Digitalización y calidad del servicio público: análisis de la gestión en un Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado

The objective of this study was to analyze the association between the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the perceived quality of service in administrative procedures at the Decentralized Autonomous Government of Bolívar canton, Ecuador. A quantitative approach was adopted, with a descriptive and inferential scope and a non-experimental cross-sectional design. Data were collected through structured surveys administered to 379 citizens who had completed administrative procedures at the institution; after data cleaning, 330 valid cases were retained for statistical analysis. The analysis included the Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. The results showed no statistically significant differences in satisfaction levels between users who utilized digital platforms and those who completed procedures through in-person channels (p > 0.05). However, a strong and statistically significant positive correlation was found between perceived ease of the procedure and user satisfaction (ρ = 0.841; p < 0.001), indicating that administrative simplification is a key determinant in service quality assessment. It is concluded that the implementation of ICT alone does not guarantee improvements in perceived service quality; its effectiveness depends on its integration with simplified processes, institutional strengthening, and strategies focused on enhancing the citizen experience.