SBI starts Tech Learning Centres to promote tech-banking

In an effort to move closer to customers and to empower them, the State Bank of India, India’s largest bank, launched a massive, customer friendly initiative, Tech Learning Centres (TLCs) across the country.

“TLC is a unique initiative to empower its customers through technology and awareness,” said Anshula Kant, Deputy Managing Director, SBI.

According to her, 385 State Bank TLCs across the length and breadth of the country have started holding interactive learning sessions and demos of the bank’s tech-channels for over ten thousand customers every month since November 2014.

“A large number of customers are having an initial fear and hesitation to use technology for their banking needs. But through this initiative we were able to remove such hesitation among them,” said Ms. Kant, while talking to The Hindu.

SBI’s all 385 regional offices are participating in this initiative, which including rural, semi-urban, urban and metro regions. After launching in December, 2014, more than 30,000 customers were trained under these centres, till date.

The Bank conducting the workshops for about 90 minutes on the 3rd Friday of each month at 4 pm from these 385 fixed locations, whose addresses are available on the bank's website, said Ms. Kant.

While some banks target young customers, Ms. Kant said that SBI gets participation from all age groups, irrespective of their educational and financial background.

TLCs will spread awareness of the Bank’s various tech channels including Cash Deposit Machines, Mobile Banking apps, Net Banking and Green Remit Cards, in addition to providing guidance on how to use these channels safely and in a secure manner.

This is expected to encourage more and more customers to use these convenient, self-service, tech- channels for their routine transactions instead of queuing up at branches.

Over 1500 Bank’s employees have been trained to conduct these interactive sessions for the customers. Live demos on tech-devices are also shown. An 18 minute video on alternate channels is used as ‘trainer’s aid’. The trainer provides supplementary information about each device discussed in the video. Special emphasis is laid on security aspects of the tech channels and the Do’s & Don’ts are covered adequately.

Senior officers of the Bank were asked to be present in these TLCs as observers and report theirs as well as customers’ feed back/ suggestions. Ms. Kant added, “as per the feedback received, the programs have been well received and found immensely beneficial by the customers.”