5 Tips for Getting More from Branch Staff
June 12, 2013 11:48 AM
One of the most prominent trends in retail banking today is the shift toward branch employees who are jacks of all trades. With an eye toward cutting costs and improving efficiency, more and more banks are asking their staff to perform a wider range of tasks, including making sales calls, rather than specializing as tellers or personal bankers. What follow are tips on how to move to the so-called universal staffing model from people who've been through the process. (Image: Thinkstock)
Start with Less Busy Branches
One potential pitfall of abandoning the teller system is that customers will have nowhere to wait during busy times. Experts advise making changes first at locations that do not need a teller line to control the flow of traffic during the lunch hour. Branches that have 5,000 or fewer transactions each month are good candidates for downsizing, says Jamie Eads, senior project manager at Bancography. (Image: Fotolia)
Identify Employees Who Like to Sell
A key barrier to jettisoning old staffing models is overcoming the doubts of veteran employees who are resistant to change. Many branch employees are accustomed to performing a variety of behind-the-scenes tasks, but not sales. The $11.5 billion-asset Umpqua Bank starts from the premise that people can be trained to be bankers, but it is harder to instill in them a love of customer service, says spokeswoman Eve Callahan. "We've really looked for people who are passionate about service," she says. "And that might mean that they've worked in a Nordstrom or an Apple." (Image: Bloomberg News)
Ease the Transition for Employees
Staffing changes can backfire if employees don't buy in to the process. Washington State Employees Credit Union, which recently finished converting its 18 branches, smoothed the transition by offering employees the option to stay in their current roles as long as they were supportive of the changes. Only about 5% to 10% of the credit union's employees took that option, says Gary Swindler, the senior vice president of service delivery. Some of initial holdouts later changed their minds. (Image: Fotolia)
Provide Sufficient Training
The goal of a universal service model is to provide a single point of contact for each customer who enters the branch, but that only works as long as employees are adequately trained. The training process can take a year or longer. Umpqua has been at the forefront of innovative branch designs - with vibrant, attractive spaces that bear little resemblance to traditional banks - but none of that matters if you don't hire the right people and train them well. "You can't just build a pretty store," says Umpqua's Callahan. (Image: Fotolia)
Share the Savings With Employees
Banks are switching to the universal service model in large part because of its cost savings. If existing employees enjoy some of the benefits, they have a stronger incentive to embrace the changes. Pay for universal agents tends to be about 30% higher than it is for tellers, and about 10% to 20% higher than it is for personal bankers, according to Eads. (Image: Fotolia)
