The Teller Diaries : transacting

Teller Diaries #3: Saving You Money, Saving You Soles... And Tyres!

Thabang — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:31:00 GMT

Everytime you decide to come to the bank to transact on your personal account, ask yourself this: is it really a smart banking move, or are you just wasting your shoe-soles, tyre-treads, time and money?

Telling Is Outdated

Tellers cannot remain tellers forever. Tellers continue to be trained to man other non-transactional posts. Telling is just an introductory function for new bankers, and experience in telling serves as one of the requirements for further careers in the banking business. That being said, the bank-teller post to me is outdated. In this age of information, the telling function must be, and has to an extent, been replaced, with electronic banking and transacting. The lesser the customers make use of bank tellers for transacting, the quicker the transition between entry and assumption of one or the other banking post besides telling. The opposite is true!

Benefits of NOT USING Tellers

I wish not to deter you from using the branch teller for transacting. You may have reservations about electronic channels in terms of security of your funds and information, but remember, as long as your information has been captured on any computer anywhere at all, similar perceived threats (ie. information theft) abound! Also, when you bank in-branch, there's always a threat of a (bank) robbery you could find yourself caught up in, a threat you would not have to face if you were using electronic banking channels instead (save perhaps the ATM).

Electronic transacting has ample benefits relative to branch teller transacting, some of which are:

Saving your shoe-soles, tyre-treads (time and fuel costs) >> increased productivity and/or profitability
NO threat of being taken hostage, or robbed inside/at/en route a bank >> better physical and emotional safety
Huge savings on bank charges >> improved budgetary efficiency (See Teller Diaries #2)
quick, convenient and effective banking at home or in your palm >> improved lifestyle

Start Rethinking The Way You Do Banking

In this day and age, and if you can access this site and read blogs herein, then you are in an opportune position to start rethinking the way you do banking. Use the power of Mobile and Internet to make banking as easy, convenient, cheap and painless as possible is definitely the route to take for you. Here are further benefits of rethinking banking:

Most transactions are free on Mobile banking, and cheapest on Online banking, and vice versa
Electronic banking is the most convenient way to bank; you can do it anytime, anywhere you have internet/cellphone access
No qeues, no traffic (road), no irritations (except due to slowness of PC connection or poor Cell coverage)
Prompt and inexpensive account payments on due dates benefit your profile with creditors (less deposit fees for them)
Et cetera, et cetera

Isn't it time we all rethought our banking habits, patterns and cultures?

Happy Electronic Banking!

Teller Diaries #2: The Money-Saving Teller

Thabang — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:12:00 GMT

MR A. TELLER CLAIMS HE CAN SAVE YOU R500 IN BANK CHARGES IN THIS BLOG ALONE!!!

If you could save R38-00 for drawing R1 000 at a Point-Of-Sale (POS; VISA Electron Card Only) rather than at a Branch-based Teller, would you consider it wise transacting behavior? What if you could save R420 for taking out a Bank Guaranteed cheque of R40 000 rather than drawing that much cash from a Branch Teller, would you consider it a better banking option? If you answered yes to both questions, read on further. If you couldn't be bothered by these massive savings, are you really that wealthy?

Introduction

In Teller Diaries #1 you were introduced to different Teller Profiles you can expect whenever you visit the banks, and what the Best Teller's Ultimate Goal is (i.e. Adding Value to a Transacting Customer's Life). In this blog, get ready for some of the most HELPFUL INFORMATION pertaining to the Teller Banking Channel!

Teller Non-Financial Helpfulness

Tellers can help you bank safely. They are in a priviledged position to know of (and/or identify) potential threats to customers (physical), to their bank accounts (fraud-related) and to their money (robbery-related). Tellers are in a position to see most persons entering and existing the bank; are likely to identify suspicious situations / persons in the banking hall or in qeues, and can properly raise alarm in prevention of potential harm to customers and other staff.

Teller Financial Helpfulness

Tellers can also give you helpful information that could help you efficiently...here are some of that important information:

Save R8 by using your cheque or electron card to buy goods worth R1 000, instead of paying with cash..
Save R10 by using Cellphone (instead of ATM and Online) Banking to make 1 linked account transfer and 1 account payment
Save R33 by depositing cash (R3 000) into your (personal) account via ATM instead of Branch Teller

Now, check this out, if you had elected to request a Branch Teller / ATM to perform the above transactions on your behalf, you would have potentially parted with -R108!

BT / ATM

-R35 / -R11
-R40 / -R10
-R33 / -R16

An Ideal Teller - the "Group 2" Teller* - should be able to pass this helpful information on to you naturally, preferrably before they carry on with your transactional request (circumstances allowing).

In Closing

Did Mr A Teller live up to your expectations when you started reading this blog? Wouldn't you agree - indeed if Mr A Teller did manage to deliver successfully on his claim of saving you R500 - that Mr A Teller has really added value to your transacting life and thus fits the profile of the Best Teller? If you answered yes to both these questions, be sure to join me again in Teller Diaries #3 for more savings and safety tips in banking...

Till next time...A teller tells best...

*See Teller Diairies #2

Teller Diaries #1: Profile of a Helpful Teller

Thabang — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:41:00 GMT

More than 80%* of frequent visits to Banks are made to Tellers in the Transacting Zone. What can you expect from this important banking role?

There are two types of tellers in the banking industry: (1) those who process customer transactional requests, and (2) those who add value to the transacting customer's life! Needless-to-say, I belong in the latter group !

A few pointers to show which group any teller who is assisting you with your transaction, at any given moment, belongs to, are as follows:

· grinning, fast, diligent belongs to Group 1: "I can't wait to finish the queue so I can balance and go get a life!"

· friendly, eye-contacting, slow plus diligent belongs to Group 1: "I'm happy to serve you, but I'm more concerned with making sure my till balances at the end of the day!"

· grinning, slow, shabby belongs to Group 1: "What the hell am I doing wasting my time in this post (usually company)?"

· smiling, saccadic gazes, slow, inaccurate belongs to Group 1: "I'm new here and wish to impress you and my superiors with my bad service"

· no-smile, fast, accurate, brief belongs to Group 1: "I know what I'm doing, and I got other (better) things to mind when the bank closes!"

· smiling, slow, accurate, conversating belongs to Group 1: "Thanks for banking with us, I'm so lonely in this position, let's chat!?"

· smiling, slow, inaccurate, caring belongs to Group 1: "I care so much about my customer, I can waste their time!"

· grinning, law-wielding, accurate, fast, brief belongs to Group 1 (Extreme): "Don't doubt my banking knowledge and skill, my ego is bigger than this company!"

· etc., etc.,...

I know...I know, "What about Group 2?" you ask! Well, that's the thing, you see: being a teller involves so much diversity of interpersonal skills, intricate knowledge of business aspects (products, services, marketing), financial legislation, customer relations... a little bit of so many things, to the extent that tomorrow a teller may not necessarily be the best teller they are today.

Tellers are in a constant state of change and adaptation: adapting to different customer traits, behaviors, attitudes and own personal circumstances, in such a way that tellers strive to deliver consistently enriching service to our demanding customers...

Therefor, a teller's everyday goal is to add value to the transacting customer's life (ie. make Group 2). Some customers will appreciate the obvious effort, some customers won't...! For a teller, everyday is a different number!

In the end, the profile of the teller who belongs to Group 2, is that of a teller who never loses focus of a teller's everyday goal!

*Estimated.