Fixing Siloed Systems to Improve Customer Experience

1 day ago7 min read3 comments

Trying to run a business with siloed systems is like attempting to complete a complex jigsaw puzzle with half the pieces missing—you’re left with a fragmented picture that never quite comes together, no matter how hard you try. This operational disarray, where critical data is trapped within individual departments, teams, and software platforms, creates a fundamental disconnect that ultimately frustrates your customers and sabotages your brand's potential.Just as a patient might be shuttled between a primary care physician, a specialist, and a hospital, with each entity holding only a sliver of their medical history, customers in industries from banking to retail are forced to navigate a labyrinth of disconnected touchpoints. The consequence is more than mere inconvenience; it's a direct erosion of trust and loyalty, transforming what should be a seamless relationship into a series of frustrating, one-time transactions.I've seen this firsthand, not just in my role leading Sollis Health but throughout my career building customer-centric experiences. The lesson is clear: true integration isn't a back-office IT project; it's a strategic imperative that places the customer's complete journey at the very heart of every system you design.Consider the travel industry's long-standing folio problem, where loyal hotel guests couldn't access their itemized bills through the brand's own apps, a glaring failure that pushed the burden of data management onto the customer. This is the corporate equivalent of handing your customer a box of puzzle pieces and asking them to finish the job themselves.Forward-thinking leaders, however, recognize that an investment in seamless, privacy-conscious integration—like leveraging AI tools to synthesize qualitative feedback or pulling consolidated medical data with explicit patient consent—is an investment in loyalty. When you build systems that remember a customer's preferences and history, you're signaling that you truly understand them, allowing you to proactively anticipate their needs. This shift from treating customers as transactions to recognizing them as whole people is the ultimate competitive advantage, turning fragmented data points into a clear, coherent picture of a lasting relationship.

#silos

#data integration

#customer experience

#AI

#healthcare

#enterprise technology

#featured

Stay Informed. Act Smarter.

Get weekly highlights, major headlines, and expert insights — then put your knowledge to work in our live prediction markets.