By: Scott St. John, Pipeline

Every individual human is unique, and complex. Every person has different attributes, character, communication styles, likes, dislikes, beliefs, desires, needs, skills, talents, and perceived values. This makes human relationships even more complicated, as relationships are a jigsaw puzzle of a multitude of factors that must be matched to seamlessly function to the mutual benefit of both parties.

To complicate matters more, these things aren’t static — they change over time. And the survival of our species relies on these things working in harmony. And the duration of a relationship depends on the intent of the desired outcome and how satisfied the parties are with it.

Human relationships permeate virtually every aspect of our lives. How well we function or succeed in society is a direct result of our ability to master the changing dynamics of these relationships, measured by the impact it has to those around us.

In business, mastering human relationships can have an even more far-reaching impact. It can effect its customers, employees, shareholders, and society as a whole. The degree of success a business has can hinge upon its ability to understand the complexities of the human relationships it has. Paramount to that is understanding the relationship it has with its customers and learning how to improve, enhance, and master their experience.

Pillars of Human Relationships

Human relationships are built upon understanding. Each participant must know the other. How well they know each other is essential to understanding mutual wants and needs and being able to communicate with each other effectively. This is important in good times, and critical when things go wrong. Understanding is also an essential component that enables each participant in the relationship to make the other feel valued.

Communication is the lifeblood of human relationships. Open, transparent, and frequent communication builds trust and creates a dynamic feedback loop for change. This allows each participant to adapt and collaborate as circumstances, life, and people evolve over time. Communication should be continuous and underpinned by understanding and empathy. Constant communication creates transparency and builds trust, the bedrock of all successful human relationships.

Mastering the Customer Experience (CX) with AI-driven BSS

Durable, long-term customer relationships require communication, understanding, empathy, and the feeling of being valued. To master the customer experience, these principals must be embraced across the entire organization. Positive customer experiences are created as the byproduct of a culture where the customer is valued, and where that value is communicated - or even demonstrated through actions - to the customer. 

Over the years, customer experience management (CEM) has evolved to compass various aspects of business, including the Customer Experience (CX), Digital Experience (DX), Employee Experience (EX), and what is now being called the Total Experience (TX). Within each of these areas, there are various BSS and CX solutions and technologies trying to address different pieces of the customer journey. But those who think technology itself can create or support human relationships are mistaken.

Even advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) is artificial by its very definition. You can’t create, support, and maintain long-term human customer relationships with technology alone. Technology can, however, provide valuable capabilities that complement human efforts and enhance the customer experience. 

Service providers possess an overwhelming amount of customer data in their Business Support Systems (BSS) that can be effectively, efficiently, and responsibly used to communicate with and strengthen customer relationships. To create a truly superior customer experience, a customer-centric culture must be supported by transformative technology that exposes the customer experience to relevant stakeholders and efficiently automates actions that better serve customers.

Many service providers have been failing at CX despite the vast array of BSS, data, systems, and tools they have at their disposal. We all have our own poor customer experience war stories to share. Some service providers are still struggling with old,