Bank Teller Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a bank teller. Feel free to use our bank teller job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a bank teller.
Who is a Bank Teller?
Bank tellers are the first point of interaction in a bank over the counter at branch locations. Bank tellers are also known as Personal Banking Representatives or Customer Service Officers and they are considered the face of the bank. A bank teller is an employee of a bank whose sole responsibility is to handle customers’ cash and negotiate instruments. Bank tellers can also be called cashier or customer representative; most bank teller job requires someone with experience in handling cash. Most banks create a room for entry bank tellers to gain experience through internships. Bank tellers usually sit in the front line of the bank to carry out routine customer transactions.
Bank tellers are usually the first people customers meet when they step into a bank. Tellers verify the customer’s identity and process the request for withdrawals from the customer’s account. They generate certified checks and money orders from customers’ demands. Some bank tellers exchange different currencies when carrying out transactions.
Bank tellers also serve as bank intermediaries by answering questions about bank products and services and they also give customers direction if they want to carry out a complex transaction. They count cash in their drawers as they begin their shift and gather the remaining cash at the end of their shift to account accurately for deposits and dispersals. Bank tellers perform several duties which accepting deposits, processing payments, and disbursing cash to customers. These professionals handle customer inquiries and requests and make new recommendations on services and products offered by the bank. Bank tellers also perform basic customer service tasks, such as answering phone calls and forwarding customer requests to bank managers.
Most tellers work in different branches of banks located in various communities and branches. Some bank tellers also work for credit unions. Bank tellers should possess excellent communication skills and also the need to be able to work autonomously with a team
Bank Teller Job Description
Below are the bank teller job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a bank teller job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a bank teller include the following:
- Promote the Bank’s image
Bank tellers are frontline workers who promote bank services for customers to patronize. Their approach to customers is professional, and also they welcome customers to build the reputation of the bank. The role of the bank teller is core to the bank because it brings about customer satisfaction and retention. This will make account customer’s come to the bank especially when they want to carry out a transaction or purchase new banking investment products
- Boost Sales of Banking-Related Products
Bank tellers are bank marketers or referrals for investment and account specialists that work inside the bank. Customers receive firsthand information about banking products. The role of a bank teller demands them to offer to arrange a consultation with another bank professional inside the institution to fulfill the customer’s banking demands. If a customer does not want to book an appointment with the manager of the bank; a bank teller can direct him to the bank’s website or give him/her the bank brochure
- Maintain Accurate Daily Cash Transaction Records
In a bank, transactions take place on daily basis and they are; accepting cash and check deposits, preparing transfers, and receiving items such as cashier’s checks. Tellers are usually the caretakers of a bank account to the benefit of the bank and customers. They ensure that all kinds of transactions are done correctly and prevent any friction for customers and loss of income for the bank. There will be a loss of revenue for the bank if the customer decides to change a bank as a result of a transaction error. Bank tellers do their best to make sure a transaction is successful to retain bank customers.
- Enforce Bank Policy
Bank tellers are primarily responsible for implementing bank policies, especially new ones. Bank tellers do not perform any transaction contrary to the bank policy. Tellersthroughh welcomes new and exciting clients to the bank but will not perform a transaction unauthorized by the bank. There is a thin line between customer satisfaction and upholding the bank’s integrity and tellers do the latter at all cost. Tellers for instance will not accept to cash a bounced check.
- Communicate with other bank team members
- Keep customer’s personal information confidential
- Open new accounts and helping customer’s out with loan application
- Exchange foreign currency
- Promote the bank’s products and services
- Prepare specialized types of bonds for customers which; saving bonds, traveler’s checks, and money orders
- Record transactions done electronically
- Answer account-related questions for customers
- Resolve customer’s issues and provide relevant information
- Manage the risk involved in every transaction and detect fraudulent transactions to prevent loses
- Comply with banking guidelines when performing a transaction
- Go the extra mile to build a trusting relationship, customer loyalty, and satisfaction
- Make sales referrals, suggest alternate channels and cross-sell products and services
- Assess customer needs and introduce new products and services( credit cards, saving bonds,etc)
- Make use of software to track bank information and generate reports
Qualifications
- sc in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Marketing, Economics or any relevant field
- Mathematical skills and paying attention to details
- Customer satisfaction-oriented
- Awesome communication and time management skills
- Knowledge of computers and familiarity with applications like MS word, Ms excel, Corel Draw, and Ms. Outlook
- Proven working experience in the banking sector such as personal banking, retail banking, or any financial institution
- Teamwork skills
- Multitasking skills
- Ability to work under pressure
- Organizational skills
- Written and verbal communication skills
- Professional appearance and courteous manner
- Ability to pass a background check
- A friendly personality and a smiling face to brighten the day of customers
Essential Skills
Bank tellers interact on daily basis with customers and there are some salient skills they need to perform their duties accurately and efficiently. These skills are:
- Customer service: tellers with strong customer service skills perform their duties as appropriate and they help the bank to retain customers. Tellers with strong customer service skills develop a relationship with customers and can assist customer needs. These are factors that about great revenue to the bank
- Computer literacy: bank tellers perform most transactions on the computer. They use banking software to open and regulate customer accounts. It is very paramount for bank tellers to be highly literate in dealing with computers to identify customer needs
- Ability to Multitask: banks are busy environments that sometimes bank tellers have to work under pressure. A bank teller should be someone that can perform different tasks when the need arises. He must be someone that can execute a transaction excellently even when under intense pressure
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
Bank tellers must be able to communicate clearly and explain issues to customers in an understandable manner. Most bank customers may come to the bank to make complaints or look for a way out on certain issues; it is the responsibility of bank tellers to resolve issues. Bank tellers must also draft written communication documents in a comprehensive manner
- Ethics and integrity
In a bank, money is transacted and circulated daily among bank tellers. A bank teller must have a moral standing on not siphoning this money and he must have a personal standard of integrity. Bank tellers are trustworthy people that serve as a channel for protecting customer’s financial transaction record
- Basic mathematical skills: Tellers should be very good at solving mathematical arithmetic’s because they deal with money figures on daily basis. They must be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide to make deposits, withdrawals, and payments
- Ability to count cash: tellers must know how to count cash rapidly but some banks have a machine that usually counts cash. A bank teller must know how to make business with money
- Focused or paying attention to detail: a bank teller must be someone who is much focused and he/is not easily distracted. A bank teller must be much focused on accurately completing financial documents and regularly making changes to customer accounts.
- Knowledge of Financial software
Bank tellers must be able to use specialized financial software. Banks usually train bank tellers before they enroll on the job. It will be highly beneficial if a bank teller understands the software beforehand.
How to Become a Bank Teller
One of the most rewarding professions in the globe is being a bank teller; you get to interact daily with customers and also have a flexible work schedule. If you are considering becoming a bank teller you need to do the following;
- Acquire a Bachelor Degree in Financial Accounting, Economics Banking, and Finance or Business Administration
Acquiring a bachelor’s degree in Accounting or banking and finance qualify you to work in a bank as a bank teller. This degree usually takes up to four years and you will gain knowledge on how to balance accounts. The areas focused are cash book, ledger, and balance sheet; as a result of this knowledge harnessed you will be able to balance the debit and credit side of an account.
Someone with a Higher National Diploma can also work as a bank teller. The education you acquire helps you to be able to speak and write excellently.
- Obtain a Master’s Degree in Financial Accounting
The role of a bank teller in a bank is highly indispensable and so some banks may consider master’s degree holders when they are recruiting bank tellers. Acquiring a master’s degree will make you a hot cake in the job market and also sought after.
- Earn a Certification
A bank teller certification validates your skills in customer service, ethics, and banking operations. Certification may not be requisite in becoming a bank teller but it can make you be promoted. Most bank tellers are offered they-level positions while others are loan officers, head tellers, or personal banking representatives. Certificates can be acquired through online training such as the American Bankers Association. The certification training usually lasts for a minimum of six months and exams is included
- Pass a Background Check
Candidates that want to be bank tellers must be free from any criminal record for them to be considered. Employers check criminal records for any appearances of unethical behavior. A background check usually involves the following; consumer history and it also lists places you have lived in the past seven years as well as any record of bankruptcy. Employers also checkmate if you can perform your duties as a teller without any covetousness.
- Enroll for Graduate Trainee
In some countries of the world, bankers are recruited yearly as graduate trainees and are being evaluated if they are competent enough to take the role of a bank teller. At the end of the graduate trainee session, if a candidate performs excellently; they are being retained in the bank as bank tellers.
Where can a Bank Teller work?
Banks: this is the primary place bank tellers can work by accepting deposits, making withdrawals and they can also serve as loan officers. They also count cash and balance numbers at the end of the day. They can work in the following banks:
- Central Bank
- Commercial Banks
- Agricultural banks
- Bank of Industry
- Insurance Companies: Bank tellers can work in insurance companies where they can perform transactions for customers. They make deposits, withdrawals and keep records of all the daily transactions done in the insurance company.
- Government Financial Institution: Bank tellers can work in government financial institutions such as the ministry of foreign exchange and the ministry of finance. They can carry out national transactions but in and outside the country
- Trade Centre: Bank tellers can work in a trade center where transactions are made and will balance accounts at the end of the day. They also give accurate records of all transactions performed daily and also help the trade center to retain customers.
Bank Teller Salary
The salary of a bank teller varies from one country to another and below are some few countries;
- In Nigeria, a bank teller usually earns around 120,000 NGN per month. Salaries range from 59,900NGN to 186,000NGn. This is the average monthly salary including other benefits and allowances. Tellers vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender,or lactation
- The average bank teller salary in the USA is $29,250 per year or $15 per hour. Entry positions start at $24,805 per year while most experienced workers make up to $35,226 per year