Channelling the Lion Rock Spirit

Financial Secretary Paul Chan delivered his budget address with sweetners

Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po gave his annual budget address today in the Legislative Council, and the government made a lot of concessions, like tax breaks on the salaries tax, property tax and property rates, low interest loans for businesses, more social assistance for low-income families, and waiving fees for students to take the university entrance exam.

People are already wondering how to spend HK$10,000

But the top news item was that every permanent resident 18 years and older will receive HK$10,000 (US$1,283). That means some 7.1 million people will benefit. Why so many? Because many permanent residents live overseas... When they will get the money in their hands is another story which worries businesses who are anxious for people to spend the now.

The eight months of anti-government protests and now the spread of the coronavirus in the city has resulted in a lot of empty shops and restaurants.

An acquaintance I had dinner with this evening described her recent visit to the newest shopping mall, K11 Musea in Tsim Sha Tsui. It's an upscale mall that has shops that aren't usually found in most other places (ie more expensive), and there are lots of vertical gardens to create a lush atmosphere, while the staff manning the information booths look like hipsters.

Looking up at the ceiling at K11 Musea shopping mall

On the day she went, during lunchtime, she could barely count 50 people in the ground floor, and the upper floors? Not a soul.

The only relatively busy area was the food court, and even then it wasn't difficult to get a table.

Part of the problem is that because of the coronavirus, a lot of people are working from home, and the location of the mall is not where many office workers are.

When I asked if some of the shops were closed, she said over 90 percent of them were open. It's a sad -- no -- a disastrous situation for Hong Kong's economy.

The other day a colleague and her husband went to see Guy Ritchie's latest film, The Gentlemen and they had the whole cinema to themselves. Many aren't going because the government has strongly dissuaded people to go to the movies because there is a chance of being infected from droplets in the air, even though people are wearing masks and had their temperature taken at the door.

K11 Musea was pretty empty of customers recently

Meanwhile the fine dining Chinese restaurant in Central we went to this evening just had a handful of tables occupied, customers spread out from each other in the dining room.

It's no wonder the restaurant is anxious to launch its take away lunch boxes, like char siu with vegetables and rice -- something they would have never considered doing before.

But this is the Lion Rock spirit -- finding any way to survive.

A lot of shops and restaurants are going to have to close, and while it's terrible for the people who will be laid off, there is a hope that those companies that do survive will be better -- they will have staff who appreciate their jobs, and are able to serve customers well.

It's the details that count, and people remember that.

Before all this chaos happened, service staff for the most part either didn't care for their jobs, or were too arrogant to serve potential customers. If Hong Kong wants to pull itself out of this economic crisis, it needs people with the right mindset who are willing to persevere -- with a smile.

Here's hoping for a stronger, leaner Hong Kong. Customer service doesn't mean pandering to people, but being professional, enthusiastic and compassionate. Is that too much to ask?

Uber Gets more Competitive with Taxis

Uber will be raising its fares from Wednesday, still cheaper than taxis

Uber still isn't legal in Hong Kong, though there are many who use the service.

Starting on Wednesday the car-hailing service will be raising its fares so that the starting fare is HK$18 on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, while it will still be HK$8 in the New Territories.

Currently taxis start at HK$24, so Uber is still less expensive -- as long as there isn't a surge in requests for cars.

Hong Kong taxi drivers can be rude or difficult to deal with

It seems Uber is targeting customers who want to be driven longer distances as it will be cheaper overall, compared to those going shorter distances.

There will also be a charge of HK$2 per minute after the driver has waited at the pick-up point for three minutes. That will definitely make it more efficient for Uber drivers to pick up more people.

The Hong Kong government is still stalling on establishing regulations to make it possible for Uber to function legally in Hong Kong despite many members of the public clamouring for the service. They are fed up with instances of rude taxi drivers who choose to reject passengers or will charge excessive amounts after the MTR is closed. Then there's the aging cars they drive, where passengers sink into the seats at the back, some with the shock absorbers next to non existent. And yes there's the lingering cigarette smoke...

Meanwhile Uber drivers seem to be making a pretty penny. About two weeks ago I chatted with one who started driving full time a few months ago, as he could make HK$30,000 to HK$40,000 a month.

The car-hailing service still isn't legal in Hong Kong

As an early riser, he could do as many as eight trips in the morning to get people to work, and then take a break mid-morning until the afternoon and evening rush. And if he was particularly busy today, he would not hustle as much the following day, basically making his own hours.

The driver added he used to be in sales and here he didn't have to deal with the hassle of pleasing customers and office politics -- as long as he got clients from A to B there were no complaints. Not bad for just driving people around. And he will probably be making more money come Wednesday.

The government is desperate for the taxi industry's support, which is why it has procrastinated on dealing with Uber. But if fewer people take taxis, which many are, then the industry will have no choice but to reform and give a better service. That's all we want in the end...

Hong Kong's Service Staff Feeling Blue

Glum-faced customer service staff wondering when sales will boom again

Have you noticed customer service staff particularly sad-faced these days?

It's confirmed now with the latest "smiling index" and Hong Kong was listed dead last out of 37 countries in a survey by Mystery Shopper Service Association.

The poll collected data from 61 countries and regions, and this year Hong Kong got a score of 48 out of 100, well below the global average of 83.

In the last survey in 2014, Hong Kong was third last. What happened?

Not many young front line staff take their jobs seriously

For comparison, Ireland was first for the second time in a row, while Macau was only one spot better than Hong Kong with a score of 53. Interestingly China ranked 26th with a mark of 83.

The association's chairman Anders Wong believed the weak economy, sluggish stock market and high property prices made it hard to encourage people to consume goods and services.

As a result, he said it was inevitable for front line staff to be frustrated by fewer sales and smaller commissions. Wong added the high turnover rate in retail and services showed that they didn't take their jobs seriously, particularly younger people.

"Hong Kong doesn't have a happy culture," he said.

Hmmm gee I wonder why!

Hong Kong was last out of 37 countries in a smiling survey

But we have to look at it from a long term perspective. Many people are not keen on serving others; it is very rare they find this satisfying to do. But at the same time, these staff don't feel like they have a personal stake in their jobs so they don't care as much.

If companies wish to improve sales, they have to treat their staff well. And smiles do go a long way. It's about marketing in the long term and hope that results in sales later down the road. A good experience is a memorable one that people will want to repeat.

Or is that wishful thinking?