A survey jointly conducted by the Hong Kong Association for Customer Service Excellence (HKACE) and Hong Kong Baptist University aims to understand the culture of service appreciation during the pandemic as well as how knowledge and views on appreciation drive quality services. The result of the survey was announced at a Press Conference held on 29 April 2021 at Hong Kong Baptist University.

This research revealed that the pandemic has brought hard times, but it has also cultivated empathy. The stress levels and workloads of service industry employees increased amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, the empathy and care expressed by their supervisors, colleagues, employers and customers enabled them to commit to their duties. As a result, both customers who appreciated others and employees who were appreciated demonstrated even higher resilience towards the pandemic. It is recommended the service industry and other stakeholders keep on promoting the culture of customer appreciation in Hong Kong.

During the pandemic, customers used electronic platforms extensively to express their appreciation to service industry employees. The pandemic has accelerated the digitalisation of service delivery and appreciation channels, and there is a growing acceptance of electronic services by older customers. The service industry and the Government should consider allocating more resources to promote digitalisation in the service industry.

For more details of the survey, please refer to this page.