There are no queues, no ‘challans’ or tokens in assorted colours, even the few employees present look like they are just out of college.
State Bank of India’s (SBI) ‘Intouch’ digital banking store, recently inaugurated at Express Avenue mall, and at five other locations across the country simultaneously, tries to present a hip, new banking experience for ‘Generation Y’.
Instead of archaic methods, the store uses modern technology to interact and educate clients about banking.
The store uses a touch interface table from Touchmagix, Windows 8 tablets from HP and Dell, video-conferencing facilities and gesture control videos using Xbox, among a host of other connected technologies, to try and appeal to the young adult.
The modern digital banking experience approaches the task at hand more like a retail store than how a conventional bank would, according to P.S. Prakash Rao, chief general manager, and Sanjiv Chadha, general manager, SBI, who were at the mall when the stores were declared open by Arun Jaitley, Union finance minister, through teleconferencing on Tuesday. At the kiosks at ‘Intouch,’ it is possible for a person with valid documents to open an account and get a debit card with a photograph in less than 20 minutes.
Suraj Srinivasan, the ‘Go Digital’ head for SBI at Express Avenue, said a small gallery within the store will be thrown open to various programmes and get-togethers to get youngsters to come in and experience the concept.
