One of the oldest banks in Nigeria, FirstBank is, indeed, digitally compliant in all ramifications. The bank has availed its customers of every available digital channel to carry out financial transactions with ease, including mobile apps.
FirstMobile, which is the official mobile banking smartphone application of the bank, was launched to provide convenient access to both financial and non-financial transactions by FirstBank account holders via their mobile phones/devices.
Expectedly, the app spots great features designed to make the bank’s customers enjoy seamless transactions with all conveniences. However, users’ reviews show that the experience on the app has not been quite impressive.
Unique features
Frequent transactions: This feature smartly aggregates the most frequent transactions (Transfers, airtime purchases, bills payment) a user carries out based on historical data and presents it to the user in a friendly manner. This allows the user to access their frequently completed transactions easily and re-initiate such with a few clicks of a button.
- Top-up from contact: This feature allows the mobile banking user to “select from contact list” while carrying out transactions for Airtime recharge.
- Favourites/Beneficiary management: This feature allows a mobile banking user to add a new user as a beneficiary for transfers, bill payments and Airtime transactions. Favourite contacts can then be selected from the beneficiary lists and become readily available on the transaction home page to quickly complete transactions with just a few clicks of a button.
- Biometrics for transactions: Android users can use their fingerprint to consummate transactions- An easier and innovative way to validate transactions.
- Personalization: This feature allows the mobile banking user to personalize their dashboard and their beneficiaries for Transfers, Bills payment, and Airtime transactions by uploading pictures.
The latest update brings more features
On November 4, 2021, FirstBank released an update to the FirstMobile app. The new version 2.7.0 adds two new features, which include:
eNaira: This allows the customers to make transfers to and from their eNaira wallet
Account statement to your email: Users can get their account statement sent to their email on the go.
What the app users are saying
The bank customers have been giving their feedback on the app through the app stores. Here are some of the reviews captured:
- Chibueze Ogbonna says of the FirstMobile app: “My trusted partner when it comes to online transactions and the best banking experience online. Still would like it if the fingerprint lock is made optional instead of compulsory.”
- Abe Elijah says, “FirstMobile is a very good app, good user interface, and can do almost anything. But FirstBank has the worst network of any bank I’ve ever seen. Out of 10 times, the app will refuse to load your data 6/7 times. Sometimes it’ll be non-responsive for hours. Only if you know how disturbing that can be.”
- For Faseyitan Salau, the app is good, but there is a concern. “This app is great and easy to use. I so much love the new UI; thumbs up! However, there is a clause. The “remark/narration” section for transactions needs to be revisited. Why? Because you cannot add special characters, like comma, full stop, space, and others to your remarks. So, your narration forms a single word, since you cannot space between words. Please, kindly look into and fix this.”
- Bright Kegbe thinks the app’s interface should be overhauled. “It looks terrible compared to those of other banks. The app has been ok. You’ve just unnecessarily made it complex. Before the update, the receipts are stored in a separate folder; now, they just mix up with my downloads. I don’t like this.”
- Chimereze Emmanuel says: “Since this new update, it has been problem after problem. The frustration is too much, please, you guys should fix it, or better still bring back the other version. No one wants new animations or Charts; we just want a good, fast, and lag-free payment environment. One without stress. Please, look into this. Thank you.”
- Micheal Nsekpong says: “This App can cost you a lot of money because it does not work right. I made a transfer that failed, and I cancelled it. Repeated the same transfer, and it failed again. But my account was debited. When I logged off and logged back in the amount was credited. I guess that’s the “Naija effect.” First Bank can’t get an App that serves their customers well.”
Bottom line
The reviews from the bank’s customers point to areas that the bank would need to look into when preparing the next update for the app. Unfortunately, most app updates tend to bring up another problem for the users after the old issues have been resolved. It is hoped that FirstBank will get things right in the next update.
