Last weekend I made my way to Canara Bank. Now I have been banking with Canara bank for almost 30 years. Yet one thing never fails to amaze me. There are basically two counters in the bank. One is for the counter titled -Receipts while the other is for the counter titled-Payments. One has to deposit cash in the Receipts counter and receive cash in the Payments counter. Now I have always thought that this should be the other way round. The titles are bank centric. In reality they should be customer centric—one has pay cash in the Payments counters and receive cash in the Receipts counter.
I remember thinking that the bank despite its new found zeal in altering its look still has a long way to go. A new logo hadn’t altered the customer experience in any way which in the final analysis is the key to brand building.
My next stop was at the ATM of the bank to withdraw cash. After the usual procedure, the message flashed on the screen that my card was being returned to me. The cash was then disbursed. This set me thinking again. In the ATM of every other bank that I have been to, cash has to be first withdrawn and only then is the card returned. The problem is that sometimes in a hurry, one forgets to take the card back after pocketing the cash. I myself have had my card returned a couple of times by people who were standing behind me in the queue.
This I felt was the other side of Canara Bank. Trust, reliability and old world charm. This is the bank’s USP and the ultimate customer experience which helps its brand building more than any change in logo. This experience only reinforced my faith in public sector banks in general and Canara Bank in particular. I must clarify that I have nothing against the private sector as well as MNC banks. It is the presence of these banks that has galvanized change in the public sector banks. It is just that I prefer the public sector banks. Now if Canara Bank could only get its act right when it comes to the way its counters are titled.
