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Saturdays are always the day of customers coming in right before close.
For the most part, I'm okay with this. We close early on Saturdays, 1pm, but on the account/loan side it is standard that if a customer signs in to see us before close, we help them. This means that every Saturday, at least one of us has someone still being helped in our office after close. We're scheduled a half-hour later for a reason, and it's not uncommon for even that half-hour to be pushed out another 15-20 minutes (which we get paid for... sometimes overtime too, but our normal schedule is never more than 39.5 hours to allow for a few later-than-scheduled closings without pushing us over that 40-hour mark). When it's something I know to expect because it happens every single week, it ceases to become something to complain about and is instead just part of my normal schedule.
But there are limits.
The customer who came into my office today I get to at 15 minutes before close. She doesn't have an account, but wants to put in for an auto loan. No problem. You don't have to have an account with us to apply for an auto loan (though of course, I'm going to quickly mention a couple of quick perks for opening a checking... big mistake this time around). Turns out it isn't just any auto loan, it's a lease buyout.
(FYI: A lease buyout is... well, it's both a refinance and an auto purchase rolled into one. Not a big deal, except for the fact that every single leasing company seems to handle their lease buyouts differently. Sometimes they have a whole packet that needs to be filled out, sometimes they will give us nothing more than a payoff. Sometimes they provide the odometer statement upfront. Sometimes they send us the odometer statement after they receive the payoff and we have to inform the customer that they will need to return at that time to sign the form so we can complete the titlework. Sometimes they do the titlework and include the sales tax in their payoff quote and sometimes we do the titlework, and we have to make certain to collect those taxes.)
Anyway, I let the customer know that I can get the application together and a decision on it, however to complete the loan, I'll need to be able to have her get in touch with the leasing company to find out their specific lease buyout instructions.
Can't I go to the website and look it up online? She knows her login if needed.
Sure, I can do that. My IT department blocks some sites, but other finance institutions are generally available.
So I put in the application and it instant approves. Customer has her proof of income and her vehicle registration, so I am content with the concept that I will be staying after close a bit in order to finish the loan also. We go to the website and do, in fact, get everything we need. So I'm ready to begin the paperwork when...
Can I put in a second application for a second car she's looking to buy, or will that mess up the lease buyout?
Yes, I can do that. Not too big of deal because I can pull her information from one application to the other and she has the income and credit that I can tell before I put it in that it'll give me a computer approval even with the other loan added in.
Okay! Got your pre-approval on the second auto loan. Run through a few numbers on payment estimates, let her know that we just need the buyers order from the dealership or that the dealership can do our paperwork right there.
Now, back to that lease buyout...
Oh. Can I open up that checking account for you that I mentioned earlier? Of course. Of course I can. Let me just make certain there is someone with a cash box still open to take the opening deposit... Yes, we did close an hour ago, but our drive thru is open until 2, so I can still take the deposit.
Side note: Here is where the customer does that thing that drives me nuts. They act all concerned about how late they are keeping me. Like they NEVER would have possibly kept me so late if they had only realized. I, being a professional, tell them that I'm here to help them and ease any guilt they might be feeling with a note that we expect to be here a bit after close on Saturdays. Since it is an hour after close by this point, however, I let them know that I can also set up an appointment for them to come back and finish their additional business on another day.... at which point their concern vanishes and they decide that they want to do everything and more now.
No on the appointment. Then I will get that account open for you now so we can get in your deposit.
... of course there are questions about the account beyond the normal disclosures. Of course I'm glad to answer them. But at least the tellers can leave since I got in the deposit.
Now, back to finishing up that lease buyout...
Oh, you want to know about home banking options. Yes, we are set up to handle external transfers. Yes, the account and loan will show up on the same online access, and so will the additional loan that you are looking to do.
Lease buyout...
Okay! Finishing the lease buyout now! At this point I do. not. care. about any add-ons. You know how marketers tell you that there is a way to word things to sell products? Not caring. But I do have to ask the questions: does she want to purchase GAP insurance? An extended warranty on the car? Disability insurance on the loan?
Of course. I can explain in detail for you what those products are. Of course I can run through different terms or payments for the loan if you decide to accept any of the extra products. Happy to take this extra time for you only to have you decide that you have no interest in purchasing any of them.
3pm.
That's when I finished the loan.
TWO hours after close.
...
...
The customer set up an appointment with me to come back Tuesday with the buyer's order for her second loan. Because she'd rather sit with me than the dealer.
I made certain it WASN'T any time near close.
For the most part, I'm okay with this. We close early on Saturdays, 1pm, but on the account/loan side it is standard that if a customer signs in to see us before close, we help them. This means that every Saturday, at least one of us has someone still being helped in our office after close. We're scheduled a half-hour later for a reason, and it's not uncommon for even that half-hour to be pushed out another 15-20 minutes (which we get paid for... sometimes overtime too, but our normal schedule is never more than 39.5 hours to allow for a few later-than-scheduled closings without pushing us over that 40-hour mark). When it's something I know to expect because it happens every single week, it ceases to become something to complain about and is instead just part of my normal schedule.
But there are limits.
The customer who came into my office today I get to at 15 minutes before close. She doesn't have an account, but wants to put in for an auto loan. No problem. You don't have to have an account with us to apply for an auto loan (though of course, I'm going to quickly mention a couple of quick perks for opening a checking... big mistake this time around). Turns out it isn't just any auto loan, it's a lease buyout.
(FYI: A lease buyout is... well, it's both a refinance and an auto purchase rolled into one. Not a big deal, except for the fact that every single leasing company seems to handle their lease buyouts differently. Sometimes they have a whole packet that needs to be filled out, sometimes they will give us nothing more than a payoff. Sometimes they provide the odometer statement upfront. Sometimes they send us the odometer statement after they receive the payoff and we have to inform the customer that they will need to return at that time to sign the form so we can complete the titlework. Sometimes they do the titlework and include the sales tax in their payoff quote and sometimes we do the titlework, and we have to make certain to collect those taxes.)
Anyway, I let the customer know that I can get the application together and a decision on it, however to complete the loan, I'll need to be able to have her get in touch with the leasing company to find out their specific lease buyout instructions.
Can't I go to the website and look it up online? She knows her login if needed.
Sure, I can do that. My IT department blocks some sites, but other finance institutions are generally available.
So I put in the application and it instant approves. Customer has her proof of income and her vehicle registration, so I am content with the concept that I will be staying after close a bit in order to finish the loan also. We go to the website and do, in fact, get everything we need. So I'm ready to begin the paperwork when...
Can I put in a second application for a second car she's looking to buy, or will that mess up the lease buyout?
Yes, I can do that. Not too big of deal because I can pull her information from one application to the other and she has the income and credit that I can tell before I put it in that it'll give me a computer approval even with the other loan added in.
Okay! Got your pre-approval on the second auto loan. Run through a few numbers on payment estimates, let her know that we just need the buyers order from the dealership or that the dealership can do our paperwork right there.
Now, back to that lease buyout...
Oh. Can I open up that checking account for you that I mentioned earlier? Of course. Of course I can. Let me just make certain there is someone with a cash box still open to take the opening deposit... Yes, we did close an hour ago, but our drive thru is open until 2, so I can still take the deposit.
Side note: Here is where the customer does that thing that drives me nuts. They act all concerned about how late they are keeping me. Like they NEVER would have possibly kept me so late if they had only realized. I, being a professional, tell them that I'm here to help them and ease any guilt they might be feeling with a note that we expect to be here a bit after close on Saturdays. Since it is an hour after close by this point, however, I let them know that I can also set up an appointment for them to come back and finish their additional business on another day.... at which point their concern vanishes and they decide that they want to do everything and more now.
No on the appointment. Then I will get that account open for you now so we can get in your deposit.
... of course there are questions about the account beyond the normal disclosures. Of course I'm glad to answer them. But at least the tellers can leave since I got in the deposit.
Now, back to finishing up that lease buyout...
Oh, you want to know about home banking options. Yes, we are set up to handle external transfers. Yes, the account and loan will show up on the same online access, and so will the additional loan that you are looking to do.
Lease buyout...
Okay! Finishing the lease buyout now! At this point I do. not. care. about any add-ons. You know how marketers tell you that there is a way to word things to sell products? Not caring. But I do have to ask the questions: does she want to purchase GAP insurance? An extended warranty on the car? Disability insurance on the loan?
Of course. I can explain in detail for you what those products are. Of course I can run through different terms or payments for the loan if you decide to accept any of the extra products. Happy to take this extra time for you only to have you decide that you have no interest in purchasing any of them.
3pm.
That's when I finished the loan.
TWO hours after close.
...
...
The customer set up an appointment with me to come back Tuesday with the buyer's order for her second loan. Because she'd rather sit with me than the dealer.
I made certain it WASN'T any time near close.
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