ICICI Bank customers beware. You can no longer get away by using foul or unparliamentary language during your interaction with the bank’s call centre.
In what could be a first in the country, ICICI Bank has warned that customers found to be offensive during their interaction with call centre executives will be required to close their relationship with the country’s second-largest lender.
While what constitutes offensive or unparliamentary language has not been mentioned clearly, sources at the bank said that the history of the customers who are referred by the executives would be checked.
“It is quite possible that due to a problem at our end, somebody has faced difficulties, prompting him to be offensive. But that can be a one-off instance. We will take action against anyone found using offensive language twice or thrice,” said an executive.
What prompted the move is unclear since call centre executives for various service providers, including ICICI Bank, said that only one or two per cent customers use foul language or are offensive.
Sources said that this was a common practice with many companies internationally, especially in the hospitality, airline and banking sectors. However, most websites accessed by Business Standard did not mention a similar code of conduct for customers.
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“It is often an unwritten code. But airlines have found ways to deal with drunk customers and hotels often refuse to deal with customers who are unruly,” said an executive with another private bank.
An ICICI Bank spokesperson said: “We are in the services industry and we expect that norms of civil engagement are adhered to in order to enhance proper transaction of business. We want to ensure that unruly behavior does not become a de-motivating factor for our service staff.”
A former ICICI Bank call centre executive, who would approach prospective clients offering personal loans and credit cards, said that some people often used abusive language and, at times, he had reported the matter to his superior authorities who would call the number again and request the person to exercise restraint. Such calls have stopped now with the private sector lender going slow on retail lending.
In India, banks and telecom companies have adopted different policies to deal with customers using offensive language but none of them has threatened to end the relationship.
A former Citibank call centre executive, who dealt with credit cards, said that she was not allowed to hang up even if the customer was abusive. All that she could do was to request the customer to be restrained in the use of words.
“We were asked to make them understand that the call was for their own good. At best, I could keep the receiver aside while the customer howled,” she said.
A call centre executive at Airtel said that the telecom service provider has asked its employees to immediately point out to the customer that the language being used is unparliamentary and also make a note of it. The executive is allowed to warn the customer twice but if the caller persists to speak in the same tone, then the staff is allowed to hang up.