As part of efforts to help businesses build resilience in an era of artificial intelligence and misinformation, MTN Ghana has held its November Masterclass to equip entrepreneurs and business leaders with practical strategies to strengthen customer trust, adopt AI responsibly, and ensure accountability in decision-making.
The session highlighted the need for businesses to protect customer information, verify content generated by AI and maintain human oversight while using technology to improve productivity and customer experience.
Held at the Marriott Hotel in Accra under the theme “Trust as the New Currency: Building Resilient Businesses, Brands and Customer Relationships,” the masterclass brought together industry experts to share practical insights on customer relationships, reputation management and responsible AI adoption.
Customer Trust Key to Business Growth – MTN Ghana
Speaking at the event, Sandra Oduro Antwi, Senior Manager for Consumer Marketing at MTN Ghana, said trust remained one of the most important factors in building a successful and resilient business.
“Trust rarely appears on a balance sheet. Yet it can determine whether customers stay with a business through a difficult period,” she said.
She explained that businesses could earn customer loyalty by consistently delivering on their promises, treating customers fairly and taking responsibility when things went wrong.
According to her, customers now have more choices and can easily share their experiences online, making it important for businesses to respond quickly and effectively to complaints.
“How we respond when something goes wrong matters just as much as what we promise when things are going well,” she stated.
Ms Oduro Antwi said maintaining customer confidence required reliable services, timely responses to complaints and a willingness to listen and improve.
She noted that customers depended on MTN Ghana to connect with loved ones, conduct business and access opportunities, making trust central to the company’s operations.
Reflecting on MTN Ghana’s 30th anniversary, she credited customers, partners and communities for supporting the company’s growth from a telecommunications service provider into a technology company contributing to Ghana’s digital and socioeconomic development.
She encouraged participants to put the lessons from the masterclass into practice and regularly assess whether their business activities inspired customer confidence.
Consistent Service Delivery Builds Brand Trust – Esther Cobbah
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Communications Africa Ltd. (Stratcomm Africa), Esther Amba Numaba Cobbah, has urged businesses to strengthen their reputations by understanding customer expectations and consistently delivering on their promises.
Speaking on “Reputation Management and Brand Trust,” she said a company’s reputation was shaped by its conduct, employees, operational systems and the quality of service customers received.
“A lot of organisations work inside out. To build trust, we need to work outside in,” she said.
Ms Cobbah explained that businesses must listen to customers and assess their capacity to meet expectations before making commitments, warning that promoting services without the necessary resources could undermine public confidence.
She stressed that reputation management should form part of business planning rather than being treated solely as a marketing or promotional activity.
Drawing on Stratcomm Africa’s experience, she said building a credible brand required proper planning, competent employees and effective systems to support service delivery.
She also cautioned entrepreneurs against entering markets simply because others appeared successful, particularly on social media, and encouraged them to conduct market research and assess potential risks before launching products or services.
Businesses Urged to Prepare for Reputational Crises
On crisis management, Ms Cobbah urged organisations to identify potential threats early and establish measures to prevent or minimise their impact.
“Effective communication for reputation building, for reputation management, is proactive and not reactive,” she said.
She explained that businesses should regularly assess financial, operational and workforce-related risks to avoid disruptions that could affect customer confidence.
Using a health analogy, she noted that treating a headache without identifying its underlying cause could leave a more serious condition unresolved.
Similarly, she said addressing only the visible signs of business challenges without tackling their root causes could lead to recurring problems and long-term reputational damage.
She warned that repeated operational failures and poor handling of customer complaints could gradually erode public trust.
Effective Communication Goes Beyond Social Media
Ms Cobbah also emphasised the importance of meaningful communication, explaining that simply publishing information did not necessarily create understanding or strengthen customer relationships.
“Communication is not just about talking. It is not just about writing. It is not just about posting,” she said.
She noted that billboards, social media posts and other promotional materials could achieve little without a clear understanding of the intended audience.
She stressed that managing an organisation’s social media platforms required sound judgement, knowledge of the business and a clear communication strategy.
“It’s not about the handle. It’s about who handles the handle,” she stated.
Reflecting on her entrepreneurial journey, Ms Cobbah recalled starting Stratcomm Africa from a study table at home, working at night while her children slept, before the company later moved into a shipping container and subsequently expanded.
She encouraged entrepreneurs to focus on credibility, meaningful professional relationships and demonstrating value through their work.
Employees Key to Protecting Brand Reputation
Ms Cobbah further highlighted the role of employees in shaping public perceptions of an organisation, urging businesses to recruit and train workers who understood their values and service standards.
She explained that every employee, from security personnel and receptionists to drivers and managers, contributed to the overall customer experience.
Comparing corporate reputation to a capsule containing several granules, she said every aspect of an organisation played a part in determining how the public perceived its brand.
She therefore encouraged businesses to align their employees, operational systems and customer service practices to maintain consistent standards and build lasting trust.
Businesses Urged to Adopt AI Responsibly
Speaking on “Leadership in the Age of AI & Misinformation,” Kwame Andah, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Kreative Waves Consulting, urged businesses to adopt AI responsibly and ensure that human judgement remained central to important decisions.
He explained that although AI could help organisations work faster and improve productivity, it also presented risks that required proper safeguards.
Mr Andah warned that AI-generated information could sometimes be inaccurate or fabricated, making it necessary for businesses to verify information before relying on it.
He also cautioned employees against entering sensitive company information, customer records or personal data into AI platforms without organisational approval.
According to him, businesses must understand the technology they use and ensure that employees receive adequate training on both its benefits and potential risks.
He said trust depended on reliability, credibility and consistency, particularly when customers shared personal and financial information with businesses.
Mr Andah also raised concerns about fraudulent text messages and fake websites designed to deceive customers.
He encouraged businesses to educate customers on how to identify official communication channels and protect themselves against online scams.
He stressed that businesses should build credibility before problems occurred and communicate openly when challenges arose.
Human Oversight Critical in AI Decision-Making
On the use of AI in decision-making, Mr Andah cautioned against relying entirely on automated systems, particularly when decisions could affect people’s access to essential services.
Using credit assessment as an example, he explained that AI systems could overlook the circumstances of applicants who operated largely outside formal financial channels.
He therefore urged organisations to review AI-generated recommendations carefully and ensure that human oversight remained part of decisions affecting customers.
To improve accountability, Mr Andah recommended the RACI framework, which stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed.
He explained that the framework helped organisations assign clear responsibilities when introducing AI systems, developing policies and implementing projects.
Under the framework, designated individuals carried out assigned tasks, while an accountable person retained final responsibility for decisions and outcomes.
He stressed that business leaders could not shift responsibility for their decisions onto AI tools.
AI Must Solve Real Business Problems – Kwame Andah
Sharing his professional experience, Mr Andah said he had worked at Paramount, where one of his responsibilities involved managing a machine learning team that developed personalised content recommendations to improve viewers’ experiences.
He noted that AI could also help professionals review reports, analyse large amounts of information and identify important insights more quickly.
However, he urged users to examine the data protection terms of AI platforms before signing up, particularly how their information would be stored, used, retrieved or deleted.
Mr Andah also encouraged entrepreneurs to focus on solving real customer problems rather than adopting technology simply because it was becoming popular.
Drawing on his experience developing a digital marketplace connecting mechanics, vehicle parts sellers and buyers, he explained that the project aimed to make it easier for customers to find and purchase vehicle parts while addressing concerns about authenticity.
He said businesses should first understand their markets, identify customer needs and determine whether AI could provide practical solutions.
He encouraged participants to develop AI skills through online courses, practical training and projects that addressed business or community challenges.
According to him, investing in digital skills would help individuals improve productivity and prepare for changes in the job market.
Trust and Consistency Essential for Customer Loyalty – Mawuko Afadzinu
Mawuko Afadzinu, Consultant in Chief at MynShop, urged businesses to make trust the foundation of their customer relationships, stressing that consistent service delivery was essential to attracting and retaining customers.
He observed that trust had weakened over the years, making it increasingly important for businesses to demonstrate that they were reliable and different from competitors.
Reflecting on his childhood, Mr Afadzinu recalled a time when communities enjoyed a greater sense of trust and familiarity, with neighbours maintaining close relationships.
He said the decline in trust across society had made customers more cautious about where they spent their money and which businesses they relied on.
According to him, customers generally wanted reassurance that a business could deliver on its promises before committing their money or resources.
He used the example of people choosing where to buy food, explaining that customers often looked for signs that others had tried a product and were satisfied with its quality.
He noted that a busy food joint could attract new customers because the presence of other buyers created an impression of reliability and confidence.
Mr Afadzinu stressed that trust was a necessary foundation for every successful business relationship.
He explained that building trust required businesses to make promises customers could believe, deliver on those promises consistently and anticipate customer needs before problems arose.
According to him, delivering quality service once was not enough to build lasting confidence.
He said customers expected the same standard of service whenever they returned, regardless of the circumstances.
Using the example of a customer buying food from a particular vendor, he explained that a positive first experience could encourage another visit, but inconsistent quality could quickly weaken that confidence.
He therefore urged businesses to establish reliable systems and processes to ensure that customers received the same level of service every time.
Businesses Must Anticipate Customer Needs
Mr Afadzinu also encouraged businesses to understand their customers well enough to identify their needs before they made requests.
Recalling visits to the market with his mother, he explained how experienced traders sometimes anticipated what regular customers would need and prepared those items ahead of time.
He said such thoughtful service demonstrated that a business understood its customers and valued their relationships.
According to him, anticipating customer needs required knowledge of the market, effective planning and employees who understood the organisation’s commitments.
He stressed that businesses must ensure that their staff and operational systems were capable of fulfilling the promises made to customers.
Mr Afadzinu noted that even when business owners had good intentions, poor internal processes or employee mistakes could prevent them from delivering the expected service.
He said such failures could damage customer confidence, making it important for businesses to strengthen their operations and address potential problems early.
Customer Trust Must Translate into Loyalty
Mr Afadzinu further explained that earning customer trust was only the first step towards building a lasting business relationship.
He said businesses must go beyond satisfying customers during individual transactions and create experiences that encouraged them to return even when competitors offered similar products or services.
According to him, a customer might trust a business because of a positive experience but could still switch to another provider offering the same quality.
He therefore encouraged businesses to develop stronger relationships with customers through consistent service, reliability and a better understanding of their expectations.
He explained that genuine customer loyalty became evident when people continued choosing a particular business despite having other options.
Mr Afadzinu stressed that businesses seeking long-term growth must continuously demonstrate credibility, maintain service standards and anticipate the changing needs of their customers.
Source: Isaac Kofi Dzokpo
