HDFC Bank has launched a new service – missed call banking – which allows customers avail of banking services without having to visit branches or ATMs or even using internet and mobile banking. A customer has to register his mobile number with the bank and once this number is linked with his bank account, the customer can call any of the six toll-free numbers to place a service request. He or she will not have to make any verbal request for say a cheque book or a PIN but can disconnect immediately as the call is through. There will not be any charge for this service. Nitin Chugh, senior executive vice president and head of digital banking at the bank said customers having basic mobile phones, without internet access, can make use of this service. The objective, he said, is to provide alternate channels, which are convenient, for popular banking services. A little more than a million customers have started using this service, with transaction volume touching 1.7 million in January. The bank has 28.7 million customers and seven to eight million have linked their mobile number with their bank accounts.
