After working three and a half years as an Electrical engineer, and three and a half months as an Embedded Engineer, I completed my switch to being an Officer with the Bank last week. And I mostly had people asking me "Why??" and "Will you be happy there??". It brought back memories of the time when I resigned my last job to pursue something similarly crazy. I had no intention to make that a thing by repeating it again this year, but the opportunity that presented before me was too good to forgo. And I chose it only after a very deliberate, unwritten dissertation.
I don't feel the need or the responsibility to defend my decision against the scrutiny of the public. Nor does the public have any right in demanding an explanation from me. I only had to convince three sets of people that this was the way forward for me. First was myself and her. Second was our family. And third, and most importantly, I had to convince the interview board, comprising of the top brass from SBI, that having me in their ranks was going to be fruitful for both of us. And as you can see, my arguments supporting my decision were convincing enough to land me the third career stream of my life.
All this has me placed at the Althara Branch of SBI in Thiruvananthapuram district for the next four months or so. And I have been working there for the past four days. Working might not be the right word for it though. Without my ID validation [to be completed by next Monday] and my basic training [to be completed by the end of the month], what I am currently doing is being a sponge. I am just taking in as much information regarding the working of the bank as I can.
Basically, I was a spectator watching from the customer side of the counter. Now, I'm watching the same story from the other side of the counter. It'll take me sometime to get accustomed to the requirements and rigours of the daily. But from whatever experiences that I've had, I love the job. It could be the new-ishness, which will rub off, but I doubt whether it is that.
It might seem like bragging, but I'm someone who loves helping people - those who have had real world interactions with me would concur. And since this job involves a lot of customer interaction, it is something I believe I will enjoy doing. I've already had the opportunity to assist people with opening of their accounts, helping them with their pension accounts, and hearing their grievances and directing them towards the concerned official. I know that this is not my job at the bank, but this first hand client interaction is something I think I'll always enjoy.
Then again, there are a few things we have to keep in mind while interacting with the customer, especially when they are as varied as the variety you'll get at a public bank. For this week's "5 things", we'll go through five basic skills that are to be sharpened for being a good servant to the public.
Shall we begin then??
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1. Smile
First and foremost, greet everyone with a smile. No better way to start a conversation. If not for anything else, as someone mentioned to me, most people usually find it hard to get mad at a person who just smiled at them.
2. Courtesy
Courtesy can be shown in various ways. Offering a seat, a pen; being courteous enough to respect each and everyone of them with the title 'Sir' or 'Madam'; speaking in a language comfortable to them; treating every customer equally; etc etc.
3. Willingness
A willingness to help, no matter what your position is. If you can't help directly, then it has to be made sure that proper directions are given so that help will be provided. If possible, do follow ups too.
4. Accountability
If you can help, then it's your duty to make sure that you act to help. The weight of accountability is something you have to be aware of.
5. Resourcefulness
So, you are supposed to help, you feel accountable to help, but for some unknown reason you can't. You have to be resourceful in these cases. Handle the customer as required so that they don't feel burdened, while making sure that proper help is provided as soon as can be. And as long as it is not illegal, go out of your way to help them.
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All that I said above has been put into a single quote by this great man. Live by this quote, giving cent percent always, and you can work without guilt, no matter what the result is.
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So, coming back to the initial topic, what do I do when people ask me why I joined the banking sector at this stage of my career?? I simply smile and say it is the right choice.
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So, that's all for this week then.
Have a great weekend!!
'til next week.
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