Merchant tellers

Merchant tellers perform a variety of tasks at a bank. One of those is to handle merchants

daily deposits. When a customer enters the bank to make a commercial deposit, he

or she enters the merchant teller line. The teller, who may be occupied with other business

at the time, concludes what he or she is doing as promptly as possible, comes to the window,

and signals the customer to approach the window. The customer opens a sealed compartment,

inserts a completed deposit slip (typically in duplicate), cash, and batches of

checks with adding machine tapes attached. When the customer closes the compartment,

the teller opens the compartment and removes the items. First, the deposit slip is totaled by

the cashier. The customers account number is entered into the computer to begin the

process of updating the account for the deposit. Next, currency is separated and counted.

Ones are counted by machine. Ones are grouped by the teller into stacks of $25 and paper

clipped. Groups of four stacks are banded and marked. Fives are grouped into stacks of

$200s, tens $100, and so forth. An adding machine tape is then run of all currency amounts

and compared with the amount indicated on the deposit slip. When the two agree, the teller

initials the amount on the deposit slip. If the amounts do not agree, the process is repeated.

Coins, wrapped, are inspected for size of package and for the customers bank number.

These are counted and compared to the deposit slip; again agreement results in initials

placed on the slip. When the deposit slip and count of all cash items agree, the teller prepares

a cash slip to place with the remaining paperwork and deposit and places the cash in

a drawer. If the two do not agree, a recount is done. If agreement still does not occur,

another clerk assists in the transaction. If the customer has made a mistake, the deposit slip

is returned for correction and signature.

Checks are quickly inspected for endorsement, maker, and signature. The adding

machine tape totals attached to check batches are compared to the listings on the face of

the deposit slip. Assuming they agree, the deposit slip is receipted by amount and signature

of the teller, if the total of the deposit is within the amount that he or she has the authority

to accept. If the total exceeds the tellers authority, a supervisor reviews the deposit and

paperwork and authorizes the transaction. The transaction amount is used to update the

merchants computer file. Then, one copy of the deposit slip, a cash slip, and the checks,

bound together, are placed in the tellers drawer. The duplicate deposit slip with a bank

receipt is given to the customer.

Required:

1. What drives this activity to begin?

2. Diagram the tasks that comprise the activity, merchant cash deposit.

3. What resources are consumed by these activities? (Identify each item that exists

at the merchant tellers window, as well as space, workers or items shared

with others.)

4. What resource driver would you use to assign each resource to the activity?

5. What performance measures would you establish for this activity? Why?