Dec 30, 2003 03:55 PM
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(Updated Dec 30, 2003 04:20 PM)
To cut long words short : If it were not a bank, it would have been a five-star hotel! That’s the impression you get when their employees deal with you! All along the way – whether it is opening an account, getting your ATM / Debit Card, and even withdrawing a large sum at short notice, their employees see to it that you get royal treatment and your work gets done by them with the same spirit of urgency that you yourself have about your monetary matters.
The “Good” Old Days
And there used to be a queue…
Thus would start the story of my father and mother after a visit to the local nationalized bank. More tales of woe would follow about their inefficiency, casual attitude and having to bear with sheer inhumane communication because it was YOUR hard-earned money that you wanted to withdraw, YOUR business that you wanted to start. After all their government jobs were “assured” no matter what…
Anywhere you go…They are always with you…
The Times They Are A-Changing…
Gone are these days with the advent of banks like ICICI, GTB and HDFC. If simply to thrive in the competition, they impart special training to their staff to give professional personalized service, and have partly abolished the “across the counter” tradition of looking at things. You walk into a bank with sleek interiors and an executive caters to your problems on a one-to-one basis.
Deep Magic From The Dawn of Time (“MyTime ATMs”)
Your cheque book comes pre-printed with your name and account number, and facilities like net banking (ibank@GTB), ATMs (“MyTime ATM”), phone banking, SMS alerts on your mobile and online funds transfer (“ePayments”) are not counted as “additional facilities” anymore. Customers flock to these banks not only for their etiquette and their way of hassle-free transactions but also for easy access to their funds through the above-mentioned channels of technology. And add to that the other online facilities they provide such as railway ticket booking payments, free LIC premium payments and even Baazee.com transactions, they have our life made!
This shifting of customer base to these private banks has also had these nationalized banks taking notice and trying to improve. Though it may take some time, their back-talk is certainly milder now!
Money Money Money… It’s a rich man’s world…
Thus sang ABBAS in the eighties, and while it holds true for the most of the world that you are treated well as long as you have the money to flaunt (by well, I mean atleast artificial courtesy), I can vouch for the fact that ths bank is one place where the small savings account holder is treated with as much respect as his huge-balance ‘business giving’ crorepati counterpart.
I know of many villagers who have their humble accounts from meager earnings which hardly fetch their bank any sizeable deposits, but they are treated with the same respect as tycoons who drive in their Camrys, Sonatas and Accords.
Why Did I Choose Global Trust Bank? Why not ICICI?
Well, ICICI has ATMs at every street corner.
But in standards of service it is way behind GTB – part of the reason being having truckloads of customers causing an inherent service-jam, whether at branches or ATMs. I did not want to wait (so what if the sofas are comfy?) till a polite customer executive assisted me.
Secondly, when making a phone call to their number and choosing the proper option, I was hurled between two – three operators before getting the right person, with each person taking a minute or so telling me about the latest offers in home loans, personal loans and mutual funds! Personalized advice yes, but, god forbid, it also is personal assault!
Thirdly, the net banking interface is clumsy at its best.
No attempt at maximizing user security – GTB prompts the user to change his / her password compulsorily periodically! Not so at ICICI.
No security in online funds transfer – the payees 12-digit account number has to be entered correctly, and you come to know whether the proper person has received the amount only after he tells you! In ibank@GTB the interface confirms the name of the account-holder (payee) assuring you that you didn’t hand out your bucks to some stranger (who accepted them as a gift from above) because you mistyped one of the digits in the account number!
Finally, I get salary credits on the same day instead of two working days as in ICICI.
Many offers of ICICI are misleading, such as mobile alerts not being really “free” while you come to know about it only when your account has been debited.
Final advice : They are people you can bank on with trust!
