Teller services are an essential part of banking, but they can also be a source of frustration and dissatisfaction for customers. How can you enhance customer experience with teller services and make them more efficient, convenient, and personalized? Here are some tips and best practices to consider.
One of the most effective ways to improve customer experience with teller services is to upgrade your technology and equipment. This can include using faster and more secure systems, offering self-service options, integrating digital channels, and adopting innovative solutions like biometrics, video banking, or smart ATMs. By upgrading your technology, you can reduce waiting times, errors, and costs, while increasing customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention.
I have worked in a variety of financial institutions that each had different levels of technology. The first was very current with their technology. This made not only the customers experience better, but the tellers and supervisors day to day easier than the other institutions I’ve been at. Currently the tech at my job is outdated, everything is from the 80s, besides computers and the recently purchased A.T.M. This A.T.M. has the capability of deposits which we have on for our members. This A.T.M also has the ability to recycle the cash but we have that turned off. I feel that this would be beneficial but my boss is unwilling to bring it to the board. Technology can be very beneficial. Not only can tech be beneficial but being open minded
Upgrades in technology can positively enhance the customer's experience through faster services & protecting them from potential fraudsters and impersonators. At one of the financial institutions I worked for, we had a chip and pin system which expedite the KYC process while maintaining confidentiality and customer protection. This also allows the employees to remain in compliance and more effective with the overall customer experience.
Another key factor in enhancing customer experience with teller services is to train your staff to be competent, courteous, and responsive. This means providing them with the necessary skills, knowledge, and tools to handle different transactions, requests, and situations, as well as to cross-sell and upsell relevant products and services. It also means empowering them to make decisions, solve problems, and deliver personalized service. By training your staff, you can improve customer trust, engagement, and retention.
There are no "old ways". Each industry must evolve along with the customer's needs. Keeping a training program that highlights the newest trends is crucial to keep up with the industry standards.
What I've found helpful with training staff and keeping them empowered is to highlight positive contributions they have made. In weekly huddles either conducted in person or via email - I make it a best practice to highlight top performers for the week and their success story. Those success stories can be great segue into developing other staff to recognize certain patterns, pain points, etc. to enhance the customer experience. Of course, traditional forms or training like role play and training programs are also very helpful for foundational purposes.
A third way to enhance customer experience with teller services is to optimize your processes and workflows. This can include streamlining and standardizing your procedures, eliminating unnecessary steps, and automating repetitive tasks. It can also include implementing feedback mechanisms, quality control measures, and performance indicators to monitor and improve your service quality and efficiency. By optimizing your processes, you can increase customer convenience, satisfaction, and loyalty.
A fourth way to enhance customer experience with teller services is to segment your customers according to their needs, preferences, and behaviors. This can help you to tailor your service offerings, communication styles, and marketing strategies to different customer segments, such as millennials, seniors, small businesses, or high-net-worth individuals. By segmenting your customers, you can increase customer relevance, value, and differentiation.
A fourth way to enhance customer experience with teller services is to segment your customers according to their needs, preferences, and behaviors. This can help you to tailor your service offerings, communication styles, and marketing strategies to different customer segments, such as millennials, seniors, small businesses, or high-net-worth individuals. By segmenting your customers, you can increase customer relevance, value, and differentiation.
A fifth way to enhance customer experience with teller services is to reward your customers for their loyalty, referrals, or feedback. This can include offering incentives, discounts, or freebies to customers who use your teller services regularly, refer new customers, or provide positive reviews or testimonials. It can also include creating loyalty programs, gamification elements, or social media campaigns to engage and motivate your customers. By rewarding your customers, you can increase customer retention, advocacy, and word-of-mouth.
A sixth way to enhance customer experience with teller services is to anticipate your customers' needs and expectations. This can include using data analytics, artificial intelligence, or predictive modeling to understand your customers' behavior patterns, preferences, and life events. It can also include proactively offering solutions, advice, or assistance to your customers before they ask for it or need it. By anticipating your customers' needs, you can increase customer satisfaction, loyalty, and trust.
Best practice is to ALWAYS utilize the CRM tools available at your financial institution. It's one of the easiest way to uncover gaps, provide suggestion and solutions, and understand where the customer is currently in the customer lifecycle. Plus, many CRM tools like Salesforce for example, will provide product/service suggestions based off of customer banking patterns or questions answered when they were working with a banker. More importantly, always remain empathetic and an active listener. You will pick up and cue and clues as you engage in conversation with each customer.