Because their banks offer more and increasingly complex financial services, tellers in most large banks are trained to act as customer service representatives, in addition to their other duties. These tellers can briefly explain to customers the various types of accounts and financial services offered by their bank and refer interested customers to customer service representatives or bank managers. Increasing numbers of tellers work outside the traditional bank setting. Instead, they work in shopping malls, grocery stores, or other large retail establishments. Continual communication with customers, repetitive tasks, long periods of standing, working in a fairly small area and a high level of attention to security also characterize the job.
Small banks are able to provide more personal service to their customers than larger institutions.
Small banks generally are not as busy, and tellers typically recognize their customers and often know their names. Full-time employment of tellers is also much more common in small banks, increasing familiarity between customers and tellers. When hiring tellers, banks seek applicants who enjoy public contact and have good numerical, clerical, and communication skills. Tellers must feel comfortable handling large amounts of cash and working with computers and video terminals, since their work is dependent on this technology. In some metropolitan areas, employers seek multilingual tellers.