ONLINE REPUTATION MANAGEMENT IN THE DIGITAL ERA; A CASE STUDY OF TELECEL GHANA

This study examined how Telecel Ghana manages its online reputation in Ghana's competitive telecommunications industry, using digital platforms following its 2024 rebranding from Vodafone Ghana. While online reputation management (ORM) has gained importance for protecting organizational reputations in this age of increasing digitization of business environments, previous studies on Ghana's telecommunications industry have mostly looked into conventional issues of reputation like service quality and customer satisfaction with very little empirical work on how firms engage in ORM activities, especially in relation to their rebranding initiatives. This study sought to fill this gap by setting out to achieve two objectives: the examination of the effectiveness of the online platforms used by Telecel Ghana to manage its online reputation and the strategies and online tools it uses in managing and maintaining its reputation. A qualitative case study research approach was applied to the study using a purposive sampling method to conduct interviews with one Public Relations staff member and nine customers of Telecel Ghana. Data were analyzed thematically following Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-phase framework and interpreted through Stakeholder Theory (Freeman, 1984) and Technological Determinism (McLuhan, 1962). The findings demonstrate that digital advancements have transformed the approach of Telecel Ghana in ORM from one-sided broadcasting to consistent and real -time communication via social listening dashboards, sentiment analysis, and holding messages. Digital channels have made the customers' voices louder in questioning and critiquing organizational decisions, and WhatsApp monitoring constitutes a true blind spot of the organization in reputation monitoring. As far as strategy is concerned, Telecel Ghana operates with a platform-driven strategy, focusing on Facebook to build reputation through reach, TikTok to creatively shape brand image, and a hierarchical and supervised process to address the crisis. However, a persistent gap has been identified between the infrastructure and customer experience, as customers complained about unanswered issues, especially those raised on TikTok and inconsistency in customer service. In sum, it may be stated that reputation of Telecel Ghana in the digital environment is not determined by the sophistication of its ORM system but rather by the way how customer interactions are addressed online and seen through. Therefore, the issue of trust in Telecel Ghana does not depend on online reputation but more on customer experience. The findings of the study prove that Stakeholder Theory and Technological Determinism are highly relevant in explaining how telecel manage it's online presence.