creativity: Our team is a melting pot of diverse personalities from different cultures and geographical backgrounds. The 'open door' policy, combined with this diversity, is the key that unlocks a wide variety of creative solutions.
• Efficiency: At Endorphina, particularly within our department, anyone can openly share ideas and concerns with anyone they deem suitable, including senior leadership. This streamlined communication drives efficiency, allowing us all to evolve rapidly and deliver market-leading products and experiences.

Cross-Industry Wisdom: Skills That Shaped a Client Success Leader

Joshua: What skills from your past roles do you find most valuable in client success?

Mihail: I worked in 3 industries where I got my main skills that I consider the most valuable in my current role in client success at Endorphina:

• Conference Industry (Research & Resilience): My experience in the conference industry involved extensive independent research and cold calling. This taught me unparalleled resilience, the importance of meticulous preparation, and the ability to persevere in the face of rejection – skills vital for building new client relationships and navigating complex industry landscapes.
• VIP Manager in Online Casino (Player Understanding): As a VIP manager in an online casino, I had the invaluable opportunity to interact directly with high rollers. This role gave me profound insights into player psychology, their motivations, what truly drives engagement, and how to manage expectations at the highest level.
• Account Management in IT (H2H Foundation): My time in Account Management within the IT sector was where I began to truly grasp and appreciate the importance of the H2H approach. I learned that genuine connection and understanding a client's underlying human needs, beyond just their technical requirements, leads to far more successful and sustainable partnerships.

Power Picks: Mihail’s Go-To Slot and Custom Game Advice

Joshua: What’s your favourite Endorphina slot, and why? (And do clients ever ask for your personal recommendation?)

Mihail: My personal favorite Endorphina slot is undoubtedly Power Balls. It has a fantastic, almost nostalgic quality for me because it reminds me of classic mobile games like Candy Crush that I used to play. Beyond that personal connection, it features incredibly nice graphics that give it a unique visual charm.

From a gameplay perspective, I love that it includes a Bonus Pop feature – a real lifesaver if you're impatient and want to jump straight into the excitement without waiting for the bonus to naturally trigger. Plus, it has integrated Free Spins, which as a player, I find immensely engaging. I recently had a fun experience in a land-based casino where I decided to only play games with in-game free spins; after trying about 30 different titles, I focused on one until I either quintupled my initial sum or lost it all. Starting with just 20 EUR, I was thrilled to walk away with 100 EUR – it was a small win, but a testament to the entertainment value!

And yes, clients absolutely do ask for my personal recommendations sometimes! While I have my favorites, my answer is always dependent on their specific GEO (geographical region). What I personally enjoy might not align with the cultural preferences or market trends in, say, Latin America or Asia.

For this reason, I always consult our incredibly talented and dedicated analytical team. They provide me with the crucial data and insights needed to offer the most relevant and strategic game recommendations tailored to each client's specific market demands.

Beyond the Bots: Why Human Touch Wins in Client Success

Joshua: Where do you see the future of client success in iGaming – will AI and automation replace the human touch, or enhance it?

Mihail: My strong opinion is that AI and automation will never, and truly can never, entirely replace client success roles or any other profession where a genuine human touch is essential.

AI is highly capable of handling B2B (Business-to-Business) interactions – processing data, automating repetitive tasks, and providing analytics. However, it fundamentally lacks the capacity for H2H (Human-to-Human) connection, which is precisely why I termed our approach H2H and not 'A2A' (Automation-to-Automation).

True client success is built on empathy, intuition, complex problem-solving, and the ability to build trust and rapport – qualities that are inherently human.