The Amazing Branch Manager at United Bank of India
In India, ever since the private banks came in with their swanky interiors, scores of ATMs and helpful (or so they think) representatives, a lot of us have been led to believe that, this is the way to bank. Public sector banks are looked down upon--and why not, ATM cards of many still have to be collected personally from the banks, online banking takes ages to process and then when you try to work it, it often does not.
So we didn't want to waste our time, when we decided to open a current account with India's darling private bank ICICI Bank. But what followed was three months of pure hell, to get the account opened, get our online banking working. The branch services manager is not too effective, the bank manager a tobacco chewing moron. Suffice to say, that despite all that automation that sets these banks apart initially, it is just too diffucult to work the processes. And if we hadn't mailed the overall head of customer care, things wouldn't have rolled for us.
Recently we decided to open an account in a public sector bank. We scouted around and decide on United Bank of India, because they gave us the best interest rates on products we wanted. Yes, we did not go with SBI, Central Bank or Corporation Bank. We opted for the lesser known United Bank. We decided that we were willing to give up some of the luxuries that comes with private banks--ATMs at every corner, execs coming home for setting up the account, and handling KYC, etc. We went one day armed with all the documents needed for the opening, and we were prepared to visit the bank a couple of more times so that our account would be up and about. But half an hour later, we walked out with our account number in hand!
It was chaotic at the bank. With the bank manager seemingly losing her temper with people and shuffling through piles of paper to find the piece of paper she had stashed away. But two visits later, we have revised our opinion. Here is a manager who knows her job. And more importantly she knows her customers! And it is not that she knows a few. She seems to know every one and what they want, and what stage their request is in. And she does not have to look up a computer screen or a ledger. One minute she is telling you and what further action is needed, and the next she is updating the person who has just walked in to enquire about his loan/FD/anything else!
She must be a memory whiz, that she can store so much. One could argue, that her bank does not have half the number of customers that say, the nearby ICICI Bank might have. But as a customer, I don't care. She knows me, and she knows what status the account is in. And she is not spending ages looking it up somewhere. That's what a customer wants. Not a bank exec who asks you for your customer id, enter your PIN, or what was the request, every time you approach them--either personally or through that horrifying thing called IVR.
The bank many not have 'core banking' yet. But it will soon have it. The bank may take ages to get its online banking act together. But if I need to know the account status, I can call Mrs Basu and ask. And she will update me in less than a minute. How many minutes do you spend with the IVR?
Mrs Sunanda Basu, you are nothing short of amazing. We wish our banking industry gets many more of you. So that every citizen can have the same level of great customer experience that Knowiz has had with you. We wish you the very best.
In India, ever since the private banks came in with their swanky interiors, scores of ATMs and helpful (or so they think) representatives, a lot of us have been led to believe that, this is the way to bank. Public sector banks are looked down upon--and why not, ATM cards of many still have to be collected personally from the banks, online banking takes ages to process and then when you try to work it, it often does not.
So we didn't want to waste our time, when we decided to open a current account with India's darling private bank ICICI Bank. But what followed was three months of pure hell, to get the account opened, get our online banking working. The branch services manager is not too effective, the bank manager a tobacco chewing moron. Suffice to say, that despite all that automation that sets these banks apart initially, it is just too diffucult to work the processes. And if we hadn't mailed the overall head of customer care, things wouldn't have rolled for us.
Recently we decided to open an account in a public sector bank. We scouted around and decide on United Bank of India, because they gave us the best interest rates on products we wanted. Yes, we did not go with SBI, Central Bank or Corporation Bank. We opted for the lesser known United Bank. We decided that we were willing to give up some of the luxuries that comes with private banks--ATMs at every corner, execs coming home for setting up the account, and handling KYC, etc. We went one day armed with all the documents needed for the opening, and we were prepared to visit the bank a couple of more times so that our account would be up and about. But half an hour later, we walked out with our account number in hand!
It was chaotic at the bank. With the bank manager seemingly losing her temper with people and shuffling through piles of paper to find the piece of paper she had stashed away. But two visits later, we have revised our opinion. Here is a manager who knows her job. And more importantly she knows her customers! And it is not that she knows a few. She seems to know every one and what they want, and what stage their request is in. And she does not have to look up a computer screen or a ledger. One minute she is telling you and what further action is needed, and the next she is updating the person who has just walked in to enquire about his loan/FD/anything else!
She must be a memory whiz, that she can store so much. One could argue, that her bank does not have half the number of customers that say, the nearby ICICI Bank might have. But as a customer, I don't care. She knows me, and she knows what status the account is in. And she is not spending ages looking it up somewhere. That's what a customer wants. Not a bank exec who asks you for your customer id, enter your PIN, or what was the request, every time you approach them--either personally or through that horrifying thing called IVR.
The bank many not have 'core banking' yet. But it will soon have it. The bank may take ages to get its online banking act together. But if I need to know the account status, I can call Mrs Basu and ask. And she will update me in less than a minute. How many minutes do you spend with the IVR?
Mrs Sunanda Basu, you are nothing short of amazing. We wish our banking industry gets many more of you. So that every citizen can have the same level of great customer experience that Knowiz has had with you. We wish you the very best.
posted by Suma at 11:17 PM
0 comments
