Financial Home 

Customer: Formed in 1971, Johns Hopkins Federal Credit Union (JHFCU) is a full service financial institution serving employees of Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Hospital and other Hopkins institutions, as well as employees of other healthcare and educational organizations.  JHFCU has $190 million in assets and nearly 30,000 members.

Location:  Baltimore, Maryland

Project:  Johns Hopkins was the first credit union in Maryland to install Diebold’s RemoteTeller System, and has become a prototype for potential RTS buyers.

Service History:  Johns Hopkins Credit Union has been a Diebold customer since 1998.

The initial RemoteTeller System, developed by Diebold in 1996, is a teller assisted walk-up banking unit that utilizes pneumatic tube technology. It operates like a drive-through teller window with a two-way audio and video connection that provides added security for both the member and the teller. Additionally, a telephone handset offers patrons more privacy.  Deposit slips, checks, cash, coin, receipts and other materials travel back and forth via the same reliable pneumatic tube system used at drive-up windows.  This technology increases teller productivity because two or more members can be served at once. Plus, tellers can be relocated to less costly and less accessible areas of the facility.


Another advantage of the RemoteTeller System is the enhanced security features. By separating tellers from members, RTS virtually eliminates the threat of robbery. Cameras and monitors allow the member and teller to see each other and communicate privately using a microphone and speaker on a handset, while documents are exchanged through a vacuum tube.  “We want the members to know that we care about them and are working toward eliminating a threat,” Gregory said. “It’s not that there no longer is one, we just have reduced the chances by a substantial amount.”  An additional benefit of RTS is the significant reduction  of staff on duty, since tellers can efficiently assist more than one member at a time.  “In the past, there were days when our lines were horrendous, particularly on pay day,” Gregory said. “Along with the increased  efficiency, the tellers benefit from a friendlier work environment. Now our tellers feel more comfortable and enjoy being behind the scenes, where they can eat, play music and dress more casually.”

In addition, JHFCU utilizes the RTS feature to advertise their services on a customized video screen provided by inLighten.  Headline news, sports and branch-specific credit union promotions run continuously, reducing customer perceived wait-time.  “RTS bridges the gap between full-service and self-service financial transactions,” Gregory said. “Diebold’s machines answered all our concerns.”  Currently, more than 245 financial institutions have installed more than 1100 RTS units at some 550 locations across the country.

Johns Hopkins Federal Credit Union’s (JHFCU) commitment to member service and optimal security equipment is evident in the purchase of Diebold’s RemoteTeller Systems. In September of 1998, JHFCU installed eight RemoteTeller stations in its new branch instead of the traditional lobby teller stations to better serve high traffic while maintaining dedication to personal service.  Since then, JHFCU has become a leader in the financial self-service market by using Diebold RemoteTeller Stations in two of its three branches, and because the implementation was so successful, the institution offers tours of their state-of-the-art facilities.   

Potential RTS members are encouraged to experience  “technology with a personal touch” and ascertain the benefits of Diebold’s RemoteTeller Systems for themselves.  “Johns Hopkins is one of the biggest reference accounts in the mid-Atlantic,” said John Crossen, account manager for Diebold. “People come from all over the mid-Atlantic region to tour their facilities.”  JHFCU employees were fully prepared, internally and externally, before introducing Diebold’s RemoteTeller System back in 1998, when no others were installed in Maryland. 

Notifying members beforehand and thoroughly explaining the system’s benefits was not the only provision JHFCU undertook.  Greeters were positioned in the lobby for three weeks after the grand opening, helping members use the machines and feel comfortable with their transactions. JHFCU also went so far as to hand out insulated lunch boxes as gifts for the first 1,000 members who used the new system.  “We made sure the greeters were extra gregarious, proactive and well-informed,” said Lynn Gregory, vice president of Marketing at JHFCU. “We were fairly certain that everyone left with a good feeling.”  JHFCU’s main reasons for purchasing the RemoteTellers were to provide a secure environment and more quickly service a high  volume of members, while not compromising personal service.  “Yelling through bullet proof glass is not personal service,” said Michael Mesta, CEO of JHFCU. “But there is no use having a lot of teller systems if they’re not staffed. We now have eight stations that are constantly open.”