Empathy and Problem Solving

Recently I faced multiple problems while using IMPS (Immediate Payment Service) to transfer money across my savings accounts from a well-known publicly listed bank (Bank-X) in India to another banks. I made two transactions from my savings account using IMPS from a laptop, one from Bank-X to another account in publicly listed bank in India (Bank-Y) and second from Bank-X to another publicly listed bank (Bank-Z) in India. Both transactions were at best one minute apart.

In case of first transaction (X to Y), I received a transaction failed status with a message ‘processor down’ – while this message was cryptic and failed to explain where the problem was, I noticed that my savings account was debited and credited for the amount I had attempted to transfer using IMPS.

A thought struck me that perhaps Bank-Y’s systems were unavailable hence the transfer was not successful. Immediately I opted to use IMPS to transfer an amount from Bank-X to Bank-Z; my savings account in Bank-X was debited for the amount and the IMPS transaction status did not indicate any error. Anticipating a credit in the beneficiary account in Bank-Z, I checked the balance and statement, the amount debited from Bank-X was not credited to beneficiary account in Bank-Z. Because there was no reversal nor any message of transaction failure, I chose to be patient, waited for few hours for the beneficiary account to get credited. After about 4-5 hours of waiting, the beneficiary account in Bank-Z still did not receive credit.

As an account holder in Bank-Z, I called help desk and explained the problem I faced and provided details of transactions, the customer service representative (CSR) of Bank-Z confirmed that there were no problems with any of their systems and the beneficiary account did not receive any funds.

Finally the same afternoon after about 6 hours later I called the service desk of Bank-X to lodge a complaint explaining the issue at hand, the fact that my account in Bank-X was debited but no credit was received in the beneficiary account in Bank-Z. I also told them that I had never faced any problems in money transfers using IMPS before. 

It took some time and persistent effort to register a complaint with CSR that I as a customer am facing a real problem and the usual response of ‘be patient and wait’ does not help. The response to this complaint was to ‘wait and call back after 3 business days in case the beneficiary account was not credited’

Annoyed by the insensitivity of the problem I spoke to the supervisor of the CSR and he too gave a response that was worse, that the ‘Bank-X was not responsible, there were problems with IMPS transactions so I would have had to wait for 3 business days’. I explained to him that my earlier attempt to use IMPS for fund transfer to Bank-Y failed. Instead of acknowledging the problem he asked me to use another money transfer option (‘NEFT’) to which I responded that if the bank-X could reverse/credit the amount back to my savings account then I would have sufficient funds to attempt another transfer. The supervisor was adamant in defending his and the bank’s position that the transaction failure was not the problem of bank. I was worried and concerned that the bank seemed to have lost my money. He transferred the ownership of problem and subsequent update on progress to my ‘relationship manager’.  

Later that evening I emailed CIO of Bank-X quoting the problem and ticket number etc., he forwarded the request to one of his support staff. On Day 2, almost 30 hours later, I was contemplating to escalate the matter to the CEO Bank-X and just about then the beneficiary account in Bank-Z was credited. With a sense of relief and a bitter after-taste of ‘customer service’ and expecting a call from the bank, I moved on.

A few days later, I was at a crematorium in Pune waiting to complete mandatory paperwork ahead of cremating a relative. It was the same day when Pune city along with few others in the state was completely shut down due to massive protest. I along with my relatives could not find a single copier shop open where we could have made paper copies of identification proofs and submitted it to the crematorium – submission of paper copies of identification is mandatory process required by the crematorium. The clerk-cum-operator at the crematorium was aware of the situation outside, listened to our plight and examined identification proofs, while he needed a copy of identification proofs as per law/process, sensing exceptional situation and our helplessness in finding a copier, he gave a ‘go-ahead’ for cremation and asked us to submit paper copies of identification within 24 hrs. We thanked the clerk for his empathy and ‘common sense’; we did submit necessary paper copies of identification within 24 hours of cremation.

I dare to compare my experience as a ‘user’ or ‘consumer’ of services in two diverse situations, one of an organized regulated sector (Banking) and other of public service. If I were to compare the background of people providing service in these two situations they were poles apart in terms of their socio-economic background, education, training, communication skills etc. but the gentleman at the crematorium was far more empathetic, sensitive and realistic in dealing with the situation – he was willing and able to find a solution to the problem. These incidents and the way they were dealt with helped enhance my understanding of ‘problem management’ and also taught me few lessons: 

• Put yourself in the shoes of customer/user who is facing a problem – be compassionate
• Listen attentively
• Communicate frequently with customer
• Assure customer, a customer has faith in your ability to solve problem
• Let the standard operating procedure (SOP) or ‘process’ NOT constrain you from finding a solution
• Trust your instincts and apply common sense

In the first case, while I have been banking with Bank-X for over 15 years, a simple confirmation from the bank that my money was not lost or wired to a rogue account would have been reassuring but no one in the bank was willing to communicate that and till the time of writing this article I have not had a follow-up or a closure. The bank probably had almost all the right ingredients, information, tools and knowledge at their disposal but then for a transaction that happens in seconds why does the bank demand to wait for 3 business days before acting on a complaint?

In the second case the gentleman at the crematorium had never seen me before and chances are we may never meet, yet he trusted and offered a solution, certainly he understood the pain and took steps to reduce it. 

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