Working with the public can be difficult. Anyone who has worked in customer service can understand the frustration that customers bring to everyday life.
Customers have the ability to uplift your mood or severely bring it down.
While working at a bank as a teller, I have encountered both of these types of customers many times.
These people who create problems during the day do not realize what they are doing wrong.
The following are the top 10 ways to irritate your teller at the bank.
10. Do not memorize or write down your account number.
Your account number is conveniently located at the bottom of your checks. Take notice of this number and commit it to memory. Most tellers would be more than willing to write this number on card so that it is easily accessible.
If you do not know your account number, be courteous enough to send in some form of identifi cation. The more information your teller has, the faster the transaction will be finished.
9. Send in a check with no identification through the drive through.
Frequently, the check that is sent in through the drive-through is illegible. Tellers do not have every customer’s name memorized. If the name on the check is illegible, it becomes impossible to look up a name to fi nd an account number to cash or deposit the check.
Identification is needed to make sure that the customer’s money is being protected. Asking for identification is for the customer’s protection.
8. Ask for a deposit or withdrawal slip through the drive-through during a busy period. The point of the drive-through is to cut down on the time you spend at the bank. Limiting transactions and the complexity of these transactions will make the experience go much faster and the people behind you happier.
If you see that the drive through is busy and do not have a slip, go inside and fill one out.
7. Do not talk to the teller when being spoken to.
Ignoring the greeting or the polite conversation will not bring you any closer to a great banking experience.
It is obvious when the customer has heard you but refuses to say anything back. Grunting to a yes or no question does not qualify as a response.
Rolling up the window of the car makes it even more difficult to complete the transaction. If the teller does not have a way to communicate with the customers, it will take even longer to finish the transaction.
6. Yell at your teller.
Yelling does not solve any problems; it just makes the other person angry. Be an adult. Rationally discuss your concerns with the appropriate person.
5. Push the call butt on repeatedly in the drive through.
Pushing the butt on repeatedly will not motivate the teller to assist you any faster. Once is enough. The
teller knows you need assistance and will get to you as soon as possible.
4. Call your bank many times throughout the day to obtain your balance and recently cashed checks.
There are other ways to find out your balance other than calling the branch. Use your online banking. It is as accurate as talking to a teller on the phone and will take less time. Go to the ATM to check your balance. Call the 1-800 number to check your balance. It will also tell you the last few checks that have been posted to your account.
3. Talk on your cell phone while at the bank. Walking into the bank or driving into the lane with a cell phone attached to your ear does not help the teller in any way.
Tellers do not wish to hear your conversation about what happened last night, how your heart was broken or business affairs.
Talking on the cell phone makes it diffi cult to ask any questions about the transaction and will take longer to complete because your attention is elsewhere.
Everyone makes mistakes.
Paying attention to the cash and receipts you receive will lessen the chance of your return to the bank to fix the earlier transaction.
2. Send in more than three deposits through the drive-through.
Sending less than three transactions will make your banking experience much quicker.
If your deposits cannot fit into the tube, it is a good indication that you should come inside. Sending in another transaction after the tube has been sent back to you does not count as a first transaction again. The count does not start over. That would be your fourth transaction, not your first.
1. Expect your teller to be a mind reader.
This is a talent I wish I had, but I do not.
Tellers do not know your account number, your address, loan number or social security number. They will not know that you would like cash back unless it is expressed to them verbally. Tellers do not know the amount of the last check you wrote. If it hasn’t posted, it can’t be seen. If you don’t know where you have spent your money then tellers more than likely will not know, either.
Writing down everything in your check register is the best way to keep up with your money. Staying away from these tips will guarantee you a better banking experience.
Both you and the teller will have a happier day and the trip to the bank will seem much quicker.
By KATHERINE PITTELKO
Editor
kpitt elk@umail.iu.edu