Important duties and responsibilities of a bank teller:

A bank teller has various duties and responsibilities to perform. They have to perform each task of their duty skillfully and efficiently.

The following is the list of duties of a bank teller:

• Receives checks from the customers and processes cash after checking all the required details like signature of the customer, name, date, identification etc.
• Enters the details of customers’ bank transactions in to electronic machines such as computers to record the transactions and give receipts.
• Identifies the transaction errors when the debits and credits mismatch.
• They arrange the received cash in the cash boxes & coin dispensers and count the total at the end of their shift.
• They use computers, adding machines or calculators to calculate the amounts in daily transactions.
• They sort out and file all the deposit slips, checks and loan processing documents etc.
• They scrutinize the bank vaults and ensure that the cash balances are accurate and balanced.

Responsibilities of a bank teller:

The following is the list of responsibilities of a bank teller:

• They are responsible for processing fiscal transactions of a bank with great accuracy.
• They are responsible for carrying out all the special services for the customers.
• They are responsible for issuing checks to the bond owners while settling the transactions.
• They are responsible for informing the customers about the updates of computing transaction charges, foreign currency regulations and several latest products and services of the bank.
• They are responsible for maintaining and processing the required information about opening accounts, buying bonds, closure of accounts, savings plans, etc.
• They are responsible for communicating effectively with the customers and other officials in the bank.
• They are also responsible for selling the bank services and products to the customers.
• They are responsible for validating the signatures on the checks and drafting the availability of funds in the account before issuing them.
• They are responsible for answering fiscal queries of the customers either directly or in phone.
• They are responsible for receiving and verifying mortgage payments, loan and utility bill payments.
• They are responsible for preparing and issuing cashier’s checks, traveler’s checks, exchange of foreign currency, and personal money orders.

Skills and abilities required for a bank teller

A bank teller should be skilled in various aspects to perform his job activities accurately and efficiently.

The following is the list of skills and abilities required for a bank teller.

• They must possess good math skills as they are totally responsible for handling fiscal transactions.
• They must possess a strong knowledge about various services and products of the bank and should assist the customers by providing necessary information.
• They should possess outstanding communication skills (both written and oral) as they have to communicate effectively with the customers as well as many officials in the bank.
• They should be able to work under pressure to meet the deadlines.
• They should be ready to work for long hours and also during holidays.
• They should possess the qualities such as honesty, integrity to maintain confidentiality regarding customer details.
• They should possess strong numerical ability.
• They should possess customer- friendly principles as they need to interact in a friendly manner with customers and solve their issues.
• They should possess good skills in problem solving as they had to deal various types of financial issues of the customers.
• They should be stress tolerant as they had to work even in stressful conditions.
• They should be customer service oriented.
• They should have the ability to calculate and maintain records on large sums of cash.
• They should have the ability to use computer as they had to work with computers in entering and processing transactions.

6. Salary/Remuneration

Salary and remuneration of a bank teller:

• The salary of a bank teller varies with several factors such as experience, type of the industry they are working, employer type and the skills they are specialized in.
• Bank tellers who have an experience of less than 1 year will get the salary in the range $14,216- $39,785.
• Bank tellers who have an experience of 1-4 years will get the salary in the range $17,345- $44,784.
• Bank tellers who have 5-9 years of experience will earn an income of $18,568- $46,569.
• Bank tellers who have 10-19 years of experience will get the salary in the range $20,542- $50,894.
• Bank tellers who have more than twenty years of experience will earn in the range $22,569- $54,782.
• Bank tellers who are employed in banking sectors will earn in the range $17,427- $32,457.
• Bank tellers who are employed in financial services will earn in the range $18,674- $35,549.
• Bank tellers who are employed in insurance and fiscal services will earn in the range $25,567- $48,878.
• Bank tellers who are working for credit union sectors will get the salary of $19,933- $31,780.
• Bank tellers who are working on mortgage lending/ credit products will earn in the range $18,784- $34,934.
• Bank tellers who are employed in government sectors will get the salary in the range $11,150- $36,220.
• Bank tellers who are working in franchise will get the salary in the range $13,693- $31,458.
• Bank tellers who are working in non-profit organizations will get the salary in the range $20,165- $34,568.
• Bank tellers who are working for foundation/trusts will get the salary in the range $13,435- $35,786.
• Bank tellers who are specialized in sales sector will earn between $17,562- $28,679.
• Bank tellers who are specialized in customer service metrics will earn between $13,368- $44,348.
• The female bank tellers will earn in the range $16,135- $33,005.
• The male bank tellers will earn in the range $17,458- $35,784.

What does a bank teller do?

A bank teller is one, who accurately processes the bank transactions of the customers which includes accepting deposits, withdrawals, cashing checks, processing money transfers and loan issuing and payments. Bank tellers promotes and advices on various services and products of the bank in order to increase the customers. They receive and process cash during the time of deposition. They distribute cash responding to the customers’ checks and withdrawals.

A bank teller also performs many other activities such as exchange of foreign currency, issuing traveler’s checks, cashing payrolls, and receiving loan payments. They work in both large banks as well as undersized branch banks in rural areas, towns and suburbs. They also work for some other fiscal institutions like loan and savings associations. They perform various operations such as validating the deposit slip, stamping and recording the transaction reports during time of deposition. They maintain all the timely records of the transactions performed by them. They work with electronic machines for automatic entry of deposit and withdrawal details in to bank’s records or ledger. They validate the checks submitted by the customers prior to cashing them. They should check the customers’ details such as photo identification, identification number, past history of bank accounts etc.

Bank tellers start their work shift with an amount of money in their cash counter. They are responsible for the total cash they receive on checks, loan payments, deposits, and the other cash they receive during their work shift. After working hours, they have to settle their cash accounts by submitting all the transaction reports in a settlement sheet. They also offer a great customer service by resolving the discrepancies regarding customer’s bank accounts. They also perform the clerical duties such as filing, typing, attending the phone calls etc.

Certification and Licensure required for a bank teller:

• Bank tellers who hold at least 6 months of experience can apply for certification in the American bankers association.
• They can get certified by Institute of Certified Bankers (affiliated to American Bankers Association) by qualifying in an examination conducted by them.
• The test covers the topics such as banking procedures and principles, sales operations, ethics, customer services, modern banking practices, bank teller regulations, etc.
• The total process of certification may cost $50.
• They need to complete 6 hours of education for every 3 years in order to maintain certification.
• The American institute of banking also offers courses to get enrolled and certified.
• Bank tellers who have completed the courses offered by AIB receives certificate of AIB bank teller.
• Some colleges/universities also offer course works to get qualified for the certification.
• Some banks also provide their own certification programs.
• There are some other banking institutes such as Bank Administration Institute, Mortgage Bankers Institute etc that offer education as well as certification to the bank tellers.
• The common coursework in the most of the certification programs include business and banking etiquette, co-worker interaction, needs-based selling, sales and service referrals, confidentiality and securing banking information.

Educational requirements of a bank teller:

An individual should be well qualified and should possess following educational qualifications in order to become a bank teller.

The following is list of educational requirements of a bank teller:

• An individual should possess a diploma in high school or any other equivalent.
• They should have minimum experience in clerical tasks such as cash handling, administering the bank activities, customer or sales services.
• They should possess a good knowledge and command over customer service principles.
• They should also possess required mathematical skills as all the bank fiscal transactions are based on numerical calculations.
• They should also have a strong command over computer skills as he has perform computer based operations such as calculating the cash, entering the transaction details, maintaining the records of the customers etc.
• Most of the banks prefer the candidates who had clerical experience.
• Most of the banks offer classroom training classes to the new bank tellers.
• These classroom sessions will be followed by on-job training in which a trainee gets complete knowledge over his duties and responsibilities and the way to perform them efficiently.
• In the on-job training program, they learn the bank’s policies, principles and all the techniques related to bank operations.
• Though the bachelor’s degree is not mandatory for the post of bank teller, most of the banks prefer the candidates who hold bachelor degree in finance, accounts, economics, and commerce.
• The qualification of Master’s in business administration will act as an additional asset for the job of bank teller.