Customer Service Is a Challenge for Banking Sector: Arundhati Bhattacharya

Customer Service Is a Challenge for Banking Sector: Arundhati Bhattacharya
Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairperson and CEO of Salesforce India and former Chairperson of the State Bank of India (SBI), spoke at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit 2025 in Mumbai about the challenges facing the banking sector. She emphasised that customer service remains a major challenge for banks, particularly the need to balance convenience and security in a rapidly changing technological environment. Bhattacharya highlighted how technology has transformed banking services, while stressing that maintaining customer trust remains critically important.

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Balancing Convenience and Security in Banking

In a Fireside chat with Nivedita Mookerji, Arundhati Bhattacharya said, “Customer service is a challenge for banks as it requires striking the right balance between convenience and security.” She noted that banks today operate in an environment where technology has transformed how services are delivered, but maintaining customer trust remains critical.

Technology as the Core of Sustainability

Speaking about the integration of technology in the banking sector, she said, “One of the biggest challenges that the banking sector has now is technology.” She added that the sustainability of financial institutions now depends on their technological capabilities. “Any organisation that is not taking IT seriously is not going to sustain beyond a particular point in time. A strong IT backbone is important for all organisations,” she said.

BFSI: The Most Digitally Mature Sector

Bhattacharya added that the BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) sector is the “most digitally mature of all,” carrying a greater responsibility to continuously improve and innovate.

She also pointed out that many financial institutions continue to grapple with “technical debt”, outdated systems and processes that slow down innovation. “Organisations need to modernise infrastructure and invest in training to make digital adoption seamless,” she said.