• Branch opens at 10 am. Branch Head had noted down the work he intended to complete: Process Note, OTS proposal, OD renewal and follow up of top ten NPAs.
• So he walks in, his mind already overcrowded – and thereby clouded – with all the things he planned to execute and is greeted by a bunch of papers – reminders about statements, performance review letters, undelivered debit cards, NPA Recovery, insurance canvassing, CASA campaign report and the like and a series of reminders from Whatsapp and Mail- messages!
• Second-line walks in informing about the staff position – two clerks are on leave.
• He is then reminded of heavy cash accumulation.
• He is then reminded of insufficient stock of cheque books and vital stationery for which indent placed with SRD. Stock not arrived yet. Customers are complaining.
• Another frontline officer barges in – connectivity problem due to digging work by civic bodies which has severed BSNL lines. BSNL pleads for time to restore connectivity. Problem with ISDN line. Customer rush and complaints.
• Telephone rings – call from CO about SMAs – status report needed immediately and to be placed to authorities.
• A customer walks in complaining about the delay in service.
• From the glass door, he can already see two well dressed people waiting impatiently to get a chance to enter the already crowded cabin. He then remembers that they are the same persons who had come some time back with a request for a high value credit facility and they were sent back with a request to meet after a week. And here they are now. Trying desperately to catch his attention and make eye-contact.
• He gets a call from someone enquiring about credit card facility and its features.
• Suddenly he remembers that time is running out for filing suit for a NPA a/c.
• Another call from CO – your ATM hits are low, popularize it and report progress, Status of Demat Account of staff members, signature pendency etc. etc...
• Suddenly there is uproar outside – a customer yelling at the top of his voice, complaining about the charges debited to his account which he feels is too high. Threatens to go to Consumer Forum/Banking Ombudsman.
• Second-line rushes in to inform that he just received a call from (where else) CO insisting on receiving a report on the complaint immediately as they have been reminded from ZO!
• “I did not get cash from ATM, but my account is debited”, a customer laments.
• A flood of Mail- Messages – on KYC compliance, limit expired, auto NPA slippage list and the like. Each Mail Message begins with – VERY IMPORTANT – TO BE PLACED BEFORE BRANCH HEAD and ending with CONFIRM COMPLIANCE BY RETURN Mail. Even as he is rushing through the Mail msg, another one pops in, and another, and another!
• ‘Sir, again you have deducted tax, I have given Form 15G/H twice’, a depositor laments.
• Even as he is trying to respond to the one nearest to him, another one is desperately elbowing his way in to the cabin shouting at the top of his voice: this is my 4th visit for my HL interest certificate, the Officer is asking me to come two days later, how many times should I come to the branch?
• Two gentlemen gently make their way in to cabin, identifying themselves as Inspectors. Regular Inspection (RBIA) has begun!!
He then thought about all the planning he had done in the morning and sighed: ‘they can wait’ OR RATHER ‘I HAVE TO WAIT’!! Well, so much for planning!
