Another busy day ahead of me, though aware of the everyday hectic schedule had a rather late last night much as every night, owed to the social behaviour rehearsed by everyone. The time is 8.00 a.m. I enter the office in a rather weary state of mind and go through my task-in folder to determine how my energy for the day needs to be allocated.
On a normal day I contribute nothing fruitful till my breakfast cum coffee fix at ten thirty, however my work agenda for today seems that it needs some amendment. For I have the hectic task of transferring some funds for a project that I am responsible for, and that would mean getting involved into something productive before my mind switches on the ‘work’ button. As if I have am to even think of saving some energy and get along doing the rest of my work for the day I better start off going to the bank right away.
Stop right there! Hold your mockery! Despite how simple the task may be given that you have not carried out the certain task in Male’, the environment I live in requires any sort of dealing even the simplest withdrawal and deposit with a bank only possible for those in possession of the highest patience, guts of a primitive trader and free time of a kindergartner. I for one person sadly not encompassing any of the above mentioned characteristics, hence put me in such a situation to label this otherwise would be simple task on my top hectic list.
If you are thinking that you are reading the most blasphemous ideology given of a bank well, I do not blame you but let me define what a visit to the bank is like in the Maldives, so as you can have an understanding. First of all the bank starts to operate at 8.00 a.m. well nothing wrong with that, but then again similar to myself most employees who work there had a late last night and hence their mindset is not in the perfect state to operate. A more sever issue is that it stops operating at 1.30 p.m. and when I say it stops it fails to provide any service after that time frame. Meaning that the bank is only open comparatively for a short period given that government sector operates departments work from 8.00 a.m. till 2.30 p.m., around 5.00 p.m. for private sector firms and even up to 11.00 p.m. for some.
However the real issue being that, during this short time frame, despite some steps that bank branches had taken to get more organised in dealing with customers in recent years (automated allocation of queue positions) hardly would any one refer to the service as efficient. At any given time slot after 9.00 a.m. if you are to enter any given branch of any given bank, you would come across endless queues of customers waiting to be serviced and a waiting area filled with people trying to get hold of the attention of the bank teller. Sometimes you come to wonder if you are in a bank or at a primitive local fish market for all the pulling pushing and shouting that you might experience.
If you are wondering how come the allocation of queue positioning fails to address the issue, well the reason being is that there is such a demand for the services by customers that a typical waiting time for your turn if lucky could be between half an hour to an hour. If unlucky, which consists the most your number could be nothing anywhere close to a realistic position that would be serviced for the day. If by chance you had the free time of a kindergartner you could easily becomes a millionaire by obtaining appointment numbers from the system and selling them to the highest bidding customer, only if it was legal I am more than glad to shift career paths. A realistic and well practiced shot at getting your task done within a short time span at a bank branch would be to find someone who knows a teller or an employee at a bank branch who could carry out the task required ‘under the table’.
Snapping back to reality, well I see myself already running short of time to make my journey to the bank before everything starts going all berserk. Upon arrival I come to realise that I had been indeed arrived later than I projected for there seems to have gathered a considerable amount fellow myself who had come early to the bank. I take a respective queue number. Having had the rare opportunity to find an empty seat to sit in till my number comes up I shift to wonder, what can be done to change this hectic procedure, for myself being in the youth find this taking a toll on me everyday I practice this expedition.
Indeed thinking from a simple perspective the blame goes to the banks. For it is putting its customers on otherwise would be risky position, failing to provide their service anywhere close to an efficient level. Policies such as charging on conventional services such as using the ATM and introduction of new services well practiced around the world such as telephone and internet banking would bring some relief to this issue. I for one person would even for a nominal fee would opt for a more convenient option that what is open right now.
Leaving the world of fantasising about solutions to the many issues that need to be addressed I enter reality upon seeing my number on the screen, I approach the counter to be received by a jadedly smiling teller. After a simple procedure I am done transferring the required funds. Fifteen minutes had passed in the bank. Luckily managed to start off my day rather well having had achieved my task of the day. Time to head off for breakfast with friends and then head to work at 11.30 a.m. to contribute something productive to my company.
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1 comment:
This is great info to know.
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