by Bianca Gempesaw
Buying a home is rarely just about walls and roofs. It’s about dreams, milestones, and belonging. That was how the latest Transformative Digest lunch and learn session began—with a reminder that in real estate, every click, call, and conversation carries human emotion behind it.
Building with Heart
Takeaway #1: Real estate is personal. Tech helps us serve, but empathy helps us connect.
During the session, Aboitiz Land’s SAVP for Customer & Reputation Management Farrah Mayol, shared how empathy, technology, and community shape the company’s evolving approach to customer experience.
Between bites and conversation, Farrah reminded everyone that behind every home purchase is a deeply personal story, and every misstep feels personal, too. That’s why empathy now matters as much as efficiency. In today’s Techglomerate era, she shared that Customer Centricity is essential to delivering convenience, empathy, and transparency.
The session participants from Power, Banking, Foundation, and Land, with featured GT speaker, Aboitiz Land SAVP for Customer & Reputation Management Farrah Mayol.
Turning Empathy into Experience
Takeaway #2: Make tech intuitive. If customers can’t use it, it’s not innovation, but frustration.
The conversation soon turned to what customer centricity looks like in practice and how empathy translates into actual systems and solutions. When the plates cleared, talk turned to One Vecino, Aboitiz Land’s digital ecosystem that lets homeowners reserve, pay, and manage communities in one place.
What Farrah said was simple, but it hit home: “Innovation isn’t about being flashy. It’s about being usable.” It’s about building tools that truly help people, not overwhelm them.
Blending Intelligence and Intuition
Takeaway #3: AI assists; humans assure. Adoption matters more than automation.’
Later in the discussion, the group reflected on where technology meets people the most—the frontlines, where AI now coaches service teams on tone and timing. But as Farrah noted, “AI can guide, but only humans can genuinely listen.” The real measure of success is adoption, where customers embrace solutions that feel seamless, simple, and genuinely helpful.
Around the table, a few heads nodded. Colleagues from other business units saw themselves in the stories too.
Participant Kayla Paclibar from AboitizPower Land Management reflected on how these insights apply beyond real estate: “In our work with lot owners and local communities, we see the same truth, relationships drive outcomes. When we listen with empathy and act with consistency, we strengthen trust, even in complex stakeholder environments.”
Guillermo Francisco II from AEV Government Relations added, “Customer centricity isn’t just about service, but collaboration. Working closely with the government means balancing compliance with connection, and technology helps us stay open and transparent while keeping dialogue human.”
Where Belonging Begins
Takeaway #4: Whether building homes or sharing ideas, we thrive when we listen, learn, and build together.
By the time the cups emptied, reflection replaced discussion: what does customer centricity truly mean for the future of real estate? The session wrapped the way all good lunches do, with smiles, stories, and shared reflections.
Farrah reminded everyone that customer centricity is about creating communities of belonging, not just satisfied buyers. In many ways, Transformative Digest itself is that kind of community, a space where A-People from diverse units come together to learn, share, and grow through one another’s stories. Because whether we’re building homes, communities, or ideas, it’s never just about structures — it’s about people.
