School Food Services Innovation

Sogeres and the town of Rueil-Malmaison have introduced a pilot project aimed at improving services for constituents and adapting to their changing needs. Called Fami Pass*, this innovative service allows parents of children who dine in school cafeterias to pay their bills by telephone (mobile or landline) or via the Internet. The new user-friendly, secure payment solution saves time and enables families to verify invoices before payment. Municipal authorities in Rueil-Malmaison and teams from Sogeres and Sodexho Service Vouchers and Cards worked closely together to develop the high-performance system, which demonstrates a commitment to responding to new consumer behavior trends** and to using new technologies to improve the quality of daily life. Several hundred families have already agreed to take part in the Fami Pass project.

Fami Pass: a simple, convenient, secure payment solution for families

For users, the service offers many advantages:

• Ease of use and time-savings. Parents choose the formula best suited to their needs and receive an invoice via SMS, email or the post. Payment can be validated in just a few seconds.
• Freedom of choice and control of the payment process. At present, 85% of families refuse the direct debit system because they want to verify the amount first. With Fami Pass, no payment is debited unless it has been validated.

*Fami Pass is a service of Sodexho Service Vouchers and Cards: www.famipass.fr
**Because Fami Pass is accessible by telephone or the Internet, 99% of the population is equipped to use the service.

• No-charge service. The solution involves no postage or account management costs. If accessed by phone, the user pays the same amount as for a local call (no surcharge). 
• Security. The environment is totally secured and each user has his or her own ID and password. 
• Accessibility. The service is available anytime, anywhere.

A shared commitment to providing a broad-based, modern, affordable service

With the introduction of this new product, the Fami Pass partners have demonstrated their commitment to adapting to changing everyday needs through services that can be widely used. For each of the partners, this innovative new product represents a step forward for all users.

"My goal is to modernize and gradually adapt public services by taking advantage of the wide array of technological tools now available," said Rueil-Malmaison Mayor Patrick Ollier. "Fami Pass is an important step in that direction and the large number of families that have volunteered to take part in the program shows that change was needed. It will undoubtedly improve communication between the municipality, families and our service-provider partners."

"Since 1989, we've worked alongside Rueil-Malmaison officials, sharing their concerns and priorities," said Jean-Paul Fontan, Chairman of the Sogeres Management Board. "This latest project clearly shows that we want to be a reliable partner capable of constantly delivering innovative, effective solutions."

"We're delighted to participate in this project, which demonstrates our strategic focus on innovation and technological development," said Pierre Henry, President Sodexho Pass International. "The new service is fully in line with our commitment to improving the quality of life for consumers, in particular through meal, gift, leisure and culture vouchers and cards as well as other Pass solutions we provide to companies and local communities."

Depending on the pilot project's success, the service could be extended to other municipalities that want to simplify life for their citizens. It could also be expanded to include other municipal services, such as recreation facilities, daycare centers or drop-in childcare services, thus enabling local authorities to provide constituents with a broad, varied array of services.

About Sogeres: a food services partner
A member of Sodexho Alliance, Sogeres nurtures a contemporary vision of the food service industry. In addition to providing customers with outstanding cuisine and a reinvigorating dining experience, the Company is committed to satisfying its clients and supporting them in a spirit of partnership.

Sogeres Media Relations:
Agence Self Image
Elodie Monchicourt
emonchicourt@selfimage.fr 
Tel: +33 (0)1 47 04 12 40

Alexia Haye
ahaye@selfimage.fr 
Tel: +33 (0)1 47 04 12 42
Fax: +33 (0)1 47 04 26 15

About Sodexho Service Vouchers and Cards
A Sodexho Alliance subsidiary, Service Vouchers and Cards provides public and private sector clients with a full range of innovative services designed to motivate and retain employees and to optimize management of compensation policies. For local and national authorities, Sodexho also designs and manages tailored solutions for the deployment of social assistance programs. With more than 100 million vouchers issued in France each year, Sodexho Service Vouchers and Cards is a market leader in the provision of payment media for a broad range of services and products, including meals, training programs, gifts and leisure activities as well as childcare and other human services.

Rueil-Malmaison Mayor's Office - Media Relations:
François Blanchard
Tel: +33 (0)6 03 87 47 10

Send an email to Press Relations

or call
Jean-Charles Tréhan
+33 (0)1 57 75 80 24