Mastering the Art of Balancing for Tellers

Is there another job in a financial institution under more scrutiny daily than the teller?  Everyday everything counts and is counted in the teller drawer.  Among the counted include success factors like accuracy, organization, procedures, accountability, and security just to name the top five.  But at the end of the day it’s about balancing.  The teller’s balancing record is tracked and monitored.

Highly seasoned and popular with her audience, teller trainer Janice Branch says that the steps necessary to establish and maintain a consistent practice on how money is handled and how transactions are processed are the “secrets” to balancing.

“One of the most anxiety producing expectations a teller faces is balancing consistently. It’s not just luck when a teller balances; instead it’s all about best practices in action. Whether a teller balances or not depends on how well they follow specific procedures when handling cash, procedures and transactions. The ability to properly handle money and transactions is without question the key to mastering the balancing act,” says Branch.  She conducts workshops around the country, webinars for InterAction Training and provides CD ROM training on Mastering the Balancing Act for Tellers.

Janice’s Best Practices for Tellers

·         Always count coin first – the most common amount teller is out of balance is less than a dollar

·         Money that comes and goes from the drawer must be verified, using the calculator feature on your keyboard

·         Verify cash by counting it by denomination totals and entering it into the calculator, then hit total and compare the total to the check or the deposit slip

·         Watch out for common distractions – chatting on your phone or with a co-worker while counting money

·         Balancing is about certainty – knowing without any hesitation that your money drawer was always locked when your back was to it and that you verified all cash in and out

Branch says that at the end of the day her goal is to help both the teller and the financial institution get what they want…balancing! 

You can check out training manuals and free teller tools and articles by going to www.interaction-training.com/store.