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Banking in Covid Times: 6 Contact-less Ways to Reach Your Bank

Updated on: 15 Jan 2024 // 5 min read // #mmm news
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Half-way through 2020 and still locked down. With banks, universities, offices, all working with limited capacity, humans have fast learned to stay put with “new normal” and indeed surpassed the anxiety of staying at home to escape Novel Coronavirus.

The battle against COVID 19 pandemic has challenged every activity of humans. Like Doctors & essential service providers, bankers have also acted as frontline warriors, meeting financial needs of diversified customer base and ensuring seamless financial transactions for all.

Though banks and financial institutions are working within trimmed work hours 10 am to 2 pm and ensuring social distancing with limited staff presence, at the same time, we have also witnessed remarkable digitisation and innovation by these institutions for ultimate customer satisfaction.

From opting for Moratorium to Applying for Credit Card or Overdraft against your existing Home Loan, banks have ensured contact less service using the best of technological solutions. You can use digital channels for almost all types of transactions, including and not limited to, transferring funds, paying out bills, requesting baking services like cheque books, credit card, debit card etc, mandating standing instructions, starting FDs/ RDs, opening a savings account etc. Whether you want to request for a service or terminate it, all can be successfully processed online.

So, without a further adieu, let’s list out below some of the handy ways to contact your bank digitally. You need not delay or worry about limited mobility we are facing in the times of current health emergency.

1. Net Banking

Internet Banking enables seamless banking experience online. You can integrate all of your banking products and services under a single dashboard and manage them according to your convenience. Right from your bank account, deposits, transfers, online bill payments, loans and credit cards, everything can be controlled right from your laptop. It is safe, instant, and convenient. You do not need any third party assistance to pull out your account statements, start investments. What’s more? The bank sends you all preapproved offers right there in your dashboard.

If you haven’t activated net banking yet, you must login now and experience the agility of instant banking services. Visit your bank’s official website. Click on Login & select internet banking. Here you can sign up with your account details and set a PIN/Password. You may be asked to verify your identity by filling up your PAN and Aadhaar details. All PSBs and private sectors banks offer convenient net banking experience to customers.

In case, you are unable to start internet banking, you may also consider opening a new savings account online with the help of eKYC. The account will enable all basic digital services and transactions. Within next 12 months, you are required need to visit the bank for once and complete the physical KYC and enjoy the regular benefits on this online account.

2. Mobile banking

Another on the go facility is mobile banking. You can access all bank products under a single account by downloading your bank’s app. For instance SBI YONO app and ICICIBank’s iMobile App. By logging in to your bank’s app you can transact instantly.

Let’s take example of SBI YONO App to understand how bank apps work:

Download the app and log in with credentials. With SBI YONO App you can meet your all SBI relationships at one place – be it related to banking, insurance, investments, and daily expenses. Some of the notable features are:

  • All in one interface for easy to navigate & process bank products
  • Paperless account opening for new customers
  • Exclusive discounts for SBI customers across e-commerce landscape
  • Online banking
  • Quick pay facility
  • Pre-approved personal loan up to Rs. 1 lakh without any documentation in 2 minutes

3. Social Media

The voice & tone of Social Media campaigns speak volumes about brands’ value. Thus each B2C operation ensures prompt response to customer queries and requests.

Banks use social media to announce their achievements and offers for customers. You can reach out to your bank through following social media platforms, such as:

A)Facebook

B) Twitter

C) Whatsapp

On Facebook you can either send message on the FB Messenger or tag your bank and post the concern on the Facebook wall. Likewise you can tweet the concerns tagging twitter handle of your bank. In both cases, the bank will respond you and assure of the timely resolution. While sharing details on social media please make sure you do not share any confidential details on the public platform. Share Account Numbers only on direct message to the bank. You never need to share OTP or PIN to access any of the banking services.

Social Media Handles of Top Banks

BankTwitterFacebook
SBI@TheOfficialSBIfb.com/StateBankOfIndia/
SBI Credit Cards@SBICard_Connectfb.com/sbicard/
HDFC Bank

@HDFC_Bank

@HDFCBank_Cares

fb.com/HDFC.bank/
ICICI Bank

@ICICIBank

@ICICIBank_Care

fb.com/icicibank/
PNB@pnbindiafb.com/pnbindia/
Kotak Bank

@KotakBankLtd

 

fb.com/KotakBank/
Axis Bank

@AxisBank

@AxisBankSupport

fb.com/axisbank/

Amidst COVID crisis, banks have also started offering customer support through whatsapp. You can access account balance, Credit Card limit, loans and Credit Card offers, block/ unblock prompts etc.

ICICI WhatsApp Banking

4. Call/Email

You can call customer care numbers and get support for your bank account, loan account or Credit Card etc online. For urgent customer support, such as to hotlist a Credit Card or report a fraudulent transaction, you can contact 24X7 customer care number of your bank.

Email is one the significant ways to register complaints. Whether you want to raise a dispute, request a relationship change or extension, you can contact your bank through email. Amidst Covid Times, however, the response is delayed through many channels, including emails. For complaints that are not responded by the concerned department, you can email to Nodal Officer and expect a needful response in exchange.

BankCallEmail
SBI

1800 11 2211 (toll-free)

1800 425 3800 (toll-free)

or 080-26599990 (24X7 helpline numbers)

customercare@sbi.co.in
SBI Credit Cards

1860 500 1290

1860 180 1290,

39 02 02 02

(Prefix local the STD code)

or 1800 180 1290 (toll free)

Email through internet banking
HDFC Bank

18002583838

6160616 (prefix STD code)

Fill online form on website
ICICI Bank

1860 120 7777

1800 103 8181

1860 120 6699

Fill online form on website
PNB

1800 180 2222

1800 103 2222

0120-2490000

011-28044907

care@pnb.co.in
Kotak Bank1860 2662666Login & share your complaints customerfirst@kotak.com
Axis Bank

1860 419 5555

91-22-24252525

43252525

1800-419-5959

(For Account Balance)

1800-419-6969

(For Mini Statement)

Fill feedback form for complaints
 

5. SMS Banking

SMS Banking is another no hassle facility for activating/ deactivating various bank services. You can also check Account Balance, Credit Card Limit and available offers through SMS banking. Your bank will contact you and share offers, transactions, alerts and updates through SMS on your registered mobile number. In many cases, you can respond to SMS with specified code and opt for the bank services. As we recently saw banks had used sms banking to send Moratorium opt-in choice through SMS.

For example, you can use following SBI services through SMS

For showing dissatisfaction with services: SMS UNHAPPY to 8008 20 20 20

SMS BLOCK XXXX to 5676791 from your registered mobile number (XXXX = Last 4 digits of your SBI Card)

6. CHAT

With confluence of Artificial Intelligence and omni channel touch-points with customers, the chatbots developed by banks and financial institutions are smart virtual assistants that respond to most frequently asked customer queries instantly. To resolve the common issues you can visit the official bank portal and begin a chat and get instant replies.

Some of the popular & smartest banking chatbats are:

  • HDFC Eva
  • ICICI iPal
  • Kotak Kiya
  • Axis Aha

HDFC EVA

In all, Indian banks have significantly adapted to the disruptive changes posed by COVID19 pandemic. The digitization & contact less banking facilities have not only supported day-to-day functioning of common public but also ensured the much needed support for corporate transactions thereby minimising the financial disruption caused in these uncertain times.