Bank branches need to restore 'personal touch' in customer dealings: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday asked public sector banks not to overlook the need of personal touch while dealing with customers despite increasing use of technology in banking operations.

Unveiling the EASE 3.0, the Public Sector Bank (PSB) Reforms Agenda 2020-21 for smart, tech-enabled banking, she said banks need to connect with their customers by leveraging technology but not exclusively only through the interface of technology.

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The finance minister asked the bankers to focus more at the grass-root level.

"Banks customers do feel at the branch level that they need more access, they need more people to sit and talk to them. If bank branch is not competent to take a call, then the next level has to address the grievances.

Sitharaman said branches are "now losing" personal touch which needs to be restored.

"I'm going to say things which perhaps doesn't sound music to our ears, but I'm sure all of us have heard it and therefore want to repeat it, because ultimately we also have to introspect on those lines.

"Even today, when people come to meet me, they've been voicing worries about how at branch level we can be a bit more friendlier," she said.

She further asked the banks to devise a mechanism wherein customers would be given a "sure date" to meet officials to discuss issues.

EASE 3.0 seeks to enhance ease of banking in all customer experiences, using technology.