Can I Help You?

I was at the bank a few days ago and I needed to see a bank teller in a Canadian Bank for a non-profit account I work on. It’s typically a quiet branch with only 2 bank tellers on.

However, surprisingly, there was a long lineup at 10:30 in the morning. That’s one hour after it opens and long before the lunch crowd. I was maybe 5th or 6th and the line behind me was forming quickly. The same two tellers were on and it looked like they were trying their best. I had no issues. I was not in a rush. I completely understand that a bank cannot predict what the customer flow might be at any given moment.

Then they send someone to work the lineup to try and help. The person they send has a beautiful Colgate smile and gives the vibe of style over substance. Let’s call him Steve. I think the bank is thinking, “Let’s see if we can train these people to use the instant teller more (or our call centers or promote internet banking) so that we have to serve less customers.”

Being a capitalist myself, I totally get that. I’m sure it costs them a lot less to process transactions in those different channels. The thing I don’t get is that the banks have to realize that by now, anyone who is in a lineup for branch services in this day and age either are requiring assistance that the instant tellers or call centers cannot provide OR they will never convert. There is no more low hanging fruit for the banks in this regard. They need to accept that they will need to service the few clients that are in line.

Anyways, back to Steve. He starts off with the first person waiting. “Hi, is there anything I can help you with? Maybe I can show you how to use the instant teller for what you need?”

The first client responded, “My instant teller limit is only $20 a day and I need $25 today. I’ve talked to you guys about raising my limit but you won’t.” Now there is an awkward silence in the lineup because the other customers realize that the bank doesn’t really want this customer and are trying to discourage him from banking there. Steve replies in an upbeat manner, “Okay, then. You let me know if there is anything else I can help you with. “

Second person waiting. “Hi, is there anything I can help you with?” He is careful this time around to not mention the Instant Teller. The second person is hopeful in her response. “It’s a simple commercial deposit with only 2 cheques. I don’t have a card on the account for the instant teller because it’s not my business. I just need the deposit book stamped.”

“I can’t really help you with that because I don’t have a bank stamp to use. “ Followed with the helpful: “Okay, then. You let me know if there is anything else I can help you with. “

And on we went down the line. Every time he finished with, “Okay, then. You let me know if there is anything else I can help you with, “ after clearly not being helpful. He upped the annoyance factor about tenfold in the lineup each time he repeated the line.

As an added bonus, there was someone Steve actually knew in the lineup and proceeded to talk 10 minutes about his career trajectory. I should also add to the context that there were quite a few employees working behind the counter talking to each other about non work related things (go in your lunch room!). There was one employee at a teller wicket who was closed, who seemed busy, her face was pinched no doubt feeling very uncomfortable about the whole situation.

The final piece to add to that story was that there was a sign stating, "Our clients have access to a dedicated team ready to engage and provide you with a more personal and interactive banking experience."

So the bank takes a long lineup and exacerbates it by sending smiley Steve down the line. Here is an idea: why not train Steve on cash and have him open up at a teller wicket so that he can actually serve a customer?

Just thinking out loud.

Image courtesy of Pixabay