How POS Solutions Take Bank Tellers Beyond the Transaction

Banks spend billions every year on digital transformation, but the customers keep showing up in person. RFI Global found that people in more than half of U.S. households still visit their local bank or credit union branch, with 37% talking to a teller for routine transactions at least once a month.^[1] That same survey found that 39% of millennials still prefer face-to-face conversations with a financial advisor, even though they have access to the convenience of banking apps on their phones.

The industry is responding. Thirty-five percent of financial institutions plan to expand their branch networks, with credit unions out front at 61%.^[2] In 2024, JPMorgan announced that it would open over 500 new branches by 2027.^[3]

This isn’t a retreat from digital. It’s a sign that digital and in-person experiences must work together. To cash in, though, the technology inside the branch has to do more than it used to.

What the counter hardware actually does now

A decade ago, a teller’s technology lineup included a check scanner on one side, a separate receipt printer, and maybe a standalone validation device. Each would have its own interface and maintenance cycle. The modern replacement is a single multifunction teller device. Epson’s TM-S9000II, for instance, rolls check scanning at up to 225 documents per minute, two-sided ID verification, endorsement printing, and thermal receipt generation into one countertop unit wired straight into core banking and CRM.^[4] That means less clutter and less IT overhead.

Mobile POS pushes all of that beyond the teller window. A staffer with a portable terminal and EMV/NFC contactless support can open a new account at a service desk, process a tap-to-pay in the lobby, or run transactions at a community event.

From transactions to intelligence

Every check deposit, payment, and account inquiry produces raw data. Routed to the right analytics platform, it turns into valuable insights about things like spending patterns and product-fit signals. Properly captured, transactions can identify cross-selling opportunities that surface while the customer is still standing in front of you. Analytics systems can tie those into personalized offers, loyalty program integration, and digital receipts that feed into broader CRM workflows.

Accenture describes the goal as building a kind of digital memory.^[5] Banks can capture information from every interaction — at branches, in apps, and with call centers. They can then use AI to interpret what customers actually need. Getting that right creates a feedback loop, where richer data sharpens service, sharper service deepens the relationship, and a deeper relationship generates even richer data. The POS device sitting on the counter is where that begins.

Fraud, compliance, and why the receipt still matters

Suspicious activity reports filed with FinCEN for check fraud nearly doubled between 2021 and 2022, surging from around 350,000 to more than 680,000.^[6] The downstream cost is ugly. LexisNexis reported a fraud multiplier of $4.36 for every dollar U.S. banks lost to fraud in 2022;^[7] by 2025, that number had crossed $5.^[8] Meanwhile, Alloy’s 2025 fraud report found that 60% of financial institutions saw an increase in fraud.^[9]

Scanning checks at the teller line in real time, catching a suspect image immediately, and resolving it face to face. This beats accepting the check, tossing it in a drawer, and batching overnight. Tokenization, encryption, and PCI DSS compliance work in the background, invisible to the teller. Security that creates friction doesn’t get followed.

And then there’s the receipt. A fast thermal printout might seem like a small thing, but it’s the customer’s immediate confirmation that the right amount went to the right place. Paperless options are gaining ground, but the physical receipt hasn’t lost its function as a trust signal. People want something in their hands, especially when it comes to large deposits.

How Epson fits in

Over 85% of top U.S. financial institutions run Epson’s technology,^[10] and the lineup covers the full branch workflow. Multifunction teller devices like the TM-S9000II and TM-S2000II handle check and ID scanning plus receipt printing, while the OmniLink TM-T88VII covers standalone thermal receipt needs. DS-790WN document scanners and WorkForce Pro inkjets fill out the back office. Together, Epson’s productivity ecosystem helps form the backbone for bank branches.

What comes next

Sixty-two percent of institutions are projected to offer real-time payment capability by 2025.^[11] Biometric authentication is maturing. AI-driven personalization is moving from pilots to production. All of that puts more pressure on the POS infrastructure sitting in branches to connect, share data, and adapt without a forklift upgrade every two years.

Institutions that have already invested in integrated, adaptable systems will absorb those demands. The ones still patching together aging equipment will keep wondering why the fintechs feel faster.

Learn more about Epson solutions for financial institutions at https://epson.com/financial-point-of-sale-solutions