EMERGING ISSUES IN HANDLING RETAIL BANKING
- Knowing Customer
‘Know your Customer’ is a concept which is easier said than practiced. Banks face several hurdles in achieving this. In order to that the product lines are targeted at the right customers-present and prospective-it is imperative that an integrated view of customers is available to the banks. The benefits flowing out of cross-selling and up-selling will remain a far cry in the absence of this vital input. In this regard the customer databases available with most of the public sector banks, if not all, remain far from being enviable.
What needs to be done is setting up of a robust data warehouse where from meaningful data on customers, their preferences, there spending patterns, etc. can be mined. Cleansing of existing data is the first step in this direction. PSBs have a long way to go in this regard.
- Technology Issues
Retail banking calls for huge investments in technology. Whether it is setting up of a Customer Relationship Management System or Establishing Loan Process Automation or providing anytime, anywhere convenience to the vast number of customers or establishing channel/product/customer profitability, technology plays a pivotal role. And it is a long haul. The Issues involved include adoption of the right technology at the right time and at the same time ensuring volumes and margins to sustain the investments.
It is pertinent to remember that Citibank, known for its deployment of technology, took nearly a decade to make profits in credit cards. It has also to be added in the same breath that without adequate technology support, it would be well nigh possible to administer the growing retail portfolio without allowing its health to deteriorate. Further, the key to reduction in transaction costs simultaneously with increase in ability to handle huge volumes of business lies only in technology adoption.
PSBs are on their way to catch up with the technology much required for the success of retail banking efforts. Lack of connectivity, stand alone models, concept of branch customer as against bank customer, lack of convergence amongst available channels, absence of customer profiling, lack of proper decision support systems, etc., are a few deficiencies that are being overcome in a great way. However, the initiatives in this regard should include creating flexible computing architecture amenable to changes and having scalability, a futuristic approach, networking across channels, development of a strong Customer Information Systems (CIS) and adopting Customer Relationship Management (CRM) models for getting a 360 degree view of the customer.
- Organizational Alignment
It is of utmost importance that the culture and practices of an institution support its stated goals. Having decided to take a plunge into retail banking, banks need to have a well defined business strategy based on the competitive of the bank and its potential. Creation of a proper organization structure and business operating models which would facilitate easy work flow are the needs of the hour. The need for building the organizational capacity needed to achieve the desired results cannot be overstated.
This would mean a strong commitment at all levels, intensive training of the rank and file, putting in place a proper incentive scheme, etc. As a part of organizational alignment, there is also the need for setting up of an effective Corporate Marketing Division. Most of the public sector banks have only publicity departments and not marketing setup. A fully fledged marketing department or division would help in evolving a brand strategy, address the issue of alienation from the upwardly mobile, high net worth customer group and improve the recall value of the institution and its products by arresting the trend of getting receded from public memory. The much needed tie-ups with manufacturers/distributors/builders will also facilitated smoothly. It is time to break the myth PSBs are not customer friendly. The attention is to be diverted to vast databases of customers lying with the PSBs till unexploited for marketing.
- Product Innovation
Product innovation continues to be yet another major challenge. Even though bank after bank is coming out with new products, not all are successful. What is of crucial importance is the need to understand the difference between novelty and innovation? Peter Drucker in his path breaking book: “Management Challenges for the 21st Century” has in fact sounded a word of caution: “innovation that is not in tune with the strategic realities will not work; confusing novelty with innovation (should be avoided), test of innovation is that it creates value; novelty creates only amusement”. The days of selling the products available in the shelves are gone. Banks need to innovate products suiting the needs and requirements of different types of customers. Revisiting the features of the existing products to continue to keep them on demand should not also be lost sight of.
- Pricing of Product
The next challenge is to have appropriate policies in place. The industry today is witnessing a price war, with each bank wanting to have a larger slice of the cake that is the market, without much of a scientific study into the cost of funds involved, margins, etc. The strategy of each player in the market seems to be: ‘under cutting others and wooing the clients of others’. Most of the banks that use rating models for determining the health of the retail portfolio do not use them for pricing the products. The much needed transparency in pricing is also missing, with many hidden charges. There is a tendency, at least on the part of few to camouflage the price. The situation cannot remain his way for long. This will be one issue that will be gaining importance in the near future.
- Process Changes
Business Process Re-engineering is yet another key requirement for banks to handle the growing retail portfolio. Simplified processes and aligning them around delivery of customer service impinging on reducing customer touch-points are of essence. A realization has to drawn that automating the inefficiencies will not help anyone and continuing the old processes with new technology would only make the organization an old expensive one. Work flow and document management will be integral part of process changes. The documentation issues have to remain simple both in terms of documents to be submitted by the customer at the time of loan application and those to be executed upon sanction.
- Issue concerning Human Resources
While technology and product innovation are vital , the soft issues concerning the human capital of the banks are more vital. The corporate initiatives need to focus on bringing around a frontline revolution. Though the changes envisaged are seen at the frontline, the initiatives have to really come from the ‘back end’. The top management of banks must be seen as practicing what preaches. The initiatives should aim at improved delivery time and methods of approach. There is an imperative need to create a perception that the banks are market-oriented.
This would mean a lot of proactive steps on the part of bank management which would include empowering staff at various levels, devising appropriate tools for performance measurement bringing about a transformation – ‘can’t do ‘to’ can do’ mind-set change from restrictive practices to total flexible work place, say. By having universal tellers, bringing in managerial controlling work place, provision of intensive training on products and processes, emphasizing, coaching etiquette, good manners and best behavioural models, formulating objective appraisals, bringing in transparency, putting in place good and acceptable reward and punishment system, facilitating the placement of young /youthful staff in front-line defining a new role for front-line staff by projecting them as sellers of products rather than clerks at work and changing the image of the banks from a transaction provider to a solution provider.
- Rural Orientation
As of now, action that is taking place on the retail front is by and large confined two metros and cities. There is still a vast market available in rural India, which remains to be trapped. Multinational Corporations, as manufacturers and distributors, have already taken the lead in showing the way by coming out with exquisite products, packaging and promotions, keeping the rural customer in mind. Washing powders and shampoos in Re.1 sachet made available through an efficient network and testimony to the determination of the MNCs to penetrate the rural market. In this scenario, banks cannot lack behind.
In particular PSBs, which have a strong rural presence, need to address the needs of rural customers in a big way. These and only these will propel retail growth that is envisaged as a key strategy for portfolio expansion by most of the banks.
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