WHO:
Federal Credit Union
WHAT:
Rolling out NCR ITMs
WHERE:
6 out of 9 branches (7th being implemented soon)
HOW:
XYZ uses ITMs with cross-trained FSRs (or Universal Bankers), many of which are former tellers trained to do some lending, document prep, opening accounts, etc).
Remote tellers are set up off-site in a call center. Staffing was brought down through attrition and not through layoffs, which was key to the culture of changing to this technology.
MORE DETAILS:
They started rolling out the first ITM in October of 2014. The branch staff was reduced to 5 1/2 call center tellers over 14 machines. Initially the call center was intentionally overstaffed to assure the existing tellers there was still a place for them but to also allow extra time to train members.
Additional staff in the branch include 2-3 FSRs, a branch manager, an operations manager (1 for every 2 branches), and a concierge in limited areas where extra help is needed to get members used to the new experience.
XYZ's primary product focus is unsecured consumer loans. There is also a big volume of commercial loans, but usually the lender will visit the customer at their place of business to provide these types of loan packages.
MEMBER EXPERIENCE:
Members enter the branch and are greeted by a concierge. The concierge then directs the member to an ITM and may train or help the member similar to how a self-serve line works at a grocery store, or direct them to an FSR. Loans, transactions, communications and member relationships are all driven by the on-site FSRs.
Members expect to be able to do everything in every branch, and this is what XYZ strives to achieve. ITMs don't do money orders or cash advances, but do notify branch staff of the needs in real time so they can be processed at the branch.
After hours the ITMs perform as ATMs. XYZ is considering adding extended hours with 1 teller at the call center to maintain needs at all 14 machines.
KEY METRICS:
The optimal goal is to process 18 transactions per hour.
Branch traffic is overall declining due to mobile banking. However, the ratio of branch customers that drive through versus walk in has changed. The ratio is different per branch, but is 50/50 drive through vs walk in at New Orleans where there are ITMs in the drive through, but is 35/65 at a north Louisiana branch that used to be a well-known "motor branch" and has switched to mostly walk in traffic after implementing the ITM technology.
As a side note, a branch that had been in existence since 1988 switched to ITMs in 2016. Tellers had been working in that branch and establishing relationships for years. But when under renovation, XYZ set up a temporary ITM and a small teller line outside of the construction area, and members would line up to use the ITM instead of lining up for tellers. This was completely unexpected.
LESSONS LEARNED AND ADVICE TO OTHERS:
- Have more than one call center so that you have an emergency location if something happens where tellers cannot get into the main call center.
- You may need a queuing system to spread calls out among your tellers. Some are just quicker to pick up a call, which will make the teller transactions uneven.
- For our FSRs we used "Sandler Sales Method" where everyone is trained in cross selling.
- It's only very recently that the ATM/ITM dual function for outside hours rolled out. It took quite some time to get the software properly configured. Since roll out, the ATM functions have accounted for 40% of usage, so the efficiency of the tellers has come up quite a bit.
- A branch culture still exists where XYZ employees "never refuse to do the transaction at the desk." FSRs would complete the transaction at the desk and put into the machine afterwards rather than turning a member away from their office back to the machine.