From the Perspective of a Former Branch Operations Executive As the person in charge of branch operations, one of your goals may be branch automation by way of implementing teller cash recyclers (TCR) on your teller lines. However, before you are given the green light to purchase, you have also been tasked with providing the justification for the investment. Why should it be implemented? What are the benefits, cost savings, and operational improvements you will see with the implementation? So, from my perspective as a former branch operations leader, I am here to answer the looming “why” question.

The adoption of cash automation technology, specifically teller cash recyclers, has continued to grow in the US. There are new players coming to market and the perennial powers are struggling to maintain dominant market share. With the wide variety of hardware choices out there, one of the most confusing, and perhaps contentious, parts of the customer buying journey is truly understanding how to integrate cash automation to the teller system and how the staff will adapt. In the following, we aim to debunk some of the myths out there about middleware and the fact that a very large percentage of cash automation units installed in regional and community financial institutions are driven by middleware.

One of the biggest challenges financial institutions face is executing teller transactions most effectively.. This may involve anything from utilizing universal staffing, to adding automation technology to an existing teller line, or implementing a solution geared to better handling of commercial deposits. Time and time again the challenge of the “people” part of banking rises to the top of the priority list.

We recently sat down with Suzanne Arno of the Maclean Group to get her perspective on branch transformation and how to align staffing and technology to allow a financial institution to deliver their unique customer experience. The first order of business was to clarify that the branch of the future is really the bank of right now and institutions must stay aligned with the needs of the consumer to stay viable.

Personally, I have a lot of respect for what Arca has been able to build. A relatively unknown player in the market just 10 years ago, the company has launched itself into a global brand in the cash handling device market. To me, they portray themselves well as the “cool kids on the cash automation block” and have seen tremendous growth over the last 3-4 years after a strong pivot in their sales methodology. Their most recent innovation, the CM-18 Solo, a personal cash recycler, is an intriguing iteration that I wanted to explore.

So you have made the smart decision to invest in cash automation and are now directing your thoughts towards the installation. Installs can be scary. There is new equipment and technology to learn along with new procedures and combinations to remember. While this can seem like a daunting task, you, too, can have a successful installation with the proper pre-planning and by arming yourself with the right information to guide you through the process.