From Teller Line to Teller Pods: Planning a Bank or Credit Union Branch Remodel

Many banks and credit unions are replacing the long teller counter with something smaller: a few teller pods, a universal banker station, a cash recycler, or a video teller. The lobby gets more open, more of the floor goes to conversations, and fewer staff can cover the branch. The construction behind that change is more involved than it looks, because the teller line ties into cash handling, security, cabling, and the way the branch opens every morning.

This guide is for facilities, retail delivery, and branch operations teams planning a teller line renovation in Texas. It covers the decisions that shape the scope and the schedule. The wider picture of branch construction, from vaults to drive-up lanes, is on the bank branch construction page.

Decide the service model first

The construction scope follows the service model, so that comes first. A few common directions:

• A shorter teller line keeps the traditional counter with fewer stations
• Teller pods are freestanding stations where a teller and a member stand or sit side by side
• Universal banker stations combine teller and account work at one desk
• Cash recyclers or teller cash dispensers move cash handling into a secure machine at the station
• Video or interactive teller machines serve routine transactions, inside the lobby or at the drive-up

Each option changes the furniture, the power and data at each station, the security design, and how cash moves through the branch. Settling the model before design keeps the remodel from being designed twice.

Cash handling and security set the layout

Moving away from a fixed counter changes how cash is protected. The institution’s security officer and its equipment vendor decide where cash recyclers sit, how they are anchored, which cameras cover each station, and where duress buttons go. Those choices drive the construction details: blocking in the floor or walls, conduit and power to each device, and changes to the alarm and access control systems.

An open lobby also changes sightlines. The security plan should be reviewed against the new layout, not carried over from the old one.

Cabling and power arrive at new places

A teller counter carries its wiring along one line. Pods and universal banker stations are spread across the floor, so data, power, and device wiring have to reach them. In an existing building that often means trenching the slab or using furniture with integrated power and data fed from a wall or column.

Each technology vendor, from the core banking system to cameras and signage, has its own rough-in needs and its own install date. Coordinating those dates is one of the main jobs during construction.

Phasing so members keep banking

Most teller line renovations happen in a branch that stays open. The usual approach:

• Set up a temporary teller area, often in an office or a corner of the lobby
• Keep the drive-up and ATM running for members while the lobby work proceeds
• Do loud, dusty, or security-sensitive work after hours
• Cut over to the new stations in one planned change, with the vendor and IT on site

The branch manager, the security officer, and the contractor agree on each phase before work starts. A clear cutover plan matters more than speed.

Finishes, brand, and accessibility

A teller line renovation is usually part of a broader refresh: new flooring, lighting, signage, and a brand package. Accessible routes and counter heights have to work for members using wheelchairs, which matters even more when stations are spread out. Brand standards, where the institution has them, set the finishes, so the contractor’s job is to deliver them consistently and on schedule.

Doing it across many branches

Credit unions and regional banks often remodel several branches on the same model. The first branch sets the template. Later branches reuse the scope, the budget method, and the vendor sequence, and adjust for each building’s conditions. AP runs this kind of work as a program rollout: one preconstruction approach, one reporting format, and lessons from each branch carried into the next.

If you are planning a teller line renovation or a branch refresh, send us the branch locations, the service model you are moving to, and the dates that matter to your members. We will show you how the work can be phased around them.