Kisumu forum champions conversational AI to drive customer engagement, business competitiveness

ICT and digital Economy CS William Kabogo speaking during a meeting with EU Ambassador to Kenya Henriette Geiger in Nairobi on April 10th 2025. They urged Kenyan traders to embrace digital trade solutions and integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations, as the country accelerates efforts to position itself as a regional hub for digital commerce. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

Tech champions have rooted for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to ease operations and cut costs across the continent.

Delegates from various technology firms who spoke at the sixth edition of Africa's Annual Customer Experience (CX) Conference, which took place in Kisumu said the use of conversational AI to transform customer experience and help businesses stay competitive, grow their customer base and drive sustainable growth.

In partnership with Belva Digital, Infobip, a cloud communications firm, was among the top technology innovators showcased at the 6th edition of Africa's Annual Customer Experience (CX) Conference, which took place in Kisumu.

"Today's customers are no longer satisfied with generic responses or delayed service," said George Muhia, Head of Enterprise Business for East Africa at Infobip.

"Generative and conversational AI is redefining customer interaction by enabling emotionally intelligent, real-time engagement that builds trust and loyalty."

Muhia emphasized that modern consumers expect more than efficiency-they want personalized, authentic experiences that make them feel seen, understood, and valued at every stage of their journey.

"As customer expectations evolve, businesses must evolve too," he said. "Conversational AI empowers companies to meet these expectations with speed, empathy, and a deep personal touch."

Recent studies show that 82 per cent of consumers prefer personalised interactions, while 73 per cent expect brands to understand them across all touchpoints. Yet nearly 60 per cent believe companies have lost the human element in customer service.

"Businesses must move beyond transactional engagements to create experiences that connect emotionally," Muhia added.

"At Infobip, we help brands do just that-combining human insight with AI to enable smarter, more meaningful conversations at scale."

Traditional customer service models-such as mass messaging and disjointed channels-are increasingly ineffective and often result in frustration and churn.

Infobip's conversational AI solutions address this by enabling timely, contextual, and emotionally intelligent interactions that foster customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Infobip's platform is designed to unify the customer journey by integrating marketing, service, and commerce across multiple channels. With a 360-degree view of each customer's behaviour and history, businesses can achieve more effective segmentation and hyper-personalized engagement.

"We're entering a new era where technology doesn't just support the customer experience-it defines it," said Muhia. "The future of CX is not only digital, but deeply human. Brands that recognize and adapt to this shift will be the ones that thrive."

As the customer experience landscape evolves, Infobip is calling on businesses across Africa to embrace a future that is conversational, intelligent, and truly human-centric.

The annual conference, which concluded on Friday, brought together professionals, industry leaders, and innovators from across the continent to explore transformative strategies for delivering superior customer experiences. This year's theme focused on leveraging intelligent technologies to shape the future of CX.