Why is SBI Bank's service so poor compared to other banks?

My simple answer - Job Security

If you are puzzled by the answer, compare a service banker/manager in SBI vs someone in private banks (like HDFC, ICICI, etc.). When you walk into a private bank branch and you even look lost thinking which counter to go to, there will be someone to ask you what you need and help you out. When you walk into an SBI branch, figure out who is the right person for the job, go to him or her and you still not might not get the job done.

I went to three different branches to get a simple KYC update / mobile number update to get a reply “go get it done in your home branch”. This is when they saw that my home branch is 1000 km away in a different city. The funny thing is this is not even a rule that KYC update needs to be done in home branch as a fourth branch did it for me without question. Here, I compare with a HDFC or ICICI bank where you can visit the nearest branch to get the job done. Even better, most of the simple things are self serve via netbanking, unlike SBI, where you need to visit the branch for every little thing and the chances of getting the job done depends on the bankers mood.

All this is because SBI is a government company where people have job security. Most employees (not all) do not deliver proper service to the customers and can still get away with it. This is not at all possible in a good private bank. Yes, they do handle a lot of low balance accounts and government schemes for poor to lower middle class fellow citizens, that does not justify the rudeness of the employees.