The best SMS banking service this year was provided by PermataBank due to its excellent transaction speeds. It is not essential to have a smartphone to use SMS banking services, unlike mobile banking. Also, account holders can use SMS banking facilities on any phone. It is most convenient for the users located in rural areas with limited internet connection.
SMS banking services are still being maintained by several banks because there are still customers who use it. Similarly, BCA came in second place in this category with a performance index of 87.64%. The best internet banking category was won by BRI (90.26%) as it has the fastest transaction speeds over any other banks measured. At the 2020 Bank Service Excellence Monitor (BSEM) awards, BNI won the best mobile banking category (96.21%), beating its closest competitor by 1.13 points (BCA 95.08%). Mobile banking is the fastest growing banking digital channel. The capabilities of these two services are not only limited to transactions but have developed much more closely to banking services at branches – even buying mutual funds and applying for lending products can now be done using digital services. The capabilities of internet banking services continue to grow every year and mobile banking is growing even faster. To fulfill the needs of their customers, banks have provided various digital services, such as mobile banking, internet banking, SMS banking, phone banking, and call centres. In fact, they are still much needed by certain segments of customers, such as older customers or those who value the “human touch” of bank branches. The shift to digital services decreases the role of banks’ physical branches, but that does not mean that branches are not needed anymore. During the COVID-19 pandemic, adoption of digital channels has grown strongly and will continue to grow, providing an opportunity for banks to step up their digital transformation. The presence of digital banking signifies rapid growth of advanced digital technologies in the banking industry in recent years.