This study examines how satisfied households are with digital financial services in the context of temporary bank closures in Goma, DRC, which were brought on by security concerns after the M23 uprising. As a result, traditional banking operations were disrupted, and consumers became increasingly dependent on digital financial services offered by banks and mobile devices. Finding any discrepancies between the two kinds of digital financial services and evaluating customer satisfaction with respect to important service dimensions are the main goals.
Data was collected from 432 households chosen by stratified random selection from different residential districts in Goma using a quantitative, cross-sectional research approach. Six characteristics of satisfaction “accessibility, dependability, convenience, cost, security, and user experience” were measured using a standardized questionnaire. Tests of validity and reliability showed sufficient sampling (KMO = 0.71-0.75) and strong internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.81-0.88). To examine usage patterns and assess the proposed hypotheses, more descriptive and inferential research was carried out.
According to the results, households made considerable use of digital platforms throughout the closure, with mobile-based services being the most popular because of accessibility and budgetary limitations. Overall satisfaction levels were high across the intended dimensions, despite the fact that concerns about cost and security were more prevalent for bank-based digital services. The satisfaction scores of mobile and bank-based services differed significantly.