Kathmandu. Soon every bank in India will get a single national number. Customers will also be able to make calls.
This change will help customers identify the bank and protect themselves from fraud. Banks have asked the government for a personal calling number with a series of ‘1600x’. It is expected to be approved soon.
Having a national number for each bank and the facility of incoming calls to that number will improve customer safety and experience. Banks have spoken to both the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in this regard. A clear direction is expected soon in this regard.
At present, banks use various numbers in the 1600X series to reach customers. It does not have any incoming call features. The RBI had issued a circular in January directing banks to use only the 1600x number series for transactions and the 140x number series for promotional calls.
Banks have sought more clarity from the RBI on the use of the 1600x series. This includes the facility of incoming calls to these numbers and discounts for customers who have agreed to contact the bank.
Banks will also seek an official discount to separate calls to repay loans from 1600X series numbers. Many times banks outsource recovery work. In such a situation, should third party recovery agents also use the 1600x series? There is a need for clarity on this. – Agency
