What are the most effective ways to teach problem-solving and decision-making to tellers?

The best way to teach these things is to be a good mentor. Let them make mistakes and then talk how how it could have gone differently.

From a Christian Perspective as a Small Business Owner: Develop a supportive community where students can discuss their struggles and get advice from peers and teachers. Support and lift each other up. Promote critical thinking: Teach students to analyze problems critically. Engage them in creative solutions based on their values. Demonstrate problem-solving skills with a positive attitude and strong faith as a teacher or mentor. Teach students to trust God's plan and seek His guidance. Allow students to put their problem-solving skills into action by serving others. Put faith and values into practice through service projects and outreach.

First, identify common teller problems like difficult customers, cash discrepancies, transaction errors, fraud detection, and security procedures. Use experience, teller feedback, complaints, and audit reports to compile scenarios, categorizing by frequency, complexity, and impact.

Following specific procedures designed by the organisation helps an individual identify most of the common problems faced by customers.

Here are some effective ways to teach problem-solving and decision-making to tellers: Identifying Common Problems and Solutions: Brainstorming: Facilitate brainstorming sessions with tellers to identify the most common issues they encounter daily. This helps tailor training to real-world situations they can relate to. Scenario-Based Learning: Develop realistic scenarios that replicate common banking problems, like suspicious transactions, irate customers, or policy inquiries. This allows tellers to practice applying problem-solving frameworks in a safe and controlled environment.

Boot camp style training so they can learn from each other/their colleagues in a simulated scenario. This is similar to “war games” employed by marketing companies to generate strategies and tactics in gauging and winning in the marketplace.

Buddying up new colleagues to a more experienced individual always helps as new employee can learn much more than the basic training modules taught to them by their trainers. And experienced individual can help the new employee pick up speed in no time

To teach problem-solving and decision-making to tellers, I prioritize realistic simulations. These hands-on exercises mirror real-world challenges, offering immediate feedback. Through role-playing, case studies, or interactive games, tellers learn to assess risks and make informed decisions. For instance, in a simulated scenario involving a suspicious transaction, tellers practice evaluating risks and following protocols. Regular practice builds confidence and prepares tellers to handle real-life situations effectively.

In my experience, this is very helpful. Simulations provide a professional with real time, examples and a possibility to act in it with their point of view, instead of following a training material. This process brings training and real life together, and gives an opportunity to the professional for using theory in practice and at the same time reinforce the training material. Even though a simulation, it gives a professional to live their work life without the actual stressors of real world work life, before or during the start of their actual work.

Providing case scenarios and presenting them to the teller is a great way to assess their problem-solving skills. After the case scenarios, one can explain the best solutions. Also, creating a supportive working environment where the teller feels comfortable and encouraged is one of the best methods for professional development and problem-solving skills.

Offer guidance and support to tellers during and after simulations to aid learning and boost confidence. Provide clear instructions, explain solutions' rationale, offer tips, ask questions, give feedback, and facilitate discussions. Utilize various sources like yourself, other trainers, senior tellers, or online resources for comprehensive support.

1. Expose them to best practice use cases from internal (within their bank ‘s organisation) and external (other banks) for inspiration. 2. Keep them abreast of banking practices in developed countries so they can learn effective and efficient ways of working.

Just like any other work, setting, if there are set policies and procedures for a position to have ongoing support for frequently asked questions during the workday, surely takes the stress of the professional away. This also helps in avoiding to second guess their own decision while working in a fast based environment. Flipping through training material & personal notes can be overwhelming. although having personal notes can be very helpful, but having a live support to answer questions, and certain unusual, or usual situations that can cause doubt, is always very helpful in making decisions, and solving problems. Especially since problem-solving is very specifically defined process rather than personal opinion or choice of a professional.

Guiding and supporting tellers in problem-solving and decision-making involves pairing them with mentors, implementing training programs, fostering clear communication, providing accessible resources, offering regular feedback, and encouraging team collaboration. The aim is to empower tellers to improve their skills and navigate challenges effectively with the necessary support and guidance.

Employ regular two-way feedback mechanisms where they can voice out their ideas and receive real-time feedback or assessment on their performance as well.

It is surprising how a system works. If the previous steps have gone past without any concerns, this step is a natural follow up to the previous steps. A professional has a tendency to analyze their situation, which in this case would be a reflection and evaluation of their training, simulation and work experience with Support. This process would become very easy and specific to the professional if they weren’t any hinderance in the previous steps. Although sometimes, and encouragement from the employer, can make the process a requirement rather than professional choice.

It is fostering a culture of self-assessment and critical thinking. It includes prompting tellers to reflect on their actions, decisions, and problem-solving processes to identify strengths, areas for improvement, and lessons learned. This approach promotes continuous learning and skill development by allowing tellers to analyze their performance and make adjustments based on their experiences. It involves creating a supportive environment where tellers feel empowered to evaluate their own problem-solving approaches and make informed decisions to enhance their problem-solving capabilities over time.

In my experience, a reward comes from various places, those could be form of remuneration, benefits, or recommendation from the employer and it can also be from customer feedback and employer performance reviews. There could be a possibility of adding rewards in different other way, for example career advancement, and/or other professional indulgences like conferences, and/or a possibility to meet other professionals. since this step is very specific to the professional, depending upon their requirement from their job, therefore this is supposed to be extremely customized for each professional.

Reward and recognise them for a job well done. It works well in building their confidence and motivating them to do better / their best every time.

Empower them to make these decisions. Tellers are generally on the lower end of the pay scale at most financial institutions and feel like they need to run every decision by someone else. Involving tellers in decision making on every day routines encourages them to be leaders and can motivate/inspire critical thinking in problem solving.

I think as leaders we often take the easy route of handling complex issues on our own as a path of least resistance. Training is instrumental in the development of problem solving skills, but exposure is the key. Allowing our employees to learn how to overcome real life situations leads to enhanced knowledge of and comfort with problem solving. Taking a more supportive role as opposed to leading the charge in these situations creates an environment where employees feel empowered to figure things out on their own, and become more comfortable and confident doing so.

Two way communication, constant feedback and constructive feedback at all times. Offer support by providing the necessary feedback, this allows the trainee to understand where things have gone wrong and where to focus on improving their delivery next time around. Practice makes perfect!

In teaching problem-solving and decision-making to tellers, it is essential to utilize interactive training modules, case studies, role-playing exercises, regular feedback, collaborative learning, continuous learning opportunities, creativity encouragement, customer-centric focus, risk management training, and scenario-based learning. By incorporating these factors tailored to the banking environment, tellers can enhance their problem-solving skills and make informed decisions effectively.

Taking action informed by goal, plan, and reflection is the tried and true method. It can be exhausting to think about the time and energy required for this process. If you have the leadership and a willing team, every work day can be a stepping stone toward improvement. I've experienced such a process. The improvement can be subtle and gradual, almost unnoticeable. Over time it becomes apparent. A skilled leader and a willing/skilled team are required. Time to plan and de-brief need to be factored in and committed to. For many organizations, a thorough de-briefing at the end of a long day is not valued enough to be done.