Service representatives assist customers inside a store in Hong Kong. Customer service in the city fails to meet expectations, a research report said Thursday. Daniel J. Groshong / Bloomberg News

75% cite rude, uninterested staff as problem

Customer service in Hong Kong is failing to meet expectations. And it will be difficult to close the gap as local companies do not have a good understanding of their customers, a research report released Thursday says.

The research, commissioned by the logistics service provider DHL, was conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit during July and August this year. The Asia-wide research consisted of two surveys, with one including 764 consumers from 10 countries, while the other surveyed 313 executives familiar with their company's customer service strategy.

The survey of the Hong Kong market found that 92 percent of consumer respondents think customer service should always be a company's top priority. However, only 57 percent of firms said they gave more priority to point-of-sale services compared with five years ago. The survey also uncovered a gap between what companies believe consumers want and what consumers actually say, according to the report.

David Line, senior editor at Economist Intelligence Unit, said that three quarters of consumers surveyed put rude or uninterested staff as among the most common service problems in Hong Kong.

"In this competitive market, those companies which put more emphasis on customer service will have the edge," said Line.

According to the findings, 83 percent of firms interviewed across the region said they plan to increase investments targeting customer service improvement. In Hong Kong, 87 percent of the companies said they will put more resources towards strengthening customer service, particularly in the area of staff training.

However, as revealed in the report, the concern is that though more investment in staff training is welcome, there is perhaps insufficient emphasis on details such as speedy service, clear product information and transparent billing.

Firms need to develop specific customer service strategies that delivers the right service at the right moment in the customer life cycle, including pre-sale, point of purchase and after-sales service, the report recommends.

Looking at various Asia-Pacific markets during the past five years, the report also found that customer service quality in Hong Kong has been stagnating. The clothing and accessories sector, followed by financial services are the two sectors which are most highly rated by consumers. However, the telecommunications sector and the health and wellness industry are poorly perceived.

In the region, India, Indonesia and Thailand are the markets which have seen the most improvement over the past five years. Japan is seen as the leader in customer service across various sectors.

China Daily

(HK Edition 10/08/2010 page3)