Do you want an operations role in banks?

Operations vs Sales Role in Banking: How to Choose the Right Path

If you’re about to start your banking career, you’ve probably said (or at least thought):

“I want an operations role… I don’t want sales pressure!”

Usually, this comes after seeing a friend in a sales role constantly chasing monthly targets and struggling to breathe. The next thought?
“I’ll become a cashier or teller. That’s safe, and it’s operational.”

Sounds reasonable? Well… in today’s modern banking world, that’s actually a myth.

Why “Operations Role” in Branch Banking is a Myth

• Pure operations roles don’t exist in branches anymore
  Traditionally, operations meant back-office work — clearing cheques, verifying documents, processing forms — with little to no customer interaction. But in modern branch banking, there are no such roles anymore.
• Every branch role is customer-facing
  Whether you’re a cashier or customer service officer, you’re talking to customers, solving problems, processing transactions, and yes… doing some cross-selling.
• Real operations roles are centralised
  Large banks now have a few operations hubs in each state. These hubs handle the heavy back-office work — not individual branches.

The Reality Check: Digitisation & AI are Reshaping Operations

If you still believe an operations role is “safer” than a sales role, here’s the hard truth:

• Digitisation has shrunk operations jobs — over the last decade, much of this work has moved online.
• AI loves repetitive work — data entry, verification, routine processes… all are being automated and will happen at a much faster pace now with AI.
• Banks aren’t growing operations teams anymore — Instead they’re actually re-skilling existing staff and moving them into customer-facing roles.

So, saying “I only want an operations role” is almost like saying “I don’t want a bank job anymore.”

Service Role – The Real Face of “Operations” in Branches

If a cashier or customer service officer isn’t in a true operations role, what are they?

They’re in service-cum-sales roles.

Key responsibilities:

• Deliver a great customer experience
• Handle cash and transactions
• Spot opportunities to cross-sell bank products

But here’s the shift — as customers go digital, the transaction-handling part of the job is getting smaller, and the customer engagement part is getting bigger.

Sales vs Service Role – Why the Line is Blurry

Sales Role Promotion Path:
Sales Officer → Personal Banker → Relationship Manager → Deputy Branch Manager → Branch Manager

Service Role (Cashier / Customer Service) Promotion Path:
Cashier/Teller → Operations Manager or Personal Banker → Deputy Branch Manager → Branch Manager

Here’s the twist — many cashiers eventually move into sales-oriented roles before becoming Branch Managers. This move often speeds up promotions and unlocks incentives.

Career Growth & Challenges

Why Flexibility is Your Career Superpower

Till about a decade or so back, banks regularly rotated staff between sales role and service role. That way:

• Sales teams learned how branch operations worked
• Service teams gained sales experience for leadership roles

Later, this rotation reduced — creating career bottlenecks.

Now, things are changing again. Banks are removing artificial barriers and allowing more role switching. If you’re open to both, you’ll go further, faster.

The Best Game Plan for Bank Job Aspirants

• Come in with an open mind — be ready for any branch role.
• Learn both sales and service skills — this makes you promotion-ready.
• See early years as training — the more you learn now, the faster you’ll grow later.

The Cricket Analogy

Think of a bank branch like a cricket team:

• You might join as a fast bowler (sales specialist), but you still need to field and bat when needed.
• Likewise, a cashier might have to handle customer service or sales work.
• The Branch Manager is your team captain — assigning you where the branch needs you most.

The more roles you can play, the more valuable you are to the team.

Key Takeaways

• Pure operations roles in branches don’t really exist anymore.
• Service role jobs like cashier or customer service include customer interaction and cross-selling.
• Operations vs sales role differences are shrinking — career growth comes faster if you’re comfortable with sales.
• Flexibility = faster promotions in modern banking.

Author:
B. Vinodkumar
Co-founder – BygC
Formerly, MD & CEO at Geofin Comtrade, Country Head at Geojit Financial & Cluster Head at HDFC Bank
Visit the author’s LinkedIn profile for more information