How to implement the universal banker model: here is some advice for a bank thinking about adopting the universal banker approach.

Dale Johnson, managing director, Novantas

We like the idea of piloting for some period--you learn nuances of your customers and your staff. This helps you build a useful playbook for rollout. With pressure on expenses, as you start out, identify branches that will have material impact on expenses but minimal risk. In larger branches, you may find that a pure universal model is not appropriate but that these associates are a part of the branch compliment.

Also, think about how to set goals. Many bankers think, if staff is splitting their time between teller and platform, you should split their goals. The reality is that selling capacity isn't half, since they actually have more opportunities to sell. You will probably see a range of 70 percent to 80 percent of a sales-only associate.

Jamie Eads, retail staffing manager, Bancography We recommend starting with lower transaction and de novo sites. Branches with less than 4,000 transactions per month are good candidates for downsizing. These will generally not need a teller line to control the flow of traffic during peak times.

James Geeslin, vice chairman and chief consumer banking officer, Extraco Bank and CEO, Extraco Consulting Get your organization chart right.

Get consumer-oriented managers at the top--it may be hard for a commercial lender to run this kind of operation.

Scott Fisher, managing director of retail charmels, First Niagara Bank

Look at your facts--look at your breakpoints--do you have enough low-transaction branches to warrant the change? Test and...