ROGERS PARK — You won't find any tellers at BMO Harris Bank's new "Smart Branch" on North Sheridan Road.
Unless you summon them on a touch screen, that is.
BMO has begun a pilot program to do away with at least some in-person tellers by using "video tellers" instead — and the new branch at 6556 N. Sheridan Rd. is the first to get the technology.
"The majority of interactions we encourage to be self-serve," said Paul Dilda, head of BMO's North American branch and ATM channels, inside the branch.
But, Dilda said, "I don't think it's the demise of tellers."
He said once he and his team work out the kinks the video tellers would be rolled out to other Chicago-area branches — but would not completely replace the in-person experience at all of its locations.
Earlier this week, a few employee roamed the store and sat at high-top desks, where they were able to work with customers with problems that can't be solved on-screen.
"Experts" could also be called up on a screen to work on mortagages and other more-complicated banking items in a nearby conference room.
Most BMO members, however, walked up Tuesday to one of the two video teller machines and completed their transactions there.
The interaction is fairly simple. A tap on the screen brings the machine to life and connects with a teller sitting in front of a camera in Buffalo Grove.
"Hi, welcome to BMO Harris. How can I help you?" asked Yousef Ali, a former in-person teller who's getting used to seeing his customers on a screen in a faraway branch rather than face-to-face.
"It's growing on me," he said — with a smirk — when asked about how it's been going.
Dilda, who's normally based in Toronto, said customers have welcomed the new tech.
"By and large, people go, 'Oh, it's just like a teller," he said.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
