Prof. Robert E. Hinson has urged organisations to align every customer touchpoint with their brand promise.
He said this is imperative in enhancing the customer experience (CX) and driving sustainable business growth.
The astute marketing scholar and business consultant was speaking at the recently held 2025 Citi Management Bootcamp held in Accra.
Professor Hinson defined customer experience as “the sum total of all interactions between a customer and an organization”. He elaborated that CX is not just about physical performance but also about the emotional impressions organizations create—measured against customer expectations—across all touchpoints.
He argued that superior CX leads to increased customer loyalty and retention, greater revenue and market share, lower customer acquisition costs, and the creation of long-term competitive advantage.
According to him, the brand image of an organisation plays a crucial role in shaping initial customer expectations—even before any direct interaction occurs. Every marketing message, social media update, and advertisement sets a psychological tone, influencing what customers expect when engaging with a brand.
“Every touchpoint must align with your brand promise,” Professor Hinson stressed. “This alignment should be reflected in your visual identity, tone of voice, delivery of value, and cultural relevance. Authentic, consistent, and credible brand behavior across all channels creates trust and drives differentiation.”
He also shared insights on evolving customer expectations in today’s fast-paced digital world. Contemporary benchmarks now require:
• Social media responses within 1 hour
• Email replies within 24 hours
• Live chat responses within minutes
• Phone hold times under 2 minutes
Professor Hinson encouraged African institutions to adopt a continuous CX improvement mindset, anchored on:
1. Gathering feedback through surveys, reviews, and direct dialogue
2. Analyzing customer insights to identify patterns, pain points, and opportunities
3. Designing targeted solutions with measurable outcomes
4. Deploying and tracking interventions
5. Iterating for continuous optimization.
In his closing remarks, Professor Hinson urged participants to return to their organizations and either champion the implementation of existing CX strategies or lead the formulation of new ones where they do not yet exist.
“It is only by understanding, achieving, and sustaining customer-centric business value that organisations can create the meaningful differentiation required for enduring success.”
Comments