Elkhorn Valley Bank & Trust: The Bankers Behind the Screen

For most community banks, there is a desire for balance between the personal connection of live tellers and the speedy convenience of technology. It’s not always an easy balance to create and maintain.

However, one bank doing so successfully is $1.26 billion-asset Elkhorn Valley Bank & Trust in Norfolk, Neb., which has been adding to its growing number of Teller On Demand (TOD) kiosks since introducing the initiative in 2021. TOD kiosks offer the benefits of multiple services and products via technology, along with easy access to live tellers when a customer desires.

Unveiling the technology

“We launched our Teller On Demand initiative in 2021 with the primary objective of offering another service channel for our customers that allowed them more convenience and extended service hours,” says Aaron Otten, Elkhorn Valley Bank’s president and CEO. “The technology also offers more self-service options that do not require live teller assistance for most common transactions, although tellers are available to assist if needed.”

Otten adds that, while the community bank would love for every customer to interact personally with bank personnel, it understands that the world is moving more and more toward self-service as a preferred option, especially for younger customers. 

“This technology allows us to deliver a robust self-service channel and meet those independent customers where they want to be met,” he says.

As of June, Elkhorn Valley Bank had 16 TOD kiosks. With TOD, customers can make deposits of any kind, make withdrawals of any amount, cash checks down to the dollar, complete transfers from any of their Elkhorn Valley Bank accounts, make loan payments and even pay off their loans. 

Customers can also receive account balance information; address account, online banking and mobile banking inquiries; change their PINs; order checks; and complete any transactions with a live teller interaction.

“At the end of the day, service is the name of the game and is the differentiator between us and the dozens of other bank and nonbank competitors in our space.”

—Aaron Otten, Elkhorn Valley Bank & Trust

Self-service spotlight

While all these services are useful, some are more popular with customers than others. 

“Customers love the ability to transact all of their accounts with teller assistance without having to go into a branch or drive-through,” says Otten. “Customers also appreciate having full funds availability when depositing checks, versus only the first $225 per Reg CC that is available immediately through a traditional ATM deposit transaction.” 

The other common feedback that Elkhorn Valley Bank personnel hear is how much customers appreciate that the community bank can provide general customer service through the Teller On Demand feature—such as updating identifying information, addressing digital banking questions, ordering checks and more. 

“Teller On Demand allows customers direct access to our customer service representatives for any general banking needs they might have,” Otten says.

Raising TOD awareness

To make sure customers were fully aware of TODs and their services, Elkhorn Valley Bank launched a campaign during the initial rollout in which it placed bank staff at the TOD machines to guide customers through the capabilities and help them use the Teller On Demand feature. 

“To encourage them to give the technology a try, we randomly selected customers who performed a Teller On Demand transaction and awarded them with prizes,” Otten says. “We also clearly identified each TOD machine with an illuminated ‘topper’ that calls out its TOD capability and updated illuminated drive-through lane signs, adding a third option of ‘Teller On Demand Available.’” All of this was backed by traditional advertising, as well as social media posts about the new TOD service.

The TOD machines have proven to be a significant value-add for the community bank. “Overall, the customer adoption of the service has been very positive and certainly met or exceeded our expectations,” says Otten. The usage at Elkhorn Valley Bank & Trust continues to grow each day as more and more of the overall customer base realizes the convenience of the technology. 

“It’s been interesting to watch the trends,” he says. “Initially, customers utilize the Teller On Demand teller‑assisted feature very heavily, but as they become more familiar and comfortable with the self-service features, the overall transaction counts shift from teller-assisted to self-service.”

Otten identifies several benefits for customers. The first is convenience. Teller On Demand is available at 16 locations from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, in addition to the many self-service features that are available 24/7. 

“This technology allows customers a more efficient way to conduct transactions just as they would across a teller line or in a traditional drive-thru with the added benefit of extended hours,” he says.

The bank wins, too

Benefits also exist for Elkhorn Valley Bank. “I believe that TODs reinforce our commitment to delivering an exceptional service experience, no matter what the channel, for our customers,” says Otten. “At the end of the day, service is the name of the game and is the differentiator between us and the dozens of other bank and nonbank competitors in our space.”

The community bank also has a plan to extrapolate on the success of TOD, as it plans to broaden its capabilities. 

“We are in the early stages of beta testing full self‑service core integration through our TOD machines,” Otten adds. “This would allow customers even more self-service capabilities and the ability to transact on their full portfolio of accounts here at the bank, not just the accounts tied to a debit card.”