Look Ma, No Queues

As one enters the of Yes Bank branch located in an upmarket Delhi colony, one
notices that there is something decidedly different about this branch. While it
resembles any other branch from the outside, the difference lies in the
interaction customers undergo with the bank staff. The moment the customer
approaches the May I help you counter, the attendant greets him by his first
name, a possibility never seen before in any Indian bank.

With banks becoming a service-oriented industry today, one needs to learn
from other customer-centric industries like hospitals and hotels as to how they
go down to the minutest details for servicing each customer. As a bank, we now
need to understand who the customer is and what does he want. The real challenge
lies in identifying the customer and then equipping the staff, who are going to
interact with the customer, with relevant information for better client
servicing, says Ravi Shankar, GEVP and country head, direct banking and cash
management, Yes Bank.

Perhaps to address this challenge, the bank introduced Radio Frequency
Identification Device (RFID) technology for the first time in Indian Retail
Banking, allowing personal identification of customers at the branch. The RFID
implementation is in line with the banks recent introduction of Bank Branch of
the Future. This aims at transforming retail branches from simple transaction
outlets to Service Oriented Advisory Centers, hence enabling them to provide
high-end, value-added services through innovative use of technology and
futuristic branch design.

Tagging the Customer

Under this, an RFID chip is implanted into the debit card of the customer
(incidentally this does not affect the existing functionality of the card).
When this is carried by the card holder, walk-through antennas and hidden
cameras of the branch recognize the customer, and a brief information (including
last transaction details, contact details, etc) along with the customers photo
is flashed at the screens of the front office personnel, elaborates Shankar.

Using these basic details of the customer and the photograph on the screen,
the bank staff would be able to quickly identify the customer, greet him by his
name and immediately start a meaningful conversation without having to ask for
basic regular details. This identification-upon-arrival will enhance banking
experience significantly as quick personalized service is most valuable to
customers, he adds.

Incidentally these RFID-enabled debit cards would also enable banks to verify
customer representatives identity; this implies that in some cases account
holders send their authorized representatives to do account transactions. If
customers are using these debit cards, then the bank can be sure of the identity
of these people and also whether they are authorized to do such transactions,
says Shankar.

All said and done, an obvious concern for customers would be whether an RFID-enabled
debit card will cost more? Shankar clarifies: This debit card would cost no
more than an ordinary debit card. The real challenge was in procuring a debit
card which could be integrated with an RFID chip. The problem was solved when we
approached Gurgaon-based D2 Card.

Powered by Skandsoft Technologies, the RFID tags are being supplied by
Chennai-based Gemini Traze, while D2 Cards supply debit cards with RFID tags.

Yes Banks South Extension branch already boasts of high-end,
technology-enabled services like an automated teller cash dispenser machine,
touch-screen Internet kiosk, speech-enabled voice recognition phone banking and
Wi-Fi connectivity amongst other facilities.

Stuti Das

stutid@cybermedia.co.in