Why Bank Teller Skills Tests Are Critical for Banks and Credit Unions

Banking is more complex and offers more options today than ever before. Today you can send and receive money through several online and digital services, like PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, and Zelle without ever stepping foot inside of a bank or credit union.  Depositing and withdrawing money has become more convenient without any human interaction thanks to online financial services and automated teller machines (ATMs) on every corner.  Customers can even deposit checks just by taking a picture of the check using their mobile app.

These technological advances are a result of needing to provide more and better services for customers. Even with these self-serve changes, the demands on banking staff have also increased. According to Bloomberg, “There’s a high tolerance for self-service until it fails, and then there’s no tolerance.” 

As you know, customers still need face to face interactions with their local banker. Bloomberg continues, “Branches and tellers aren’t going away entirely. Instead – as customers turn to mobile phones for routine financial services, [Bank] Teller [positions] are being upgraded, taught to pitch loans, guide local entrepreneurs, and offer technical support.”

Many people prefer visiting a bank teller when setting up an account. Customers still want to visit a bank or credit union, in person, to make a transaction and have a question answered at the same time.  When that happens, successful banks and credit unions will have a friendly bank teller waiting to serve.  

Successful banks and credit unions understand that the Bank Teller position is critical to customer success, and when performed well can be a competitive advantage over other banking institutions.  For some customers, a knowledgeable teller, and personal approach is the difference in securing or losing their business.

Critical Skills of Successful Bank Tellers

Bank tellers need a variety of skills to be successful. They are the bank or credit union’s front line for customer service locally.

Bank and Credit Union Tellers need both math and interpersonal skills. Tellers need to be able to handle large amounts of cash accurately.  Strong rapport and communications skills are needed to work with customers on a variety of products. More than ever before, critical thinking and sales skills are required to assess customer needs and suggest additional products and services.

How to Hire the Best Bank Tellers

Finding Bank Tellers with the skills to be successful can be hard, but there is a secret weapon for finding the right staff to represent your bank or credit union. Bank teller skills tests and personal banker pre-employment assessments can help identify whether candidates possess the right skills for your organization before you hire them.

These skills assessments range from basic bank teller skills tests to a wide variety of administrative and behavioral evaluations that can help determine a candidate’s aptitude for the position. Basic bank teller skills that can be tested include customer service, math, interpersonal communication, reasoning, and typing skills.

Here are the specific banker skills tests and customizable training modules that will help you hire the best bank tellers and credit union staff:

• Standard Subject-Based Assessments: eSkill Bank Teller Skills Tests can assess candidates for Math Skills, Computer Skills, Financial Accounting Skills, Customer Service Skills, Critical Thinking, Money Handling Principles, Typing, Sales, and others.
• Standard Job-Based Assessments: eSkill Bank Teller assessments help determine if candidates for various roles including Debt Collection, Credit Analyst, Cash and Banking Supervisor, Financial Adviser, Loan Officer, Credit Union Manager, and more.
• More Than 600 Modular Subjects: eSkill’s platform allows for the customization of assessments. You can create your multi-subject test in seconds. Hand-pick questions from a library of accounting, banking, and financial assessments, or create your own from scratch.
• Customize or Add Your Unique Content: eSkill’s extensive library of banking and credit union skills tests is 100% customizable. It’s easy to add your content using the eSkill Author.  You can create and customize banking assessments to test an applicant’s strengths and weaknesses and to determine whether the candidate is the right fit for the position.

eSkill pre-employment assessments for banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions can help you identify cognitive abilities and social intelligence. eSkill can also help you to build a predictive model, based on high performers, that can help you identify the key traits that positively impact job performance in your bank or credit union.

Testing for banking skills is critical to providing the best customer service for your bank or credit union. Request a demo today.