Hotel, restaurant, airport… When the customer finds himself doing everything himself

The customer is king, really? For years, to pay for his groceries at the supermarket, he scans them without calling anyone, unless there is a problem with the electronic cash register... While the workforce is increasingly difficult to recruit and the companies seek to digitize, the consumer is increasingly involved. At the hotel, at the restaurant, at the cinema, at the airport, when he rents a car or accommodation, he places an order, pays his bill, checks in, downloads his boarding pass, collects the keys... finds himself doing what used to be the work of waiters, cashiers and receptionists.

Welcome to a world where service is changing sides, with the development of new technological tools. It is not uncommon to never meet the owner of an apartment booked on an internet platform, such as Airbnb. No reception service: the keys are in an electronic box in the stairwell, or available in a bar next door…

When it comes to renting a car too, sometimes no one is waiting for you. It's up to you to unlock the vehicle with a code received on your mobile, take stock of the situation by taking a few photos, and off you go. At the airport, in addition to having checked in online, it is now the customer who takes care of printing his “baggage label”, for the suitcases to be put in the hold. While some applaud the time saved, others regret the disappearance of a service. Even going to a restaurant can sometimes be disorienting. “I had lunch in an Asian restaurant, where I was given a tablet to order, testifies Cécile. The menu was clear, with pictures. But I would have preferred to speak to someone and feel welcomed.” She risks being more and more disappointed.

At full speed, fast food is digitizing what marketing experts call “the customer journey”. Absent from the landscape ten years ago, order (and payment) terminals are on the way to becoming a must in fast food restaurants. The movement was initiated in 2015 by McDo, leader in France with more than 1,500 restaurants today. From now on, customers compose their own menus on a giant screen, equipped with a terminal that accepts bank cards and meal vouchers. Simple and intuitive, these kiosks speed up order taking and encourage more consumption. There is still a traditional checkout where you can pay cash, but consumers have moved on. Customers get their money's worth here because they're in a hurry. Young, ultra-connected people are often more comfortable than others. Some regret the absence of a simple hello, or a goodbye when leaving... But the fold is taken. The change went all the better because it was accompanied by the launch of table service, a big bang in the sector. The employees, whose number has not been reduced at McDonald's, have been redeployed to the dining room.

“For a change of use to work, everyone has to be a winner: the restaurateur, the server and above all the customer, says Victor Lugger. Technology must serve the consumer. The bet of the order terminal has been won in fast food because it has improved the quality of service. In ten years, we can think that there will be no more terminals in fast food: customers will order directly from their smartphone. Co-founder of the Big Mamma restaurant chain, Victor Lugger runs the start-up Sunday, which offers to pay at the restaurant with your mobile phone, by scanning a QR Code. A revolution, which affects traditional restaurants with table service. Thousands of addresses have taken the plunge, including starred ones. The Sunday app allows the waiter to focus on service and advice, the restaurateur to speed up table rotation, and the customer to save 10 minutes. Is the latter a fan? In equipped restaurants, one in two on average pays using Sunday. In Paris, this percentage goes up to 90%. “We are moving towards a world where technology will transform more and more boring moments. The time to pay is never a good time,” insists Victor Lugger.

If customers are using the QR Code, they continue to want to place an order with a waiter, and prefer the menu in its paper version. Especially when they have time. Chloé experienced the very high-tech service of La Felicità, a Parisian address of Big Mamma. "You have to download the card on your smartphone, make your choice, pay online and wait for an SMS to pick up your order," she says. The only employees who came to see us were those who cleaned our table. At noon, when I'm in a hurry, it's perfect. For an evening with friends, I expected more friendliness and service.”

This is the difficult equation that professionals have to solve: to offer an efficient service (La Felicità is the largest restaurant in Europe, with 1000 seats), modern, without losing contact with their customers. Even for a few clicks, the "do it yourself" is not always well experienced. “There is often an economic ulterior motive behind the “do-it-yourself”, recognizes Fabrice Collet, CEO of the B hotel chain

In the same vein, more and more hotels are eliminating room service because it is loss-making, forcing the customer to go out or have it delivered. And if hoteliers promote online check-in, they do not always provide proof of its added value for the customer. "I received three emails from my hotel in Berlin asking me to pre-register online," Morgan said. I was afraid of being penalized if I didn't. The site bugged as soon as I tried to upload my passport photo. The worst thing is that it was useless: when I arrived at the hotel, I had to do a normal check-in.” At Accor, online check-in is used by around 15% of guests. Of course, revealing your identity when you arrive at the hotel is not pleasant. But if no one goes through reception, isn't the relationship with the clientele likely to be lost?