Apart from lacking a consumer connect, the minister also reprimanded the institutions saying branch level executives were often unable to communicate in the local language or inform customers about government schemes.

One of the bigger concerns Sitharaman attempted to address was regarding how the image of PSBs has taken a beating owing to their low-level responsiveness. “Tell customers why you want to give them a loan, or don’t want to. But tell them,” she said.

It may be worth recalling that RBI’s annual report of the banking ombudsman scheme for 2018-19 highlighted the fact that State Bank of India (SBI) had received as many as 59,522 complaints. This was the highest among public and private sector banks. Complaints on account of all PSBs combined were pegged at 61,755. On the flip side, private banks registered 54,922 complaints in total. Those in the know of developments have suggested that despite the poor performance, the banks in question have not chosen to undertake any action. While one could argue that the quantum of complaints on the PSB front outweighs that of its private counterparts, purely on account of the larger user base, one can agree there certainly is room for improvement, vis-a-vis service levels of PSBs.

A good place to start would be exhibiting interest in the customer and his or her needs, and then adopt a ‘common-sense based’ approach while facilitating transactions. For instance, something as simple as a helpline IVR of a PSB, that must be accessible and available 24/7 outside of business hours. How do customers register a lost or stolen debit or credit card in such a scenario? If delayed reporting absolves banks of the responsibility of indemnifying customers, which door do the customers knock?

It’s about time PSBs realised that when service takes a backseat, it’s not just the solitary loss borne by a customer, but a forsaken image for the bank itself.