Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Lolitta Suffian has recently stepped into the role of senior vice president for customer experience at Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN), following four years of leading customer experience at Telekom Malaysia.
With AI at the forefront of digital transformation around the world, Lolitta has one goal for developing and solidifying impactful customer experiences this year: CX for all and by all.
On a LinkedIn post, Lolitta shared, “Customer experience isn’t a department – it is a culture. It’s not what happens after a complaint, it’s what happens before frustration even begins.”
Speaking to UpTech Media, Lolitta explained that when it comes to CX, customers don’t see divisions; they see BSN. This is why she is helping foster a collaborative culture between teams across different departments to co-own the customer journey from start to finish.
“We’re moving from measuring CX as a department KPI to living it as an organisational mindset. This means setting up cross-functional “experience squads” that solve end-to-end pain points along the customer journey, rather than passing customers down the line,” she told UpTech Media.
When it comes to the deep integration of AI technologies with CX, Lolitta nurtures the belief of digital empathy: understanding what customers feel, not just what they do.
“The goal isn’t perfection, it’s progress and making interactions simpler, faster, and kinder. As we mature, data and AI will play a key role, not to replace the human touch, but to reveal patterns we might otherwise miss, helping teams act with empathy at scale,” she explained.
Bridging AI and empathy in CX
A major element of customer experience in the digital era is analysing data to better understand the evolving needs of customers. This enables companies to provide greater personalisation for each interaction.
While this reliance on technology is successful, for Lolitta, delivering genuine personalisation and inclusion starts with listening.
“True empathy isn’t just about collecting data; it is about understanding the why behind customer behaviour,” Lolitta commented.
“From my many years in telco, I’ve learned that accessibility, trust, and emotional connection drive loyalty far more than promotions or glossy digital interfaces. This is why at BSN, we’re designing experiences that feel personal and possible for every Malaysian, whether it’s a first-time digital user or a customer who prefers visiting our banks in person.”
Rather than performing the role as a service professional, Lolitta aims to strengthen human touchpoints by equipping frontliners to act as experienced guardians, simplifying journeys that matter the most.
Lolitta further explained that BSN is also building a stronger data foundation, layering AI insights and predictive analytics to gain a better understanding of customers’ needs before they are articulated.
In another LinkedIn post, Lolitta expanded on the new trend in CX following predictive experiences and shared, “That’s what predictive CX means for BSN: using data, empathy, and timing to serve customers before they even need to ask. And yes, AI will help us do that.”
Although for Lolitta, AI can never replace empathy because it is the bridge that helps teams deliver it more meaningfully, at every touch point.
CX is a movement rather than a function
Transformation at scale is a movement that takes place at every organisation to adapt to the changing industry landscape, while keeping up with customer experience trends.
For Lolitta at BSN, the challenge comes when designing experiences to meet the diverse customer base in Malaysia, ranging from digital natives to underserved communities. She mentioned this requires agility, not uniformity.
“Internally, the challenge is cultural. Many people still consider CX as a function when, in fact, it’s a movement. My job is to build believers, not just processes,” she said.
This is where an opportunity also strikes to use AI as a tool to truly amplify empathy.
“AI, for instance, can help us identify friction points, predict needs, and prioritise issues before they escalate, allowing our teams to focus on what humans do best: connecting, reassuring, and solving,” Lolitta mentioned.
“That’s how I see AI, not as a crutch, but as a bridge between data and human understanding.”
Making CX measurable beyond satisfaction
Looking ahead, Lolitta’s mission to ensure CX at BSN remains relevant during constantly evolving times is making the customer voice a top priority in every decision made from design to policy.
She explained how the bank is setting up a Voice of Customer (VoC) engine that connects feedback, complaint data, and sentiment analysis into one unified view. For Lolitta, this goes beyond reporting– it’s activation.
“With AI and analytics, we’ll be able to surface patterns faster, translate feedback into action plans, and close the loop with customers in ways that feel personal and transparent,” Lolitta commented.
She added that there will also be a focus on operational simplicity across the bank in order to remove friction in customers’ journeys that matter the most, such as onboarding, payments, and problem resolution.
Lolitta concluded, “Lastly, I want to make CX measurable beyond satisfaction, linking it to trust and advocacy. It’s not just about happier customers; it’s about customers who stay, spend, and speak well of us not just as a bank but a brand people feel connected to.”
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With the evolution of CX in the digital age, the line between humans and machines has merged into processes that better analyse, predict, and deliver hyper-personalised experiences across the customer journey.
However, empathy cannot be found in the heart of AI technologies. For Lolitta, humans still play a key role in using and teaching technologies to serve with the same heart once brought to every phone call.
