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Arundhati Bhattacharya, President & CEO, Salesforce South Asia, said that the current banking sector faces the challenge of customer service.
In a Fireside chat with Nivedita Mookerji at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit 2025 in Mumbai, Arundhati Bhattacharya said, “Customer service is a challenge for banks as it requires striking the right balance between convenience and security.”
She said that banks today operate in an environment where technology has transformed how services are delivered, but maintaining customer trust remains critical.
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Importance of technology in banking
Speaking on the integration of technology in the banking sector, she said, “One of the biggest challenges that the banking sector has now is technology."
She said that the sustainability of financial institutions now depends on their technology 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.
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 "(From left) Hari Gopalakrishnan, partner, head of India and co-head of services, EQT; Gopal Jain, MD & CEO, Gaja Alternative Asset Management; Abhishek Kabra, MD, Samara Capital and Manish Kejriwal, founder & managing partner, Kedaara Capital (Photo")
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She 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.
Bhattacharya, who was the chairperson of State Bank of India (SBI), pointed out that many financial institutions continue to grapple with “technical debt”, outdated systems and processes that slow down innovation.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 further added that while technology enables speed and efficiency, the essence of customer service must not be lost in automation. “One business that will always remain unfinished is customer service,” she said, adding that responsiveness will always define good banking.
Sharing a personal insight, Bhattacharya said that being a woman in India with a career requires constant adjustment and resilience. “If you are a woman in India and you also have a career, you have to continuously calibrate how you take care of family responsibilities along with career responsibilities."
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