Introduction: The landscape of electronic banking stands as a testament to the remarkable strides made in sophisticated digital technology within the banking sector. Amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the surge in digital channel adoption has been conspicuous, presenting an ongoing opportunity for banks to propel their digital transformation initiatives. This transformative shift, while diminishing the prominence of physical bank branches, underscores the enduring importance of these branches for specific customer segments, including the elderly and those valuing the personal touch offered by physical locations.
Digital Services Offered: In response to evolving customer preferences, banks have diversified their service offerings to encompass a range of digital platforms such as mobile banking, internet banking, SMS banking, telephone banking, and call centers. The evolution of internet banking and the rapid growth of mobile banking are noteworthy, extending beyond mere transactional capabilities to include sophisticated services akin to those available in physical branches. Notably, activities like mutual fund transactions and loan applications are now seamlessly executable through these digital channels.
Mobile Banking Dominance: Mobile banking emerges as the frontrunner among digital banking channels, exemplified by BNI’s recognition at the 2020 Bank Service Excellence Monitor (BSEM) awards for securing the top spot in the best mobile banking category. BNI’s performance (96.21%) outshone its closest rival, BCA (95.08%). The significance of internet banking was highlighted by BRI, securing the best internet banking category (90.26%) owing to its superior transaction speed compared to peers, with BCA securing the second position (87.64%).
SMS Banking Persistence: While some may perceive SMS banking as a fading service, its relevance endures, particularly in rural areas with limited internet connectivity. PermataBank stands out in this category with a nearly perfect performance index (99.46%), supporting both plain text SMS and Java-based applications to cater to diverse user needs.
Importance of Call Centers: Call centers remain a critical touchpoint for customers seeking swift resolution of issues or information. BNI and Bank OCBC NISP earned perfect scores in the BSEM 2020 study for both banking and credit card services. Their commendable performance is attributed to not only rapid response times but also staff expertise in addressing customer concerns.
Telephony Challenges: The landscape of telephone banking is undergoing a transformation, with fewer banks offering this channel. Among the assessed banks, BNI excelled in this category (90.85%), showcasing the efficacy of interactive voice response (IVR) technology over traditional phone banking officers in delivering stable and rapid services.
Overall Ranking: In the comprehensive evaluation, BNI emerges as the top electronic banking service provider (93.62%), closely followed by BCA (93.37%) and BRI (92.65%). The trajectory of digital services, especially in mobile and internet banking, is poised for continual development, with mobile banking expected to play an increasingly pivotal role in transactional and administrative functions, further reinforced by the growing technologically literate millennial customer base.