State Bank of India (SBI) will soon introduce several customer-oriented services, hitherto associated only with new generation banks.
The country's largest commercial bank intends to extend telebanking services and real time Internet banking with personalised screens to a larger customer base, launch Master Card-enabled networked debit cards, more ATM machines with connectivity, introduce loyalty cards for preferred customers and pioneer the concept of SBI Smart Cards.
Perhaps the only 'untechi' thing the bank wants to do is to bring about a change in the attitude of managers by getting them to shrug off the "typical government job mould" and become more sensitive towards problems of customers.
Chief general manager, product development, marketing and personal banking, SBI Corporate Centre, T S Bhattacharya said SBI wanted managers to be more like the Japanese in attitude. "In a Japanese bank, the manager will get somebody who speaks English if he doesn't, and after understanding the problem, would see to it that the information demanded is given within a reasonable time," he said.
On a one-day visit to review SBI's initiatives in the Nagpur zone, Bhattacharya lamented the "circular culture" in commercial banks and said SBI could do without it. "Managers have to learn to look beyond circulars and, if they can't satisfy a query immediately, they should beg time and get back later after checking it out with their superiors," he remarked.
The youngest chief general manager with SBI, Bhattacharya believes in harnessing technology to improve efficiency and creating benchmarks for the industry.
SBI has 435 ATMs in the country and plans to raise this to 1000 by March 31, 2002, he said. SBI also plans to introduce telebanking in 300 branches. "We are two to three years behind schedule when compared with some private banks, but we have the advantage of giving even newer technology," said Bhattacharya.
SBI has offered Internet banking at various places which it wants to upgrade to real time Internet banking once the branches are networked. "We are now offering end of the day (EoD) type of Internet banking, but, even then, fund transfers within the same branch, account statement availability, fixed deposits and other services can be availed of by our customers," Bhattacharya said. This service will be extended to 69 cities by the end of the calendar year.
SBI is also experimenting with a US made software which will offer personalised screens to customers when they log in for Internet banking. "It will greet customers based on the profile fed into it," said Bhattacharya.
SBI could have introduced the product earlier, but is having to adapt it to suit Indian conditions. "It works fine in the US, but who relates to basket ball, American football, Base ball or mortgage loans here," said Bhattacharya. He said the programme was being enlarged to include India's ethnic diversity and culture so that the screen reads "Happy Pongal" in the south and "Shubho Vijaya" in Koltaka.
From March 2002, SBI's ATM cards will carry a small sticker which will convert it into a networked debit card. "This service will be free and the ATM card will be Master Card-enabled," explained Bhattacharya. Incidentally, SBI also wishes to cross one million mark in credit cards by March 31.
