Digital banking and customer satisfaction: the Nigerian perspective

Abstract

The emergence of Internet-Based Technology (I-BT) into the Nigerian banking industry over the past decade has diversified and revolutionised the sector by offering consumers various choices of accessing banking services. Drawing on three main theories namely the Expectancy Disconfirmation (ED), the Affect and Kahn’s Engagement Theory, we examine the impact of I-BT on customer satisfaction (CS) in the Nigerian Banking Sector. Employing a quantitative research methodology, data for our empirical inquiry come from a survey of 426 bank customers in Edo State, Nigeria. Following both bank users and banks in search of effective ways to maximising customer satisfaction, we show in this study why I-BT is likely to have a positive impact on bank customer service delivery in Nigeria. First, our data evidence suggests that all the latent variables of customer-focused engagement behaviour (CFEBEH), positive and consistently helpful behaviour (PCHB), attachment to the task itself (ATI) and working smart (WS) correlate positively with CS and explain 39% of the variance in I-BT. Second, CFEBEH has a direct effect on CS at a 40% level. Finally, concerning the mediating role of I-BT resources in the bank, the results indicate that there is an indirect and positive effect on CFEBEH and CS at a 6.7% mediation level. Nevertheless, Nigerian banks are beset with various infrastructural difficulties in implementing full digital banking services. We conclude by delineating some relevant implications of our study to the theory and practice of CS and the engagement of I-BT in banking operations.