By Dr Hanningtone Gaya, CEO – The Knowledge Warehouse Kenya
What does it truly mean to be customer-centric? At the surface level, the idea sounds straightforward – listening to your customers, meeting their needs, providing good service. Digging deeper, and you find that the concept is not only proactive, it is dynamic. In industries where the definition of ‘customer’ versus ‘consumer’ varies greatly, the concept is multi-faceted.
For instance, in insurance, the customer might be the one paying the premium – a parent, a company, a school – while the consumer is the one who experiences the actual benefit of the product- the insured, the employee, the patient, the accident victim. Meaning, the consumer and the customer are two distinct yet interdependent users whose needs have to be considered and addressed on an equal footing, by product features. In contrast, banking often deals with one entity – the same individual both purchases and consumes the service. Yet even in such seemingly linear journeys, expectations are rising, and the demand for seamless, frictionless, hyper-personalised experiences is louder than ever, and more so, in 2025.
This is where true customer centricity reveals itself – not as a buzzword, but as a business imperative, a product feature and an aftersales service. Hence, at every pain point, customer centricity ought to always lead to consumer centricity. Whether they are the same person or two different stakeholders, the design of every touchpoint must ensure clarity, confidence, and satisfaction. There should be no ambiguity, no room for doubt. The most customer-centric brands are those whose products and services answer questions before the customer even thinks of asking them.
McKinsey & Company, in their seminal piece published in December 2024, True Customer Centricity: An Operating Model for Competitive Advantage, underscores this idea. The article states: “Being customer-centric means making customers the focus of all decisions related to delivering products, services, and experiences.” The report stresses that high-performing companies embed this ethos throughout their business operating model – from leadership and culture to data, technology, and talent. “Companies that organise around their customers’ needs create more value and grow faster,” the report concludes. It is not merely about being responsive – it is about being anticipatory.
At Business Monthly EA, this month July, marks exactly three decades of championing quality and excellence in business journalism and publishing, our first time coming out on July 1995-through the bold Monthly Motor magazine. The issue therefore takes a break from our theme in the last five years, Top 25 to Top 30, celebrating one product or corporate brand for each year of our existence.
This special issue also celebrates the brands that have highlighted trust, connection and the human side of business, by being media-centric, especially for specialized magazines that hardly attract the usual big budgets, yet the only media that is really tangible and providing the longest shelf life and a captive audience.
We take out huts out to honour the brands that embody this rare form of leadership. These are the brands and companies that innovate boldly, who deliver products and services so thoughtfully engineered that the experience feels effortless. They do not burden the customer with questions or confusion. Instead, they provide seamless clarity.
These are also brands that recognise one size does not fit all. Whether they serve the urban digital native, the rural farmer, the young first-time buyer, or the seasoned corporate client, they breathe life into tailored solutions. They treat customer differences not as hurdles but as opportunities to personalise, to connect, and to lead with relevance.
This issue is a salute to the brands and companies that refuse to compromise on what matters most: people. Their customer-first mindsets are not policy – they are practice.
In a world where customers hold the power of choice, the 20 most customer-centric brands and 10 high performing public listed companies we celebrate and recognize here deserve your attention: they choose – every single day – to put you, the customer at the centre of their everything.
Enjoy the read.
