Digital Banking and Customer Satisfaction at Equity Bank

The study aimed to examine digital banking and customer satisfaction, using Equity Bank Kenya Limited (PLC) as a case study, and further investigated the effects of user skills and system security on customer satisfaction at EBKL The findings highlighted benefits of customer satisfaction in commercial banks and promoted awareness of it, while EBKL and other institutions in the banking sector found the results useful in determining whether their digital banking services needed improvement. TAM served as the model, which was grounded on Expectation Confirmation Theory and backed by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology. A descriptive study methodology was used, and a sample size of 266 participants was chosen from a population of 800 using stratified random sampling. Questionnaires were used to gather information. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS V28 and basic statistics. Tables were used for data presentation. Ethical guidelines, including documentation of correspondence, study dates, and data collection locations, were observed. The results show that customer satisfaction is more strongly influenced by user skills than by system features, as only user skills had a significant positive correlation with satisfaction. Skilled users were also more likely to perceive the system as convenient, reliable, and secure, highlighting the role of competence in shaping positive system experiences. Among system attributes, reliability emerged as the strongest factor, closely linked with convenience and security, suggesting that improvements in reliability enhance overall perceptions of system quality. Equity Bank should prioritize investments in system reliability and security, as these are the strongest drivers of positive customer experiences. Ensuring that digital platforms are consistently available, fast, and free from interruptions will build customer trust and loyalty. At the same time, reinforcing system security through advanced authentication measures, fraud detection, and regular upgrades will reassure customers that their financial data is safe. Future studies should go beyond system reliability, and user skills to explore other factors that influence customer satisfaction, such as trust, service quality, and digital innovation.