Overcrowding in Bank

I: A public sector bank is facing problems of overcrowding. Help us diagnose the problem and provide recommendations.

C: I would like to know a little more about the problem. Is it a recent phenomenon or has it been there for some time?

I: It has been there for a couple of years now.

C: Is there anything specific that prompts you to investigate it now?

I:  No.

C: Where is the bank located? How long has it been operating?

I:  The bank is in a village in Andhra Pradesh. It has been there for as long as I can remember. Think of it as SBI.

C: Is there any specific time of the day when there is overcrowding?

I: It is there throughout the day; however, it is more during 10AM - 11AM and 1PM - 2PM.

C: Okay. I would like to begin with looking at internal and external factors. Within internal factors I think either there is some inherent issue with space, or the provision of services is delayed. So, I will divide it into Workforce and Space.

In external factors I would look at Government policy, Customers, and regional banks.

I: Okay, go on.

C: Starting with workforce, are the employees late to office and take extra time for lunch, given higher crowd at that time?

I: Yes, but overcrowding is seen at all other times too.

C: Is the average time spent per customer higher than expected?

I: It is similar for all banks in the region.

C: Okay. Moving on to space, can the bank layout and placement of different workbenches be changed/optimized?

I:  No.

C: Is there paucity of space?

I:  No.

C: Okay, moving on to the external factors, is there any government policy, the facilitation of which is mandatory for the client?

I:  No.

C: Has any nearby bank closed due to which the crowd from that bank has been transferred here?

I:  No.

C: What about the customer? Do they understand the policies?

I:  Yes, they take a lot of time to understand. They also require help from the staff on automated tasks. 

C: Is it also true for ATMs?

I:  Yes, in fact the heaviest crowd and longest queues are seen outside the cash deposit and withdrawals counter. Now that you have identified the problem, would you want to give some recommendations?

C: The bank should take steps with respect to - 

Awareness and education: Guards, poster of steps to be followed, language of machine

Adaptability: Training and vocational camps

I:  Thank you.