The Junior Frontline Level winners at this year's awards said that proactive learning would be essential for maintaining high standards of retail service in Hong Kong in the long term.
Learning a new language and improving language skills were among the priorities for this year's winners, especially those who had regular contact with tourists.
Winners said they benefited from the competition which had offered them an opportunity to network and meet other retail practitioners.
Cherry Koo Man-yee, from the Peninsula Boutique at Hong Kong International Airport, won an award in the food shop category. While serving customers is a priority, she believes there are challenges ahead, one of which is improving her language skills.
'With the large number of foreign travellers frequenting our boutique, knowledge of their languages is essential. In addition to Cantonese and English, I have had to improve my Putonghua and get a grasp of Japanese and Korean over the past six months,' she said.
Joker Wan Sau-tung, a sales assistant for Dairy Farm in the Ikea division, won an award in the furniture and home accessories category. He agreed that being able to speak in a customer's native language was crucial and he planned to learn more languages.