It's not my job

The next time you hear someone say "it's not my job", be 100% sure that it is absolutely theirs to do. I realized this recently at a place that so much depends on customer service for their business to survive; the Banking Industry.

Let me set the context to this experience - the situation was we (me and my wife) were in dire need of cash (not in the sense we were bankrupt, but wanted currency from ATM) and to our rescue (so we thought) there was a Corporation Bank ATM right next to where we were standing, so we go to this ATM to withdraw money.

Withdrawing from an ATM is such a routine, you insert the ATM card (in Corporation bank ATM's it gulps down you card until the transaction is completed, only then does it let out your card), key in the PIN (personal identification number), specify the amount and voilà, it spits money at you!!! Sure with our knowledge on this, we insert the card (which belonged to another bank) and wait for the screen where we can key in the PIN. But in our case it choose to gulp down the card, and gave us the message "Your card is extremely tasty for me to spit out, please insert one more of your card as i'm lovin it". Well, not literally, it consumed the card and again displayed the message to insert the card instead of showing a screen to key in the PIN.

While we stood their aghast, frantically trying to reach the customer service number displayed on the board, the security man who was standing there opened the door with a concerned face to tell us we should not have used this ATM, because since morning the ATM has gulped close to 40 cards!!!

40 CARDS?? The first thought that ran my mind was to bang my head to the ATM (i'm sure my wife had thought to bang the security wala's head to the ATM). With this piece of information and blaming the bank authorities on not doing anything about it (not even putting up a board to warn people about the ATM), he was back to his chair. Fully knowing well that this chap is horribly paid for his services and there was no point in arguing with him, i asked for the nearest Corporation Bank branch and headed straight to this bank which was at a distance of around 100-200 meters. All this while my wife was speaking with the customer service who had no idea what had to be done and the only thing they were repeating was to call another number where no soul was picking up the call.

Finally having reached the bank, we headed straight to the bank manager's cabin. This is where a very interesting conversation begins and the crux of this blog. The manager listens to us with all his attention and in the end tells us that we should not have visited that ATM as the same is not in working condition. Having convinced him with some more inputs that there was no way anyone could identify the problem with the ATM, he gave us his second thought "Please fill up a form and it will take 3 days to process after which you can come to collect your card from the head office". Aghast with this gesture and my nerves tearing in angst i again explained him our predicament, but this time with a very stern and loud voice.

Shakespeare quoted "To be, or not to be, that is the question". The next response from the manager reminded me this phrase. The manager said that this was not his problem, as the ATM was outsourced to another vendor and it was they who should get the machine corrected and retrieve my card. "Take this number and reach them with your problem" he said arrogantly handing the same number that we had been trying to reach before.

The verse from Hamlet goes something like this, "To be, or not to be, that is the question.........Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer........or take up arms against a sea of troubles", i choose the later part. I choose to burgeon the manager with a rally of verbal assaults coupled with threatening consequences all in high decibel voice, ensuring all customers in the bank heard me. After about 2 minutes of pin drop silence (and the manager hastily running out from his cubicle to hide behind the cashier) and everyone (including the bank customers) staring at me, the manager (after regaining his senses) awkwardly comes up to me with a very shocked face and murmurs that he could accompany us to the ATM. What followed in the next few minutes was the manager along with another of his bank employee (not sure if he took my threats seriously!!!) accompanies us to the ATM. He had with him a key to open the ATM (and this was not his problem) which he used to retrieve our card from a pile of cards that the ATM had gulped down.

With a sigh of relief, i thanked the still shocked manager and shook his hand for all the help provided and the trouble he had to undergo. After all it was now my responsibility to do my job of thanking for the service rendered!!!


I look at Bank Managers as 'boundary spanners' who are the key for turning services from just a service to an experience where the customer is delighted. I wonder how many of those 40 customers who lost their cards to the ATM got it back, or they simply choose to cancel out their cards and get new cards from their respective banks (who charge a service fee). All in all i had a very disappointing service experience from Corporation Bank at every touch point i happened to interact.