megavideolinks
Joined: 19 Nov 2011
Posts: 86
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 Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 12:32 pm Post subject: Teller training |
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Consistent with an increased investment in recruiting and screening, the training process
has been centralized, standardized, and lengthened over the past decade. The training period has
been extended from 12 days in the late 1980s to 20 days currently, and the cost per teller has24
risen from $3,000 to $4,000. Lengthy training is useful in inculcating company culture (Benton
et al., 1991). Much of the increase in teller training is driven by the bank’s new focus on quality
service and selling, but the additional eight days are not entirely taken up by training in soft skills
and how to provide quality service. True training in customer service takes up only one day, and
covers referrals and communication tips for good service, and entails role playing and oral and
written responses to videos on service encounters.
Teller training has always focused on transactions, and the fundamental learning of
concepts and tasks has not been reduced (e.g. debits, credits, how to count and balance cash,
federal reporting of certain transactions, what the FDIC is). Now, however, tellers simply need
to learn a lot more. The integrated computer system must be mastered, as well as new tasks and
transactions. Training has also been expanded with a branch visit, a self-directed learning
module, and additional practice days.
The formal training takes place at a central location in a classroom, and is intense. In
order to pass the program, trainees must earn a minimum number of points during the 20 days,
which are accumulated in a variety of ways (exams, which include a service assessment, as well
as take-home assignments, attendance, cooperation, and personal appearance). Some trainees
have a difficult time with the technical part of the program. Although all materials are written on
an eighth-grade reading level, the sheer volume of information to be learned is immense. Since
GlobalBank eliminated the math and English hiring tests in the early 80s, problems in these basic
skills sometimes crop up during the training period.
Tellers also gain much practical knowledge at the branches, through on-the-job training
accomplished with a buddy system. To varying degrees, there also appears to be a good amount
of informal cross-training, supporting the goal of integrating the service and sales work of the25
branches. At both of the branches that were visited, individual development and skills upgrading
was seen as an important goal, benefiting both the worker and the branch. For example, a teller
might help out a personal banker for a few hours a day, or will learn a specific function. Once
competencies are gained in new areas, it is not uncommon for tellers to cover for the middle-man
position of CRM, and for CRMs to cover for personal bankers.
Personal bankers are trained formally in a two-week program (covering product
knowledge, technology, credit, loan process, and sales). It is in this training that personal
bankers’ role of consultant is emphasized. One of the most important workshops is a two-day
class called “Customer Focus Sales.” This workshop is an integral part of the personal banker
training, but can also be taken by CRMs and even experienced tellers who want to move into
sales. The workshop teaches a sales technique that is customer-focused and oriented toward
long-term relationship banking (as opposed to pushing products for quick sales). Trainees spend
considerable time practicing with different sales approaches, such as the use of open-ended
questions, and learning how to initiate “high-gain” questions, frequently through role-playing.
Ongoing training classes and workshops are also available, such as “listening skills,”
“presenting to small groups,” and “Excel for Windows.” These are most frequently used by
personal bankers to hone their selling skills. Yet tellers can also take advantage of them. For
example, one teller we interviewed told her branch manager she was uncomfortable with the new
sales-oriented referrals; her manager recommended she take a course specifically focused on this
added aspect of the job. Keltner and Finegold (1998) found that the use of short training
modules encourages broader skill formation and cross-training among employees, and can also
help to create strong career paths.
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