The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday issued comprehensive guidelines directing banks to strengthen customer services by increasing the use of regional languages across their operations. The move is aimed at ensuring that banking services are accessible and easily understood by customers in different parts of the country.
According to the guidelines, banks are required to adopt a Board-approved policy for general management of branches. This includes displaying indicator boards at all counters and providing customers with booklets outlining available services and facilities. Printed materials such as account opening forms, pay-in slips, passbooks and customer grievance information must be made available in Hindi, English and the concerned regional language. Banks are also operating multilingual contact centres and digital channels to provide services in regional languages.
The Department of Financial Services has advised Public Sector Banks (PSBs) to strictly comply with the RBI instructions. The RBI, in its communication to Scheduled Commercial Banks, has reiterated that all customer communications should be issued in a trilingual format — Hindi, English and the regional language.
The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has further encouraged PSBs to adopt policies promoting recruitment of Local Bank Officers to strengthen communication with customers in rural and semi-urban areas. The initiative is being actively pursued by banks.
Customer service functions at the front end in PSBs are now largely handled by Customer Service Associates (CSAs). As part of the recruitment process, CSAs are required to clear a Local Language Proficiency Test for the official language of the State or Union Territory where they will be posted. This measure is aimed at ensuring seamless interaction with customers and improving the overall service experience.
The information was shared by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.