Imagine imposingly responsible management and staff of our banking sector! It is not pinpointing any particular bank but soul-searching in customer care from those who plan from high towers down the management line to staff. Bankers, you are all wonderful in banking innovations and customer care on paper. But it’s different story in practice.
Look at banks opening sharp 9:00 am. But it’s generally breakfast galore as customers wait, wait and wait. And when a customer gets a turn to be catered, one fears whether the system is on and working or out-of-order! When the concerned staff is late or has not come, back up is either not ready or unavailable and customers are well left in a lurch. If one has query, he waits in line adding to misery when told after long he was in wrong line with no info booth to address queries.
Worse comes to worst is that ATM service is mostly not available before 10-30-11 am even though banks open at 9.00 am and that there are clear timing instructions by the State Bank of Pakistan in this regard. However, first things first. It’s mostly breakfast time for bank staff. Reasons given for delayed ATM set-up are cash being loaded or machine being out-of-order to be fixed or repaired. It’s OK once in a while but adds to customers’ agony when it is mostly a regular routine.
Among staff there are people who work or would like to work diligently. But problems arise when one honest worker is overloaded, overburdened and overworked with files, paperwork, phone calls, instructions, deadlines, customers and visitors. As such, possibility of costly errors and mistakes loom large and the honest worker is blamed and held accountable accordingly. This suggests fair distribution of work and responsibility in the larger interest of customers.
Despite fancy claims and statements resource mobilization is a far cry. It is a pity when savings scheme planners focus only on elite or gentry, neglect public or majority of national population who does not even know how to fill forms, meet tedious formalities, get stranded and sidelined in bureaucratic snags to be smashed out of the system.
Our banking gurus need to implement wonderful savings schemes they envision about children, taking on board both children of the upper strata before they indulge in fast depleting extravaganzas and for poor kids before they become beggars or perpetual seekers of alms or charity.
Let their not be any complacency, immobilization or procrastination on banks’ part in catering to customer care according to what is promised or planned in principle in order to address queries and grievances of customers, young or old, rich or poor and of any gender.
Bank staff need to be trained in, accustomed to and acclimatized with customer confidence-building and ensuring customers are not rendered helpless. A helpless customer is a helpless customer. But how agonizing is this helplessness when staff’s rude behavior turns customer care into customer nightmare! Food for thought for customer caretakers of banks please!
Parvez Jamil is an educator, psycho-social analyst and freelance media contributor.
