What Hong Kong Association for Customer Service Excellence does

The Hong Kong Association for Customer Service Excellence (HKACE) is a non-profit professional association founded in February 2000 and headquartered in Hong Kong. HKACE promotes service excellence through three interconnected lines of activity: a tiered corporate membership programme (Founding Members, Corporate Members, Affiliate Members), the flagship Customer Service Excellence (CSE) Award programme launched in 2001, and a calendar of industry events, seminars, and member visits. Its member roster spans banking, insurance, aviation, telecommunications, property, utilities, government, gaming, and retail, anchored by nine blue-chip founding members that have remained continuously since inception, including AIA, Cathay Pacific, CLP Power, HKT, Hongkong Post, Shell, Standard Chartered, and The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The CSE Award programme operates four tracks (Individual, Team, Programme, and the Grand Award) and is restricted to HKACE corporate members, with assessment by industry leaders and academics. The 2025 cycle drew 220 applications (a 40% YoY increase) and conferred 102 awards, with MTR Corporation named Grand Champion. The 2026 cycle has expanded categories to include AI & Digital Transformation, Outstanding Customer Experience, Training & People Development, and new Leadership Streams. The association runs 1–10 staff, leverages partnerships with Google Cloud, Google Hong Kong, Huawei, HKT, Airport Authority Hong Kong, BMW, ViuTV, and HKU Business School for AI seminars, member visits, and research collaborations.

Revenue is generated from a HK$20,000 one-time admission fee per new corporate member and annual subscriptions tiered on a pro-rata basis between HK$6,250 and HK$25,000 depending on join date, plus fees tied to award participation and ad hoc events. Distribution is direct, domestic to Hong Kong, and exclusively to verified member organizations.

Name

Hong Kong Association for Customer Service Excellence

Legal name

Hong Kong Association for Customer Service Excellence

Website

https://hkace.com.hk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HKACE is a Hong Kong non-profit professional association founded in 2000 that promotes customer service excellence through corporate membership and the annual Customer Service Excellence Award programme, serving 35+ leading Hong Kong enterprises across banking, aviation, telecom, utilities, and government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: HKACE generates revenue through annual membership subscriptions and one-time admission fees from corporate members. Membership tiers are priced on a pro-rata basis depending on the quarter of joining, with full-year subscriptions ranging from HK$6,250 to HK$25,000 plus a HK$20,000 admission fee.
2. Award Programme Participation: Revenue is generated through corporate members participating in the annual Customer Service Excellence Award programme. The CSE Award is exclusively open to HKACE member companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HKACE is a non-profit professional association that promotes customer service excellence in Hong Kong through its flagship Customer Service Excellence (CSE) Award programme, which recognizes outstanding individuals, teams, and programmes across participating member companies. The association offers tiered corporate membership (Founding, Corporate, Affiliate) and facilitates industry events, seminars, networking forums, and collaborative research to advance customer service standards. Revenue is generated from membership subscriptions, admission fees, and award programme participation.

Product overview

Hong Kong Association for Customer Service Excellence (HKACE) operates as a non-profit professional association rather than a product company. Its core offering is the Customer Service Excellence (CSE) Award programme established in 2001, which recognizes outstanding customer service practitioners through Individual Awards, Team Awards, Programme Awards, and the Grand Award. The association also provides corporate membership services with tiered participation levels (Founding, Corporate, Affiliate Members) and facilitates industry events, seminars, and collaborative research initiatives. The 2026 award cycle expanded programme categories for AI & Digital Transformation, Outstanding Customer Experience, and Training & People Development, and introduced new Leadership Streams for supervisors and team managers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Customer Service Excellence (CSE) Award Programme Annual award programme exclusively for HKACE member companies that recognizes outstanding customer service practitioners, teams, and programmes across Hong Kong. Features Individual Awards (Contact Centre, Counter, Field & Special, Frontline, Internal Support, Customer Service Training, Top 5 Young Stars), Team Awards (Digital Hub, Attractions & Entertainment, Training & Development), Programme Awards (AI & Digital Transformation, Customer Retention, Employee Engagement, Outstanding Customer Experience, Service Innovation, People Development), and the Grand Award for top three participating organizations. The 2025 cycle received 220 applications and awarded 102 prizes.
• Corporate Membership Annual corporate membership programme for Hong Kong organizations seeking to promote customer service excellence. Tiers include Founding Members (9 founding enterprises), Corporate Members (30+), and Affiliate Members. Provides access to the exclusive CSE Award programme, industry networking events, knowledge-sharing seminars, Google Cloud and Huawei technology engagement sessions, and benchmarking opportunities. Annual subscription fees range from HK$6,250 to HK$25,000 depending on join date (pro-rata), plus a one-time admission fee of HK$20,000.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% increase in award applications year-over-year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Google Cloud Hong KongcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoogle Cloud Hong Kong hosted a business seminar for HKACE members on 13 May 2026 focused on 'Revolutionizing Traditional Retail Engagement' and Gemini Enterprise applications for customer experience. The partnership enables members to learn cutting-edge AI technologies and deployment strategies for digital transformation.
• Google Hong KongcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoogle Hong Kong hosted HKACE members at the 'Agentic AI Era – Google AI Pop-Up Experience Day' on 30 July 2025, providing hands-on exposure to next-generation AI technologies including reasoning, planning, and memory capabilities for customer service enhancement.
• Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAAHK invited HKACE Executive Committee members to participate in their annual aircraft accident exercise on 2 March 2026. The drill involved around 1,000 participants from over 20 government departments, strengthening emergency response capabilities.
• Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAAHK and Aviation Security Company Limited co-hosted the HKIA Customer Service Forum themed 'One Team One Experience' on 24 October 2025 at Asia World-Expo, attracting over 300 participants. HKACE Chairman Derek Choi delivered keynote on unified customer journeys.
• BMW Concessionaires (HK) LimitedminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBMW hosted HKACE members for exclusive Asia premiere of the all-new BMW iX3 on 16 January 2026. Ms Mia Wong, GM of Customer Experience, shared insights on customer experience strategies and end-to-end customer journey enhancement.
• HuaweiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHKACE organized a member visit to Huawei's Shenzhen and Dongguan campuses on 10 October 2025. Members toured the Huawei Exhibition Hall and 'Huawei Town' in Songshan Lake, gaining insights into AICC intelligent customer service solutions and smart community integration.
• ViuTVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerViuTV hosted HKACE members for exclusive behind-the-scenes access to production facilities at Shaw Studios in Tseung Kwan O on 5 June 2026. The visit highlighted collaborative excellence between frontline talent and support teams.
• HKT LimitedcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHKT sponsored venue for the Customer Service Excellence Award 2026 Briefing and Sharing Seminar and organized the ViuTV member visit. As a founding member and First Runner-up Grand Award winner, HKT actively supports HKACE initiatives.
• HKU Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Institute of Behavioural and Decision Science at HKU Business School collaborated with HKACE on research released 31 October 2025 focusing on employee wellbeing and stress intervention. Study involved 215 employees from member companies examining burnout and stress types.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Customer Service Association (ICSA): Global customer service professional association offering certifications, training and events. Comparable to HKACE at the international level in promoting service standards and accrediting professionals across geographies.

Regional players

• China Association for Customer Service (CACSM): Mainland China's national customer service industry association promoting service standards, research, and awards. Comparable to HKACE in mission (customer service excellence promotion) but operates in Mainland China rather than Hong Kong.
• Asia Pacific Customer Service Association: Regional industry body for customer service professionals across Asia Pacific, operating awards, conferences and training. Comparable to HKACE in CX mission and award-driven engagement but at Asia Pacific rather than HK-only scope.
• Customer Service Institute of Australia (CSIA): Australian professional body advancing customer service standards, training and the Australian Service Excellence Awards. Directly comparable to HKACE in service excellence mission and award-driven engagement model, but Australia-only.

Direct peers

• Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency (HKQAA): Hong Kong's recognised quality and certification body running awards such as the HKQAA Symbiotic Awards and CSR Recognition Scheme. Comparable to HKACE in administering service/quality certification and awards programmes to HK corporations.
• Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA): Hong Kong's leading professional management association running awards, training, and corporate membership across industries. Comparable to HKACE as a peer HK-based membership association that organises industry awards and executive development events.
• Hong Kong Retail Management Association (HKRMA): Hong Kong retail industry body running the Hong Kong Awards for Retail Excellence (HARE) and service-related recognition programmes. Comparable to HKACE as a HK-based membership association running annual service/retail excellence awards.
• Singapore Institute of Service Excellence (SISE): Singapore's national service excellence body, set up by SPRING/Enterprise Singapore to benchmark and certify service standards across industries. Most directly comparable to HKACE in mission (service quality promotion), award programmes (Singapore Service Excellence Award), and member-driven funding model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Hong-Kong-Association-for-Customer-Service-Excellence/180936518585933
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hong-kong-association-for-customer-service-excellence
• Instagraminstagram.com/hkace_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hong Kong Association for Customer Service Excellence