How AI is empowering site managers to keep client service seamless

Alice GuéhennecGroup Chief Tech, Data & Digital Officer

This is the third article in a series by Alice Guéhennec, Global Chief Tech, Data, Digital and Innovation Officer at Sodexo. The series explores how artificial intelligence (AI) and digital solutions are reshaping workplace dining and the broader workplace experience.

Keeping complex workplaces running smoothly while delivering great experiences for thousands of consumers – that’s a daily responsibility for our site managers around the world. It’s a role often described as ‘demanding’, but for me this word is not enough.

Every day, they are getting the best from their teams, juggle competing priorities, solve any problems quickly, and deliver on strategic goals. They ensure that every service we provide for a client runs smoothly. Their expertise adds value, so we invest in tech solutions that give them the freedom to use it.  

The power of a perfect experience

When consumers experience warm welcomes, great spaces, and delicious food, they return time and again. They connect more with their colleagues, feel valued by their employer, and stay healthy and happy – all vital buildings blocks for business productivity.

 

Delivering these simple joys consistently requires an operation of immense complexity. Behind the scenes, our site-based colleagues are scheduling maintenance, tracking food production, managing cleaning schedules, monitoring safety and coordinating suppliers; the list is endless.

From technologies that enhance the consumer experience, to tools that improve compliance and drive efficiency – making their lives easier is vital to keeping service quality high.

Serving food that always delivers

We all know the disappointment of finding out your favorite dish is unavailable. Maybe it sold out, or perhaps it never made it on the menu. Our AI-enabled tools help site teams to prevent these issues and create fast fixes.

AI Menu, for example, helps our chefs to embrace seasonal changes and create client-focused menus 50 times faster. And ProductSwap acts as an intelligent find-and-replace assistant, constantly sourcing alternatives for key ingredients so we can keep delicious dishes on the menu without sending client costs soaring. These tools are used by central teams to support the work of our site-based teams and enable them to focus on consumer and client needs. Automatic stock control also plays a key role, with cameras and sensors tracking ingredient levels in real time to trigger reorders, reveal issues and double-check expiry dates, improving the guest experience and protecting them from harm. 

Driving efficiency into every corner

In these uncertain times, clients rely on us to elevate the workplace experience and to do it efficiently. In kitchens, factories and spaces of all kinds, we invest in digital solutions that help our teams to work smarter, delivering cost-conscious services and creating the space our managers need to add long term value.

 

At more than 1,000 sites, for example, we use PowerChef to adjust staffing plans in real time, anticipating fluctuating demand in world of hybrid work when footfall is uncertain. By considering forecast demand up to 90 days ahead, we ensure our organization is flexible enough to adapt to changing demand with the right number of people at each location to ensure service quality.

Keeping everyone safe every day

 Safety is the number one priority. Whether in corporate headquarters, research labs or factories, taking manual tasks away helps our teams to simplify compliance reporting and focus on improving safety performance.

We use AI as a regulatory co-pilot, mapping daily activity on to standard operating procedures to collect safety data, reveal compliance gaps and generate audit-ready information.

From fridge contents to cleaning products, it also enables end-to-end product traceability through on-site sensors and risk scoring. And by recommending appropriate substitutes for all kinds of products within hours, it helps us to keep safety front of mind without losing our grip on cost.

Looking ahead, we anticipate significant benefits for our clients, consumers and teams alike from kiosks and kitchens, powered by robotics, sensors and dynamic pricing.

Releasing uniquely human skills

Our vision for site managers is an integrated, 360-degree experience that supports their everyday tasks and provides the insight they need to explore opportunities with their client. By upskilling our teams and equipping them with the right tools our site managers can support their clients as key strategic partners.

 

With full visibility of finance, labor, pricing, demand and ESG data – and the ability to model scenarios – they can act as a strategic adviser on issues as diverse as healthy habits, sustainability, satisfaction and service models.

Agentic AI offers yet more potential by automating essential yet time-consuming tasks, like identifying and executing fast fixes to new service issues. Guided by the needs of our clients and the deep expertise of our site managers, we are embracing the digital world to create workplace experiences that deliver more. 

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