In banking, the term “front counter” generally refers to activities performed by staff while the customer or member is present. Tellers are responsible for numerous front-counter duties, including processing account holders’ deposits.
Payment Processing & the Front Counter
When discussing the topic of payment processing, front counter can also describe a specific type of technology for enabling teller capture. Front-counter applications sit between financial institutions’ teller systems and scanning devices to help tellers efficiently complete payment-related tasks. Front-counter systems provide features that:
- Synchronize the teller system and connected scanning devices
- Make it easy to use the teller system to “wake” connected scanners
- Communicate scan job information to the teller system
- Move check image and data to the next stage in the payment workflow
Front-Counter Solutions
Some financial institutions rely on their core banking provider for teller software and front-counter technology. Being able to manage fewer vendors is one obvious advantage of this approach. However, opting for core-provided solutions makes the institution increasingly dependent on a single tech vendor.
Other banks and credit unions prefer to look beyond their core’s native offering, thereby unlocking additional opportunities for innovation. For example, connecting Alogent’s Unify to a third-party teller system is one option for streamlining branch and teller capture. In addition to serving as an interface between a financial institution’s teller system and scanners, Unify also delivers a single API that can be used across Day 1 and Day 2 channels.
Access Additional Payments Resources
Visit Alogent’s Innovation Hub to browse multiple industry papers about payments. Watch on-demand videos, read our blog, and view other helpful resources from Alogent.
