The bank teller is usually the first face you’ll see when entering a bank. They’re smiling, waiting for you behind their window. Bank tellers have managed the front line for as long as banks have been in operation. With AI making its way into our daily lives, a look in the history of bank tellers will help us understand their roles when AI takes over the job.
What Is a Teller?
A teller is defined as “someone who counts” as its most basic definition. This definition dates all the way back to the fifteenth century. Along the way, the term infused itself with the bank, bringing us to “bank teller”. A teller was also known to deal directly with customers or guests.
Bank Teller Job Scope
Sure, a teller indeed does count. However, the job scope doesn’t stop at counting money. If that were the case, the ATM and or a banking software development company would have obliterated the job entirely. A bank teller also provides additional services such as money orders or cashier’s checks. They’ll assist with ordering, accessing safety deposit boxes, and answering all customer inquiries. A lot of responsibility and attention to detail is needed for an individual to succeed at the job of the bank teller
Bank Telling Was Not an Entry Level Job
In the past, the bank teller position was not available for entry-level like it is now. An entry-level job for banks were usually page boys or data clerks. The level of confidentiality and customer service skills needs to be up to par level in order to be a bank teller which is why it took a little bit of time to work your way up to a bank teller. In addition to being a higher job in society in the past, the job was also held by more men. Historically the bank teller that you’d deal with would be preferably a man. Women held fewer jobs outside of the home, which could play a huge role in this gender gap. They also were not quite trusted with such high-detailed jobs yet.
Banking Software in the 1930s
Dorthea Nordstrand fulfilled the job as a bank teller in 1934 and shared her story. She first apprenticed for the position for three months, proving to her superior that she could work the machines commonly used in this era. Ms. Nordstrand mentioned having to gain knowledge of a comptometer and a general bookkeeping machine that was used in many banks. A comptometer boasted the ability to calculate and was eventually patented for its innovative use. A bookkeeping machine-produced data tables and kept record of receipts, etc. Infant banking software development companies aimed to assist bank managers, tellers, and loan officers with adding and data entry. They still are attempting to help in such ways, with building AI interfaces and chatbots. Some argued that the ATM would deface the opportunity to have a bank telling career. However, it left bank tellers with more time to fulfill more complex tasks. Some fear that the autonomous AI will forever rid our banks of sucker-giving bank tellers. Voice recognition software and smart sales robots are definitely threatening bank telling. However, the ATM didn’t destroy the role, it merely changed its scope.
