Task clarification, performance feedback, and social praise: Procedures for improving the customer service of bank tellers.
Clarify the task first, then give daily feedback and praise—each step adds a small but real lift in adult staff performance.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The researchers worked with bank tellers in a small Midwest bank. They wanted to see if three simple steps could make customer service better.
First they gave clear task sheets that listed exactly what to say and do. Next they gave each teller a short verbal report card every day. Last they added quick praise when the teller hit the mark. They took the steps away and brought them back to be sure the steps caused the change.
What they found
Task clarification alone lifted polite greetings, eye contact, and thank-yous right away. Daily feedback added a smaller bump. Praise gave one more tiny rise. When the package was removed, service dropped. When it returned, service shot back up.
How this fits with other research
Marchese et al. (2012) got bigger gains using visual feedback charts posted by peers in a preschool. The bank study used spoken feedback and saw smaller gains. The difference is the visual chart kept the score in sight all day.
Ellingsen et al. (2014) paired goal setting with weekly feedback to help adults run farther. The bank study used daily feedback without written goals. Both worked, showing feedback timing can flex.
Batchelder et al. (2025) used cash prize draws to raise step counts. The bank study used free praise instead of money. Both used an A-B-A-B design and both raised adult behavior, proving social and cash rewards can work in the same framework.
Why it matters
You can copy the three-step chain anywhere you supervise adults. Start by writing the exact behaviors you want. Drop the list on the desk or in the staff room. Give one-minute verbal scorecards each day. End with a quick “nice job” when numbers rise. No cash, no tokens, just clarity and attention. Try it with RBTs, front-desk staff, or caregivers next week.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Customer service for bank tellers was defined in terms of 11 verbal behavior categories. An audio-recording system was used to track the occurrence of behaviors in these categories for six retail banking tellers. Three behavior management interventions (task clarification, performance feedback, and social praise), applied in sequence, were designed to improve overall teller performance with regard to the behavioral categories targeted. Clarification was accomplished by providing clear delineation of the various target categories, with specific examples of the behaviors in each. Feedback entailed presentation of ongoing verbal and visual information regarding teller performance. Praise consisted of verbal recognition of teller performance by branch managers. Results showed that clarification effects emerged quickly, producing an overall increase in desired behaviors of 12% over baseline. Feedback and praise effects occurred more gradually, resulting in overall increases of 6% and 7%, respectively. A suspension of all procedures led to a decline in overall performance, whereas reinstatement of feedback and praise was again accompanied by performance improvement. These findings extend the generality of behavior management applications and help to distinguish between possible antecedent and consequent effects of performance feedback.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1988 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1988.21-65