Press Release
Survey finds customer appreciation enhances employees' service performance during the pandemic
Thursday, 29 Apr 2021
A new survey jointly conducted by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) and the Hong Kong Association for Customer Service Excellence (HKACE) has found that customer appreciation enhanced the performance of service industry professionals during the pandemic.
While it was also revealed that 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. The top three industries most appreciated by customers throughout the pandemic were healthcare, delivery and catering services.
The "Appreciation Drives Service Excellence under the COVID-19 Pandemic" survey was conducted by a team led by Professor Henry Fock, Head and Professor of the Department of Marketing at HKBU, and Professor Kimmy Chan, Professor of the Department of Marketing at HKBU, in collaboration with HKACE between January and February this year, with 518 customers and 502 service industry employees interviewed by questionnaire. The survey aims to understand the culture of service appreciation during the pandemic as well as how knowledge and views on appreciation drive quality services.
Mutual support between employees and supervisors during the pandemic
Service industry employees were asked whether they agree that their workload has increased, that they are feeling pressure at work, and that their job requirements have become higher during the pandemic. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 indicates strongly agree), the average index values for these three hypotheses were 6.73, 6.68 and 6.34 respectively, showing that employees are facing greater stress, heavier workloads and higher job requirements.
Compared to a similar survey conducted by HKBU and HKACE in 2018, the average index value for employees agreeing with the statement that supervisors are their friends rose from 6.24 in 2018 to 6.82 this year; the average index value for employees agreeing with the statement that supervisors are concerned about their career development increased from 6.18 in 2018 to 6.81 this year; and the average index value for employees agreeing with the statement that supervisors spent time and thought about their career development rose from 6.05 in 2018 to 6.58 this year. The results reflected that during the pandemic, employees, colleagues and supervisors rose to the challenge by supporting each other.
More empathy from customers showing appreciation
The survey found that 39% of the responding customers have appreciated service industry employees since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020. In general, they have more empathy and showed more appreciation to frontline staff.
When asked, on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 indicated strongly agree), whether they are "eager to offer help to employees who served me during the pandemic" or "can feel the worries of the employees", the average index values for customers who have appreciated service industry employees were 6.77 and 7.05 respectively, whereas the average index values for customers who have not appreciated service industry employees were only 5.96 and 6.37 respectively.
The survey also revealed that healthcare, delivery and catering services are the industries most frequently commended by customers, with appreciation rates of 20%, 18% and 15% respectively.
The customers who have appreciated service industry employees tended to agree that employers have taken the safety of their employees seriously during the pandemic. This covers beliefs that these employers have strictly implemented precautionary measures as requested by the Government, and that they have adopted higher hygienic standards for customers.
Appreciation enhances employees' service performance
The survey showed that 67% of service industry employees believe that customer appreciation enhances their service performance, and the positive impact of customer appreciation on employees' service performance is directly proportional to the employees' age. Compared to service industry employees who did not receive any appreciation, those who were commended have a deeper sense of loyalty to their employers, a greater sense of pride in being a member of the organisation they serve, and they also get more satisfaction working for the employers concerned.
"The pandemic has brought hard times, but it has also cultivated empathy. The service industry and customers have shown compassion to frontline employees during the pandemic, and they took concrete actions to appreciate and encourage employees. As a result, both customers who appreciated others and employees who were appreciated demonstrated even higher resilience towards the pandemic. We recommend that the service industry and other stakeholders keep on promoting the culture of customer appreciation in Hong Kong," said Professor Chan.
Digitalisation of appreciation channels
During the pandemic, customers used electronic platforms extensively to express their appreciation to service industry employees. The survey found that 43% of customers who appreciated frontline staff left messages or gave a "like" on Facebook to express their appreciation of service performance.
"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," said Professor Fock.
"The pandemic has brought challenges to different industries. However, the survey showed that the performance of service industry employees was not affected by the pandemic. In fact, employees valued the support rendered by the management, as evidenced by the higher ratings when compared with the results from 2018. HKACE believes that the service industry will continue to commit to their customer-oriented pledges and offer quality services. Different sectors of society should continue to promote an appreciation culture by amplifying their care and support for the employees. In addition, companies should strengthen the resilience of their workforce to ensure operational stability and get prepared for the opportunities arising from the recovery of the economy," said Ms Quince Chong, Chairman of HKACE.
About Hong Kong Association of Customer Service Excellence
Established in February 2000, the Hong Kong Association for Customer Service Excellence is a non-profit professional organisation led by customer service professionals. We are the Star Performers fostering customer service excellence in Hong Kong and among members from different industries, with the support of the Government, community and industry leaders. We share the commitment to continuously improve ourselves, to promote customer service culture with passion, leveraging on members' synergy and professional expertise. More information is available at http://www.hkace.com.hk/main.php.
About the Department of Marketing at Hong Kong Baptist University
Founded in 1988, the Department of Marketing at Hong Kong Baptist University nurtures students to become competitive and ethical business leaders in the global marketplace. Our pedagogical approach equips students with up-to-date marketing knowledge and practical experience, and emphasises the linkage between theory and practice by connecting our students to the industry. We offer a full range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including BBA, MSc, MPhil and PhD. More information is available at http://mkt.hkbu.edu.hk/.
