nits SO that all are aware of all dealings with the customer. Second, you must have the organizational structure in place to enforce a consistent set of rules for the treatment of customers. In Chapter 8, we proposed that the true nature of the churn problem, as most people understand it, is a symptom of a much bigger problem: how telcos manage their customer relationships. We also proposed that these problems could be resolved by addressing the critical areas. Understand who your customers are. Understand the nature of your relationship with the cus- tomers. eXcellence in Telecommunications The Telco Churn Handbook 3. Be ready and able to participate in that relationship as it is defined. Establish ongoing lines of communication with them. 5. Participate in the relationship (really listen, and then change based on what you hear). 6. Pay particular attention when churn situations arise. FLAWS IN THE LOGIC OF THIS ARGUMENT The argument may seem perfectly logical, but there is a clear flaw in the thinking. Telcos are not Individuals; They are Corporations The first flaw in our logic is simple enough. We are talking about the relationship between the telco and the individual customer as if that telco were a single person, a person capable of having a conversation, remembering exchanges of information, and keeping track of where the relationship is going. Well, a telco is not a person. It is a business, usually a very large business, and that means that its activities are governed not by the wishes of any one person but by the net impact of the actions of hundreds and sometimes thousands of people. Because it is a big business, to manage the relationship with the customer you have to take into account all of the actions of all of the people that have any dealings, direct or indirect, with the customers. Attempting to have the telco behave appropriately in the relationship with the customers then will require that we somehow figure out how to get all of the different people that are interacting with or acting on the c