Banks are continuing to re-invent their physical and digital spaces, and as a result the need for revamped bank training for employees is more crucial than ever. If banks want to improve their overall banking experience, they need to have employees that can meet the needs of modern customers.

However, it's not simple getting employees up to speed, especially as banks go through extensive branch transformation efforts, such as removing teller lines, adding huddle pods, kiosks, ITMs and other tools. Banks have to retrain current employees with new, often more demanding universal banker protocols, hire the right people, and create a comfortable environment for their employees.

Luckily, there are techniques banks can follow to make this training a bit smoother. Here are three tips to train banking employees.

First, banks need to have clearly established goals for what the branch is supposed to accomplish. For the modern age, this should focus on turning branches into financial advice centers.

"The banking industry is shifting its focus from transactions to advice, helping position its institutions as the primary source of financial advice. This is crucial as most institutions rank low when consumers seek financial advice from their bankers," Jean-Pierre Lacroix, president of Shikatoni Lacroix Design, said in an email interview.

He pointed out the need to partner banks' products and services with "a more holistic view of the customers' financial needs and emotional anxiety."

In other words, banks need to have clear cut goals of how they plan to deliver better financial education and advice at the branch before they train employees. This financial advice can take many forms both physical and digital including:

Second, it's key for banks to have structure programs that are clear and easy to understand for both old and new employees.

Bank of America for example has The Academy, an education program for its more than 200,000 employees that acts like a traditional course, providing foundational materials first and then gradually offering more complex materials. This service can be accessed by any employee, both old and new.

The ICBA also offers more than 425 online courses on one platform that employees can access via desktop, tablet or phone on topics ranging from customer service to compliance.

Lacroix breaks down training programs into three key facets:

He recommends that engagement, "should include an accreditation process to bring credibility to the offering."

However, in order for these programs to work, banks need to have employees that are willing to go through the transition from transactional to financial wellness spaces.

"There is no value in retaining employees who fight the transition to advice," Lacroix said.

It's not enough to simply give employees a list of do's and don'ts for customer interactions such as:

These are all good tactics, but they don't explain the why behind the what.

"Hiring new employees must start with reinforcing the company's purpose and values and the employee's role in delivering this brand promise. Without knowledge of the context, most training modules boil down to too many tactics, often not linked to the purpose at best, or usually conflict with the bank's greater purpose," Lacroix said.

In order for the training program to be successful, banks can't just stop at onboarding for new employees. If they do, this can quickly lead to complacency and a reversion back to old ways.

"Onboarding implies that the organization's role as a trainer is over once the process is done," Lacroix said.

Banks need to reinforce the training, which they can do through a variety of tools, including technology and gamification.

"Technology allows for a constant personalized training program curated to the specific needs of everyone in the branch and reflects potential areas of opportunity for the given individual. It solves most institutions' gaps, as staff reduction has given managers little time for live training or mentorship," Lacroix said. "Frequency and video messaging have replaced texting and emails as the preferred platform for engagement, and we foresee this to continue. With AI and sentiment analysis, the personalization of training will take a whole new approach, driving greater customization and empathy for employees facing challenges or lacking confidence in some areas of opportunities."

This can also extend into activities outside of the bank. For example, Bank of America employees are encouraged to volunteer at nonprofit organizations, where they learn about outside needs that they can meet back at the branch.

Making the training personalized is another key way to ensure employee retention of information.

It can be difficult to retrain current employees, especially if they are concerned that new technologies such as AI or self-service devices will replace their jobs.

In order to address these concerns, banks need to focus on the purpose behind the shift towards meeting customer's financial guidance needs.

Lacroix said banks should drive "a greater purpose for the organization and rooting the behavior shift towards answering this higher cause. Without purpose, employees have no meaning and no incentive to embrace change."

One way they can reinforce this purpose is by "creating incentives supporting new behaviors and approaches in driving more significant value."

Banks also need to address employee's concerns over AI and emphasize that technology is meant to enhance their job and help them refocus on other tasks. For example, with teller cash recyclers, they can spend less time sorting cash and more time engaging with customers.

Ultimately, it will take investment from all levels of the organization from the C-suite to HR to veteran employees and new hires to make any bank training program successful. But if it is successful, the bank will stand out from the competition with its customer experience strategy and create loyal customers.