Teller capture refers to the process of scanning checks and money orders at a bank teller window – a process that is now commonplace in the U.S. and many other countries around the world. It should not be confused with branch capture (or, back-counter capture), the collection of checks from multiple teller windows that are all scanned at once in larger batches, usually at the end of the day.

A major difference between teller capture and branch capture is the number of checks scanned at a time. Teller capture generally consists of a single customer transaction at a time, so only a few pieces of paper are scanned at once. (In a 2012 study, our bank customers reported that 99 percent of transactions at the teller window involved capturing six items or less — and that number has only declined as overall check volume decreases.)

In branch capture, dozens — or hundreds — of transactions are processed together, and the scanner runs continuously.

Another key consideration is that teller capture happens with the customer present, whereas branch capture often takes place after the fact. If you are using teller capture, remember that the speed and ease of scanning checks directly affects the transaction time for the customer!

A good teller capture scanner therefore needs to be able to handle several hundred documents per day, with many quick starts and stops in succession. These scanners also deal with the occasional large batch of checks deposited by merchants. For this reason, a multi-feed (“horseshoe”) check scanner is the optimal choice.