Remita boss urges outcome-driven approach to digital transformation

De’Remi Atanda, managing director and chief executive officer of Remita Payment Services Limited, has urged businesses and public institutions to rethink digital transformation, saying service excellence should be measured by customer outcomes rather than the sophistication of technology deployed.

He made the call at the 2026 Service Excellence Conference in Lagos, where business executives, regulators and public sector leaders examined how technology and human interaction can improve service delivery.

Speaking on the theme, “Tech-Enabled. Human-Powered,” Atanda highlighted a persistent challenge: organisations invest heavily in digital platforms, automation and new features, yet customers continue to face delays, uncertainty and avoidable difficulties.

He urged service providers to understand customer expectations before deploying technology, warning that automated systems cannot compensate for poorly designed processes or unclear service standards.

“Technology has been, and will continue to be, a means to an end, not the end itself. Customers are not looking for technology; they are looking for outcomes. Technology cannot deliver service excellence if it is optimising for the wrong expectations. The journey begins with how we understand what customers want, which ultimately comes down to less effort and greater certainty,” he said.

During a panel discussion, Atanda explained that speed alone does not guarantee effective service. Customers may complete transactions quickly, but remain dissatisfied if processes are confusing or services fail when needed most. Digitising poorly designed processes, he warned, merely transfers their shortcomings to digital platforms.

“Speed is just one attribute of service delivery. Fast service is not always pleasant, nor does it always meet customer expectations. To deliver true service excellence, you must combine speed with smart solutions and human connection. That is what builds consistency and trust,” he said.

Atanda also stressed the importance of preserving human interaction in digital services, noting that technology should not come at the expense of empathy, responsiveness or accountability when problems arise.

He said maintaining the human element does not require a return to manual processes. Instead, organisations must ensure customers feel understood and receive appropriate support when interacting with a brand.

“When we speak of human connection in technology, ‘human’ does not mean manual processes. It is about the emotional component of service delivery and how people relate to your brand. As we deploy technology as an invisible layer, we must ensure that it does not remove the human touch, because technology that remembers is technology that feels human,” he added.

On accountability in financial services, Atanda noted that transactions often depend on multiple networks, service providers and intermediaries. However, he maintained that the brand dealing directly with customers must remain accountable for its promises.

He urged business leaders and policymakers to enforce service standards and ensure failures have consequences.

“You don’t prepare for war in the time of war; you prepare for war in the time of peace. Service providers must design for failure as seriously as they design for success. In a complex financial ecosystem, reliability is shared across multiple partners, but accountability is never shared. It is entirely yours to deliver on your promise to the customer,” he emphasised.

Atanda outlined five priorities for business leaders: understand customer expectations before selecting technology, map the entire customer journey, embed empathy and responsiveness in service processes, prepare for failures and measure performance through customer experiences rather than system uptime alone.

The conference, held during the 2026 Customer Service Week, reinforced the need to measure digital investments by the value they deliver to customers.