Employees get stamp of approval
Four Hongkong Post contestants clinched awards at this year's event, with three winning the Distinguished Salesperson Award (DSA) and one the Outstanding Young Salesperson Award (OYSA).
Senior postman and DSA winner Simon Choi Cheuk-nam has been with Hongkong Post for 28 years. He said his customers in the Kwun Tong Post Office were part of his family. 'There are many old people and housewives. Coming to the post office is like a social activity for them. A friendly voice and attitude is what they expect. You also need to be very patient with them and listen carefully to their questions and needs,' Mr Choi said.
Penny Li Wing-yeung has worked as an account executive with Hongkong Post for two years. The OYSA winner's job is to promote the service of Speedpost to clients by visiting their companies. He regularly faces rejection, which can be a discouraging experience.
Nevertheless, Mr Li said he enjoyed his job and the key to his success was to not fear failure. He cited the example of one client whose business he eventually secured because of his perseverance.
Keith Chung Kai-hong shares the same challenge as an account executive. His clients include a selected group of different types of companies. He thinks a good sales service is one that brings benefits to the customers.
'I try to see things from the perspective of my clients, and see if I can find a way to match what they need with our services. My customers value me as a trustworthy person who gives them accurate information. I think that honesty is a highly regarded attribute in the sales industry.'
Cherry Cheung Shuk-fan is the manager of customer relationship management and has been with Hongkong Post for four years.
Leading a team which handles about 1,000 customer inquiries on the hotline each day, Ms Cheung finds satisfaction in solving customers' problems - especially the difficult ones.
One such case was a customer who called the hotline so often to complain that the team began to recognise his voice. After learning of his problem, Ms Cheung offered him a long-term solution, and he complemented her personal service.
