State-owned banks are now learning to blend class banking with mass banking.
Despite the arrival of high-tech banking, for Union Bank of India (UBI) branch banking is still a major focus area.
The Mumbai-based bank is renovating and upgrading 100 selected branches in a bid to reposition itself among the young and techno-savvy customers. It is also learnt that the bank has finalised a plan to give a new look to all its 2,400 branches across the country over a period of time.
Initially, the bank is expected to spend around Rs 8-10 crore in the next 6-9 months for refurbishing 100 branches.
Sources reveal that Mumbai-based AGS InfoTech is one of the bidders that has submitted a detailed proposal to transform UBI into one of the NextGen population.
As reported by FE in January 2008, the bank is also expected to adorn all its refurbished branches with a new brand new logo. UBI is the third state-owned bank to have opted for a re-branding exercise in recent times, the other two being Bank of Baroda and Canara Bank.
Mohan Tanksale, general manager, UBI, said, ?The bank has invited tenders to appoint a consultancy firm that is expected to revamp the bank?s logo and also give new look to the selected metro branches, each on an average area of 2,000 square feet. The process is expected to get completed within a month?s time and by September-end, we will initiate the first phase of our re-branding exercise.?
?The refurbished branches would have sections like self-service lobby, ATM-kiosk-internet facility area with customer service hotline facilities, cheque drop-box and self printing passbook counter. Also, our endeavour is to gradually transform all our branches across the country into sales outlets while shifting the service operations to the back offices. It would be a reversal of the current format where our retail branches mainly act as service centres,? said Tanksale.