3.1) Complaints/Suggestions Box:

Complaints / Suggestions Box shall be provided at all the branches of the bank. Further, at every branch of the bank a notice requesting the customers to meet the Branch Manager shall be displayed regarding grievances, if the grievances remain unchanged. Complaint Book with perforated copies in each set shall be made available at all the branches to instantly provide an acknowledgement to the customers and intimation to the Central Office. Further, a complaint form along with the name, address and telephone numbers of the nodal officer for grievance redressal shall be provided in the homepage of the Bank’s website to facilitate complaint submission by the customers.

4. Resolution of Grievances:

Branch Manager is responsible for the resolution of complaints/grievances in respect of customer’s service by the branch. He//She would be responsible for ensuring closure of all complaints received at the branches. It is his/her foremost duty to see that the complaint should be resolved completely to the customer’s satisfaction and if the customer is not satisfied, then he should be provided with alternate avenues to escalate the issue. If the branch manager feels that it is not possible at his level to solve the problem he can refer the case to Central Office for guidance.

4.1) Time frame:

Complaint has to be seen in the right perspective because they indirectly reveal a weak spot in the working of the bank. Complaint received should be analyzed from all possible angles. Specific time schedule shall be set up for handling complaints and disposing them at all levels including branches and central office. Branch manager should try to resolve the complaint within the specified time frames as furnished hereunder.

• Deposit related complaints (Rate of interest, Issue of deposit receipts, Standing instructions, issue of pass books etc.,)- 30 days
• Advances related complaints- 30 days
• Bills/ Drafts/ Cheques ( Issue, Collection etc.,) , 15 days
• Service Charges – 15 days
• Service related complaints ( Deficiency of service etc.,)-20 days
• Safe Deposit Lockers -15 days
• Cash handling-15 days
• ATM related complaints-7 days
• Others – 15 days

Communication of bank’s stand on any issue to the customer is a vital requirement. Complaints received which would require some time for examination of issues involved should invariably be acknowledged promptly. All Branches shall maintain a separate complaints register and record all the complaints / grievances received by them directly or through the Central Office and submit the Action taken report on complaints received to the Central Office at the end of every month.

5.Interaction with customers:

The bank recognizes that customer’s expectation/ requirement / grievances can be better appreciated through personal interaction with customers by bank’s staff. Structured customer meets, say once in a month will give a message to the customers that the bank cares for them and values their feed back/suggestions for improvement in customer service. Many of the complaints arise on account of lack of awareness among customers about bank services and such interactions will help the customers appreciate banking services better. As for the bank the feed back from customers would be valuable input for revising its product and services to meet customer requirements.

6.Sensitizing operating staff on handling complaints:

Staff should be properly trained for handling complaints. As the bank is dealing with people and hence difference of opinion and areas of friction can arise. With an open mind and a smile on the face customer’s confidence can be won. Imparting soft skills required for handling irate agitated customers, will be an integral part of the training programs. It would be the responsibility of the Nodal Officer to ensure that internal machinery for handling complaints/grievances operates smoothly and efficiently at all levels. He should give feed back on training needs of staff at various levels to the Human Resources Management Department.

7.Analysis and Disclosure of complaints:

In tune with the Guidelines of Reserve Bank of India, a statement of complaints and its analysis and the details of unimplemented awards of the Banking Ombudsman shall be disclosed along with the financial results. The Bank shall place a statement of complaints before the Board / Customer Service Committees along with an analysis of the complaints received on a quarterly basis. Further, a detailed statement of complaints and its analysis shall be placed in the Bank’s website for the information of the general public at the end of each financial year.