Mark Muyobo, CEO NCBA Bank Uganda
In today’s fast-changing business environment, many Ugandan companies continue to spend heavily on marketing, product design, and technology, yet overlooking one of the simplest and most powerful tools for growth – listening to their customers.
Businesses that master the art of listening often uncover untapped opportunities that make them more agile, trusted, and responsive. Customer feedback, when treated as a strategic resource rather than a routine formality, becomes a blueprint for innovation, revealing gaps, highlighting strengths, and shaping smarter business decisions.
Globally, leading firms have built entire innovation strategies around customer insights. But in Uganda, feedback is too often treated as an afterthought, or a complaint log detached from actual change. Yet, if listening becomes a core business philosophy, it transforms organizations from the inside out.
Experts say that listening builds trust, strengthens loyalty, and fosters innovation. In a digital era where a single social media post can shape a brand’s reputation overnight, trust has become the new currency of business success.
According to Mark Muyobo, CEO NCBA Bank Uganda, listening to customers is not just a process, but a culture.
“The customer-obsession culture, like the one we have at NCBA, is grounded in the belief that customers are the best source of direction for innovation. Every month, NCBA collects and analyzes thousands of feedback points from branches, digital platforms, contact center, social media and other customer touch point. But what sets us apart is how we act on that feedback,” he said.
Muyobo explained that insights from customers have directly influenced upgrades to NCBA’s mobile app, making it faster, more user-friendly, and intuitive. Feedback from corporate clients has led to the development of simplified digital payment and cash management solutions, while suggestions from retail customers have prompted redesigns of branch layouts and personal banking solutions.
“Every comment is a spark for innovation. A small business owner’s idea might inspire a new loan product. It’s about turning insights into action,” he added.
Judith Ssennoga, an accountant and business consultant, agrees that feedback is one of the most valuable yet underutilized tools in Uganda’s business environment.
“Customer feedback is free, real-time market intelligence. Interestingly, it doesn’t require huge budgets, just a mindset shift from defending old practices to seeking deeper understanding,” she said.
She noted that as Uganda’s economy digitizes and competition intensifies, businesses that treat customer feedback as a strategic asset will lead the pack.
“Listening turns complaints into opportunities and challenges into catalysts for progress. The most successful organizations will be those that don’t just talk at their customers but truly listen to them and act with intent,” Ssennoga said.
She said, ultimately, the path to growth is drawn not in boardrooms but through the voices of customers themselves.
