Responsibility and
Responsiveness
Thanks to WhatsApp, if you put two blue ticks
on the message, it can be a mere acknowledgement that the reader has seen your
message. It does not mean that he or she has read the message. Similarly, your
mailers also get responses. Today, most institutions tagged their grievance
redress system to technology. Its implications should be seen to be believed.
This blog addresses a few common occurrences in that direction and the best
that could be done, if the system has to improve.
My friend went to his bank branch to
enquire about a transaction that he did not originate. At the counter he
approached, he gets a response that he would verify the system and tell him. He
confirms that the transaction reflected was correct and that the system says
so. If he has any further clarification to seek, he may contact the Manager.
The Manager directs him back to the Accounts Manager, who confirms the response
of the first counter clerk. He is directed to lodge a complaint on the bank’s
website. One is dismayed at the responsibility of the officials. Is this unique
to a branch or a bank? This is universal.
When you lodge a complaint to a bank or a
Company or a mobile operator or a NBFC, you will receive a message on either
your email or mobile phone that ‘Your complaint has been received. It will be
responded to within 24/48 hours as the case may be.
When you would like to complain on the
website on the contact point, you will be directed to record your complaint on
a series of options that the institution chooses to address that may not
reflect the concern you may want to raise with that institution. When you click
on ‘others’ option, it restricts your message not to cross 100 words in most
cases. You should have learnt precis writing in your school days. You are asked
to enter the captcha. After repeated attempts, you may succeed, if you
are lucky. You wait for the declared time only to receive another message that
the complaint has been referred to the concerned official from whom you will
receive a response shortly.
In case you are disappointed and try to
reach to the Chairman/Managing Director/CEO, you would not have received even a
simple acknowledgement. Remember, this top executive at least three or four personal secretaries of
sufficient seniority in the organisation and that does not help the response
system.
Government departments are a shade better
if the grievance is addressed in person or manually. If you use technology, the
templated response system gets activated and is no different from the financial
or non-financial institutions.
We often hear of the remarkable success of
the technology in improving access to the citizen. If you are tech-savvy, you
may do all transactions using network you work with. The digitalized world has
enabled smart phones to do all that anyone does manually. Your smart watch
records your blood pressure, water or coffee intake, number of steps you
walked, and you have any problem with either your mobile phone or the smart
watch, there will be very few lucky who get their complaint redressed.
Technology has enabled many to benefit
immensely that include myriad of fraudsters. The frauds in financial
institutions today are in millions and are mostly unrecoverable. A recent post
in Money Life blog mentioned that during the last ten years bank frauds touched
Rs.5096crore of which only Rs.127cr could be recovered. There is no record of
cyber frauds with the regulator!!
I recall Sadguru Jaggy Vasudev’s
definition of responsibility: ‘Ability to respond.’ He adds: “Responsibility is
not compulsive action; it offers you the choice of action.” In several cases, such action is missing
although choices are visible. Responsiveness is the willingness to respond
coupled with ability. Willingness to respond exists sparsely and therefore, one
notices the inaction on the part of institutions against several types of
grievance. Many grievances as a result, reach the courts of justice. Several
complaints may not have cognizable evidence and so, even genuine complaints have
the chance of being treated as frivolous. Where does the remedy lie?
Entire grievance redress system in all
departments with citizen interface, should be evaluated if the nation were to
really commit to ‘ease of doing business’ and making our democracy work in the
best interest of the welfare of the citizen.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/fincop/responsibility-and-responsiveness/
