Researches show a good HRD strategy supported by appropriate personnel policies can do a lot in terms of increasing customer, employee and stakeholder satisfactions. I would like to highlight some HRD priorities for banks in this direction.

Business improvements of banks depend a good degree on customer satisfaction. Every time a customer encounters any situation in which he has to deal with any part of the bank or encounters any form of transaction, his satisfaction or dissatisfaction gets multiplied.

Dissatisfaction gets multiplied at a much higher rate than satisfaction. For example, if the customer has to wait in a long queue for getting any of the various services, his dissatisfaction is likely to increase.

The longer the wait, longer will be the dissatisfaction.

Ihad a series of encounters with one bank which continuously added to my dissatisfaction. Every time I needed a cheque book, I had to apply at least a day in advance.

Sometimes I was told that I should not issue so many cheques, as it was creating difficulties for them. I was even told that I am eligible for a maximum of 10 cheque books per year, each containing 10 cheques only. I was advised not to use more than one book a month.

I never understood the rationale behind this. I myself would like to issue a smaller number of cheques to reduce the accounting burden, and when I needed to issue more, I never understood why this bank's staff was so reluctant.

When I repeatedly told the branch manager to charge extra for the extra cheques the branch was issuing me, then only he relented, as though he was doing a favour.

Enchancing customer satisfaction should be the first focus of human resources development. HRD staff sitting in the headquarters office can do very little directly to enchance customersatisfaction, as they have very little understanding of customers' encounters. For them, bank employees are the only customers. Even their own encounters with bank employees often leads to dissatisfaction.

The first and foremost task of the HRD staff, therefore, is to be in touch with the real customers first and then with the internal customers. Most banks have not realized this, and that is the reason why the HRD departments are unfortunately located in the headquarters rather than the field offices.

They derive power from the rules and systems they develop and not from the services they render. HRD should promote technology for improving customer service and satisfaction.

I lived for nearly a year in England. It has always been a pleasure to deal with the banks there.

This is because, from the time you open a bank account, till the time you close it, you have to meet any employee only twice - while opening the account and again while closing it. The closing can be done by mail also. You can get thecash from the ATMs and get all details you need like the statement of accounts, etc from ATMs. Life is much simpler with such systems.

The HRD staff should work with unions and associations for enhancing customer and employee satisfaction.

Customer dissatisfaction is also enhanced by the number of times a bank is closed due to strikes. Not merely the closure, but the threat of closure itself adds to dissatisfaction.

Leaders of officers' unions and associations should realise this. Banks have taken good care of their employees and they should continue to take even better care.

Banks live on the customer's money and their duty is first to serve the customer. The HRD has a role in this - to put the customer first in the minds of employees.

This could be done through a number of strategies staerting with induction training. The very unions and associations may become the agents of HRD if they are helped to recognize the importance of customer satisfaction and support. Employee satisfaction is a veryimportant aspect of customer satisfaction.

Satisfied employees are likely to serve the customers better and creatre more positive encounters.

The least a human resources development department can do is to conduct employee-satisfaction surveys. The time has come for unions and associations to work hand-in hand with the HRD staff for improving the work culture and image of banks.