A Personal Banker's Risk and Opportunity

A personal banker must juggle new business opportunity while minimizing risk challenges. With a new paradigm of regulation and growing schemes of fraud along with high demand to cross-sell the customer, the new accounts desk presents a blurry line of both risk and opportunity.   A personal banker spends their day completing an entire menu of tasks such as onboarding new customers, changing addresses for existing customers while weaving through the maze of procedures, best practices, policies, disclosures, and product knowledge.

Some banks shy away from calling the personal banker a sales representative.   However many community banks take the position of Texas Bank & Trust, Longview, a $1.9 billion dollar community bank with 19 locations in east Texas.  Connie Milligan, Senior Vice President, Director of Human Resources explains her bank’s approach, “Our lobby representatives are expected to act as trusted advisors and identify what our customers need.   They assist in matching the right bank products with the right customer.  They are all cross-trained to assist as a teller when needed.  They achieve incentives based on a variety of criteria, including cross-selling.”

Milligan stated her bank hires those with a strong customer service mindset. When they find the right candidate they guide them on a course towards success.  They start down a learning path the bank has in place.  The new hire or an employee that moves into this position is expected to be basically up and running after 4-6 weeks.  A mentor provides intensive, position-targeted training on the various legal and key issues.  Then the employee is given a desk and charged to work independently relying on the mentor for guidance.

“No question the proper documentation and procedures present the greatest challenges in this position because of all the variations that come with complex, volatile new account issues”, said Milligan.

The personal banker is typically the go-to person for answering questions, ordering checks or replacing debit cards and must excel at friendliness.  Always on the lookout for potential fraud, personal bankers spend time evaluating every aspect of a transaction for risk while respecting a laundry list of regulations.  The master-level personal banker knows that scrutiny is required in every situation. 

 

Still learning,

Honey

www.interaction-training.com

Wow! Your New Hire!

Helping your new hire get off on the right foot starts before their first day.   New employee indoctrination begins with how they learn about the opportunity, the interview process and how they are introduced to their new job and co-workers.   Starting a new job is stressful, exciting and challenging.  What can you do to make it positive?

 

Prepare a review packet for the interview.   This includes the job description, the vision and mission of the company.  Solicit feedback from your staff on why they like to work for the company.  This way you can include “Testimony from the Troops” so the prospect can get a look at the company from an employee’s perspective.

 

As the supervisor, phone your new hire a day or two before they start.  This is where the real indoctrination begins; where the first impression starts to form for your newest staff member.  Tell them what name they are to call you, confirm what name they like to be called.  Express how enthused you are to have them on your team.  Review with the new employee how the first day will go and what to expect the first week.  Give them your cell phone number and tell them day one lunch is on you.  If there is an after-hours number share it so they can give it to family members, and this is the perfect entrée to discussing texting and personal phone call boundaries on the job.

 

Talk about dress code and invite them to park in a special place on their first day – as close to the front door as possible.  Explain this will be the only day they park there but you want their first day to be as easy and comfortable as possible. 

 

Ask your new employee to come in 5-10 minutes early and that you will be waiting for them at the door.  Greet them with a handshake and a notebook.  Tell them the notebook is a central place they can make notes and write down questions or store information they want to hang on to.  Let them know that each day you will visit with them about what is in the notebook.

 

Ask them to share a few things they like for people to know about them – maybe favorite places to vacation or where they grew up, etc.  Take their photo to be used in introducing them to others and explain that you are personally committed to making them a part of the team!   Put the photo to use immediately by making a poster for the coffee bar and send out an announcement informing other departments about your new employee.  Ask those you email to call or fax a welcome to your newest team member.

 

Get your new hire off on the right foot.  Wow them like you want them to wow customers, co-workers and you!  Help them feel a part of versus a part from the team immediately!

 

Still learning,

Honey