Teller Strategy in Today’s World: Driving Efficiency in Retail Banking

Branches across the country are experiencing a decline in traffic and shifts in customer requests. At the same time, consumers are moving toward digital self-service, forcing financial institutions (FIs) to redefine the role of both the branch and the contact center.

Process efficiency represents a significant challenge in teller strategy for major retail banks. This typically involves simplifying workflows, minimizing document handling, and reducing costs. Forward-thinking institutions are addressing these obstacles by implementing solutions that provide end-to-end processing for retail and commercial transactions.

As FIs evaluate potential solutions, key features to consider include:

• Embedded image capture and unique workflows that enable tellers to capture 100 percent of transactions at the teller line.
• Electronic journals that log all actions performed on an item once captured, providing a complete, detailed audit trail that tracks a physical item from the point of presentment through posting.
• Automated workflows that enable bidirectional communication between the front office and back office.

Ideally, teller capabilities should perfect the majority of transactions customers present at the branch. Perfecting transactions during presentment significantly decreases the number of items routed to the back office. As a result, financial institutions can reduce the time needed to release all branch work by several hours. In some cases, institutions move to posting in as little as one hour after the last branch closes.

Back-office personnel can also leverage bidirectional communication to review, balance, and perfect transactions efficiently. If an item is unreadable or additional details are needed, an operator can make a silent electronic request to the teller’s capturing workstation for a grayscale image. This approach minimizes image transmissions and reduces the need for further action from the initiating teller. Operators can also use bidirectional communication for image and tape rescan requests, as well as log inquiries.

Banks that successfully address process efficiency can gain a strategic advantage by delivering a more efficient teller experience for customers. For more information download our interview document: Teller Strategy in Today’s World.