Urban vs Rural Banking.

     A clerk I knew from Bank of India, Citylight branch got transferred to Parbhani. Quite often, staff believes that any transfer, unless requested, is a punishment of sorts. But this guy was different. He was enthusiastic about doing his best wherever he was, wanted to experience out-of-Mumbai life (fresh air, no commute, vegetables straight from the farms, cheap servants), and prove to his bank how efficient he was. This last intention got him into trouble. 

 

     In Mumbai, counter staff doesn't discriminate between male and female customers. Everyone's in a rush, quite often they run their own little empires, even if it happens to be a grocery shop, and no one suffers fools. Receptionists are supposed to know their jobs and do them quickly so that those in the queue aren't kept waiting. Between 0930 and 1100 in the morning, if the computer is 'not feeling well', tempers are lost, feet stamped, bad words mouthed, and old grumbles dug up. The moment the monitors flicker on, the clerks have to 'sprint' up printing passbooks, signing scrolls, handing out cash, whatever.

     So our man in a small new branch in Parbhani decided to show his new boss how smart and savvy he was. The customer was a woman. The simple cash transaction was over in less than 30 seconds. He smiled, waved her aside and asked for the next person to step forward. Within a couple of minutes, the Manager called him to his cabin and rudely asked him why he was 'acting smart'.

     Apparently, like in cities, many small town women make it a point to do their bank work themselves. The city women are in a rush, and will throw a tantrum if a second is wasted. 

 

     This woman, on the other hand, had taken the day off from household chores. She had booked a rickshaw for the morning, dressed up in her finery and planned to go shopping after withdrawing cash. My friend apparently hadn't had the decency to ask her how her folks were, how she was, whether she'd had her chai-nashta before coming, where she was going after this... he hadn't even introduced himself to her. Did he know who she was? (This question is so common in the India that is Bharat: hanv kon zana? Main kaun hoon pata hai? Mee kon ahe mahiti aahen?). How dare he dismiss her so fast?

 

     Anyone who is dealing with people must be introduced to the culture of the place. Some questions which we take for granted in cities (“What range should I show you?”) can be misconstrued elsewhere (“Does he think I can't afford it?”). Loss of customer is loss of business. Rushing in to make changes, no matter how logical those changes might seem, can also be counter productive.

     My friend learned his lesson pretty fast, and his tenure after that was uneventful. I am told that banks now have programs to introduce their staff to cultural differences.