Lead Teller

Merchants Bank, Winona, has an opening for a full-time Lead Teller. This position will be for the Winona Lakeside branch (627 Mankato Ave).  Job duties include supervising and coaching Teller staff, completing a variety of banking transactions, and relationship building with customers by providing excellent customer service.

3+ years of Teller or cash handling and customer service experience required.  Leadership or supervisory experience preferred.  Must be organized, able to work under pressure, have good judgment, and able to work independently.

The hours for this position will vary between 7:10am – 5:45pm Monday through Friday and a Saturday morning rotation.

Please click on Apply Now or apply in person at Merchants Bank, Winona (102 E 3^rd Street). Questions can be emailed to hr@merchantsbank.com. Merchants Bank is an Equal Opportunity Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Job Summary:

Merchants Bank is committed to providing each employee with a responsible position, training and supervision.  This commitment is maintained with the expectation that each employee perform their duties and responsibilities in an excellent manner. 

This position serves as an onsite team leader for all Teller functions, to ensure quality customer service, relationship building efforts, and processes are meeting standards on a daily basis.  Knowledge of teller duties, procedures, and bank products is critical.  Close interaction with the other Lead Tellers is critical to coordinate efforts and ensure a smooth operation.  Serves as a role model and monitors Tellers’ relationship building behaviors.  Assists in monitoring relationship building activities.  This position will be a working teller also.

Position requires a general knowledge of Bank operations and various departmental policies.  Must exercise independent judgment in a variety of situations.  Position also requires organizational ability, initiative, and the ability to lead others. Responsible for helping to ensure relationship building goals are met.  Monitors customer service standards to ensure excellent service is being provided.  Monitors teller offages and sends to the appropriate personnel.

The successful Lead Teller is one who excels in many areas.  Detailed aspects of each area are as follows:

Customer Service (Internal and External):

Tellers play a vital role in providing service.  For many customers, tellers are their primary contact with the bank.  Customer Service is measured by the degree to which the teller provides excellent service to customers and maintains constructive relationships with co-workers to ensure a more positive working atmosphere.

Adheres to Bank customer service standards described in Service Plus and Welcome Home as follows:

• Acknowledges customers’ presence promptly with a “come on in” feeling, using a desk connector to help facilitate conversations, is aware of their surroundings and engaged in what is occurring.
• Sets aside their other work when customers approach
• Exchanges a greeting, smiles, and calls the customer by his/her name at least two or more times during the interaction
• Listens carefully to the customers’ requests, makes eye contact, clarifies facts and summarizes needs
• Demonstrates enthusiasm in handling customers’ transactions
• Explains banking procedures to customers in understandable terms avoiding Bank jargon
• Assists customers in the completion of bank forms, tickets, etc.
• Politely refers customers to a Customer Service Representative when necessary
• Thank the customers by name for their business and offers further assistance
• Anticipates customer traffic and plans accordingly to ensure customers are served promptly and efficiently
• Seeks assistance and guidance from co-workers in a timely and polite manner to avoid abrupt interruptions
• Refrains from conversations on the phone or with other employees when serving customers
• Cooperates with others and is effective in establishing working relationships
• Makes suggestions/referrals to enhance customer relationships as well as to help assist customers to take full advantage of our banking services and products
  • Lead Tellers are expected to make 18 referrals per year resulting in sales
• Asks test benefit questions and clarifying questions to place the customer in the appropriate product or service. Is able to summarize with the benefits and features of the product or service
• Creates relationship building activities and contests to increase product sales to existing customers.
• Assures product knowledge of all tellers in facility is at high level, thus encouraging them to identify customers who would benefit from bank products and ultimately introduce these products to them.
• Offers hospitality to waiting customers
• Creates “service plus” activities to maintain enthusiasm for outstanding service.

Leadership:

• Knowledge and ability to effectively provide work direction and/or supervision
• Ability to independently respond to questions and resolve problems encountered from all levels of Tellers
• Responsible for initial orientation and training of new Tellers to the Branch.
• Ability to effectively prioritize conflicting demands
• Ability to effectively establish scheduling to accommodate staffing level needs and understanding staffing models
• Ability to effectively resolve issues between tellers and other bank departments
• Independently resolves complex problems and issues using sound judgment
• Responsible for monitoring and enforcing drawer levels
• Identifies and resolves Teller balancing issues
• Provides coaching and mentoring to all Tellers in the Branch
• Responds to basic HR related issues and conducts performance reviews for assigned staff
• Provides input to hiring and salary review processes
• Assist with compliance, branch, and security audits
• May act as Branch Security Officer
• May serve as a Service Plus and/or Sales Plus coach
• Regularly attends and contributes to the Lead Teller consistency meetings

Work Habits:

Specific skills demonstrating work habits include:

• Complies with audit regulations concerning the security of the teller window, computer terminal, and branch location
• Processes transactions efficiently and accurately and has less than 2 teller mitek errors per month
• Does not hold up “cut off” times for item processing at the end of the day
• Uses the computer terminal correctly to verify the account status
• Keeps money counted down and places excess cash in a secured second drawer
• Develops speed in balancing the teller window
• Maintains a neat and organized work area by conducting daily clean sweeps
• Keeps to a minimum the number of times the teller window is closed to strap currency, review transactions, assist others, etc
• Projects a well groomed and professional appearance in conjunction with “all dressed up”
• Adheres to bank policy on absenteeism and the establish work hours
• Does not accept personal phone calls or allow other distractions which can be handled after customers leave the office
• Avoids excessive nonbusiness related emails (internal and external)
• Avoids excessive personal cell phone and internet usage and texting
• Cooperates with other staff members and responds to supervisory guidance and direction, asked good questions, listens and does the appropriate detective work to either help themselves or our customers.  Provides the process, expectations and an explanation of the “next steps”
• Assumes additional responsibilities such as ATM, cash items, vault, etc.
• Adheres to bank guidelines on handling CTR transactions, Reg E, and overall compliance

Dependability:

Specific skills demonstrating dependability include:

• Works independently
• Stays focused under pressure
• Completes work in a timely manner
• Arrives to work as scheduled
• Accepts accountability
• Adapts well to change
• Flexible to changing needs, such as staffing and training needs for the Branch
• Is confidential (Internal and External)
• Is a team player
• Employee will be expected to contribute to a positive working environment through words and actions
• Employee will be expected to greet internal and external customers in a friendly and outgoing manner.
• Employee will be expected to take responsibility to ensure that internal and external customers receive outstanding service.
• Employees will be expected to complete compliance assignments as needed.
• Regular and dependable attendance is an essential function of the job.
• Adherence to compliance with laws concerning financial institutions and completion of compliance courses as required for job description.
• Performs any and all other duties, as assigned, to increase performance of Merchants.

Other Duties:

Lead Tellers may be asked to accept additional duties to provide efficient office operation and to enhance the Lead Teller’s opportunity for advancement.  Other duties are measured by the degree to which the Lead Teller assists in overall office operations to accomplish necessary functions and maintain the ATM, vault, cash items, auditing official checks, night deposit, drive-up window, etc.

Specific skills demonstrating the ability to perform other duties include:

• Accepts requests to cross-train for additional duties
• Performs duties accurately within the established guidelines
• Completes assignments independently and in a timely manner
• Organizes time to complete duties without sacrificing service to customers
• Is innovative, comes up with marketing and/or campaign ideas

Working Conditions:

          Inside environmental conditions.  No environmental hazards such as chemicals.  Constant use of equipment, including, but not limited to, use of the telephone, fax machine, copier, coin machine, adding machine, scanning machine, and computer.

Physical Demands:

          Predominately standing for extended periods, walking between units.  Lifting and carrying of coin not in excess of 35 lbs.  Average ability in manual dexterity, finger dexterity, and motor coordination.  Able to speak, see, and hear.

Mental Demands/Competencies:

• Above-average ability or aptitude in areas of reasoning, intelligence, and clerical perception. 
• Specialized knowledge in more than one area of bank operations as bank defined (i.e. opening accounts, vault, IRA, etc.)
• Ability to maintain concentration and focus on customer service in an environment where there is considerable noise from microphones and teller machines.
• High school diploma or equivalent

• 3+ years of Teller experience or equivalent cash handling and customer service experience

• Ability to effectively provide work direction and/or supervision.
• Ability to effectively prioritize conflicting demands.

• Demonstrated proficiency in computer applications to navigate customer databases and system applications
• Knowledge of and ability to use Dayforce, Microsoft Outlook, Excel and Word

Relationships:

          Responsible to Teller Manager – Winona Market for fulfillment of Teller functions.

          Will have extensive contact with internal and external customers and is to conduct relationships in a manner that will enhance overall image of the Bank.