EDITORIAL: Tellers

A 'Teller Training Certification Profile' appeared recently in the tools on the BankersOnline web site. It made interesting reading to me, as I was involved with creating such a training requirement list back in the 'old days' when I was first employed by a bank. I'm talking real 'old' days, around 1970. Then the list pretty much consisted of robbery response and making sure the new teller knew the difference between debits and credits, and had the ability to count cash correctly, make change, and still settle at the end of the day.The list today is much different. The robbery response requirement is still there, of course, along with all the required skills. There is also a great deal of emphasis on fraud. But fully half of the requirements of what a teller must know before he or she goes 'front line' has to do with compliance issues. The position should possibly have a new title, like Comptellerance or Compliancetell or Tellercomp.

Knowing when and how to fill out a CTR, how to recognize a suspicious transaction, how to determine when a deposit will be available, how to authenticate identification documents, and knowing which government form has to be completed for which transaction are now all part of the required knowledge that must be mastered before a person is permitted to service our customers and members.

And where else do we have the personal contact with people to practice cross-selling so often? At the teller's window, of course - so let's add a bit of responsibility there too. They're called 'incentives' by marketing.

I've mentioned our 'unsung heroes' on the front line before. It never ceases to amaze me that in many financial institutions the teller's job is considered the starting position for a person. That they are usually the lowest paid, the first blamed, and the least appreciated is a matter of history and record in this industry. But only by those who have never walked a day in teller's shoes. The best officers in our systems seem to be those who once were tellers.

If I had my way, every administrative officer, from CEO and President on down in the banking system would have to work a week each year at a teller's window. They would then appreciate the pressure and complexity of the teller's job. Come to think of it, though, settlement at the end of those days might be a tough job to accomplish!

Copyright © 2003 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 12, No. 11, 2/03