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Caitlin Wong

From jewellery salespeople and postal staff to real estate agents and insurance account managers, the awards  attract people on the front line of customer service.

And awardees said their jobs were not all about selling.

'It is easy for a salesperson to become too focused on getting something sold rather than meeting a customer's genuine needs,' said Centaline Property Agency account manager Kevin Pong Yiu-cheong, who joined the firm six years ago. 'I always ascertain my customers' needs first.'

Senior account manager Wilson Chan Hoi-chiu, who joined Centaline  3? years ago,  said: 'Not all customers know what they really want. I help them find this out, and  follow up on their post-sale needs.'

Jacky Chan Chi-keung, also senior account manager and who has been with the company nine years,  said: 'Building up the trust of prospective clients is crucial. The tone of my speech and my body language are key factors for convincing them to achieve this.'

Chow Sang Sang Jewellery and associate Emphasis Jewellery each  won two awards. Senior salesman Ken Hui Pak-kee and branch manager Pierre Yeung Man-chun both joined  Chow Sang Sang in 2004 and have 22 years of experience in the business between them.

Mr Hui said: 'Because I genuinely like this business, serving customers from the heart comes naturally to me. '

Mr Yeung said: ' If you are reliable and earn a customer's long-term trust, you also add a long-term patron for the company.'

Emphasis awardees, branch manager Sam Chan Kok-sum and area sales manager Dick Chan Chi-wai, have 35 years of   experience in the trade between them.

Sam Chan, who joined the group seven years ago, said: 'To serve customers with a personal touch and cultivate their long-term trust is very important for selling jewellery.'

Dick Chan, who has been with the company 17 years, said: 'Consumers are very discerning these days, I always strive to update and upgrade myself with new knowledge, especially design trends as this helps me give customers sound suggestions.'

Harold Lam Chak-tin, another DSA winner and senior account manager with Hong Kong Communications Equipment, said: 'We must have an analytical mind for evaluating different situations, as well as an ability to understand customer needs.'

Prudential Assurance took  four DSA and two OYSA awards. The OYSA winners, senior business manager Tracy Kwok Kar-kei and executive financial services manager Tozi To Siu-ying, both joined the firm in 2005.

Mr  Kwok said: 'Professionalism is key. To provide quality service, we must listen to clients, understand their needs and respect them.'

Ms To said: 'The most important thing is to understand and focus on customers' needs by careful listening. Once you know what they want, you will be able to give them suitable solutions.'

The DSA awardees included senior unit manager Chris Lui Shui-fan and senior executive financial services manager for priority banking, Dora Cheung Man-wai, who both joined Prudential in 2000.

Ms Lui said it was important to make customers aware of the importance of insurance and products that best met their needs.

Ms Cheung said perseverance was her strength and she was determined to find plans that suited her customers.

Senior branch manager Linda Chow Kin-man and assistant division sales manager for priority banking Liz Cheung Suet-fan joined Prudential in 2005 and 2001 respectively. Ms Cheung said: 'The most important thing is to thrive on accepting challenges, be imaginative and always think out of the box.'

Hongkong Post had five awardees, including corporate market managers Elton Leung Hoi-tang and Mike Lau Hon-yiu.

Mr Leung said his edge was the ability to help customers solve problems and give sound advice, while Mr Lau said that as Hongkong Post was a government service, maintaining transparency and accuracy was important.

From Speedpost, account executive  Tony Chiu On-tung said: 'A sincere smile helps break the ice with new clients and dissolve unnecessary barriers.'

Postal officers So Man-wo  and Yam Wing-tong  have 41 years service between them, but only took up  counter-sales positions  in recent years. Mr So said his customers were from all walks of life but everyone was treated with  courtesy, and his mission was to dispel negative stereotypes associated with government services.  Former postman Mr Yam said that behind a respectful uniform there should be a person. 'Serving customers with a human touch helps to win them over.'



Customer service sparkles, whether in jewels or property