Capgemini helps Tropical Smoothie Cafe improve the customer experience through the launch of Cafe® Tech Support

                <p><strong>New York – June 13, 2019 – </strong><a href="https://www.capgemini.com/"><strong>Capgemini</strong></a><strong> and Tropical Smoothie Cafe® have launched Cafe Tech Support, a new technology support model that’s part of the franchisor’s broader strategy to transform its guest experience. Powered by technologies offered through Capgemini’s </strong><a href="https://www.capgemini.com/us-en/service/agile-store-solutions/"><strong>Agile Store solution</strong></a><strong>, Cafe Tech Support provides franchisees with technology assistance seven days a week, a single point of contact to call, and a dedicated website to submit and track issues. </strong></p>

Tropical Smoothie Cafe is one of the fastest growing franchise concepts in the U.S., known for its food and smoothies with a tropical twist. It has more than 750 locations nationwide, and in 2018 the brand opened 110 locations.

As the franchise system expanded and new in-store technologies were introduced, its technical support requirements grew more complex. Capgemini was selected to develop a universal technology support model to consolidate and standardize processes.

“Cafe Tech Support helps our franchisees provide a wonderful and convenient guest experience by allowing them to focus more time on the guest, instead of the technology, and helping to drive a frictionless in-store experience for guests,” said Marina O’Rourke, VP, IT, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC. “Capgemini drew on its extensive experience in the quick-service restaurant space to go live in less than a month, and we’ve seen immediate improvements in response times.”

Capgemini is also building a searchable knowledge library that franchisees can reference for self-help issue resolution. By aggregating the information collected by the support team via phone and the website, valuable insights are being shared across the Tropical Smoothie Cafe system. For example, the franchisor has already received directional data to help make decisions, improve the support model and inform the business on potential opportunities.

“The Cafe Tech Support system was designed with guest experience at the center, a core tenant of the Tropical Smoothie Cafe system’s strategy and our own Agile Store solution,” said Hank Summy, North America Consumer Products, Retail and Distribution Market Unit Lead, Capgemini. “It’s critical that quick-serve restaurants have a predictable, streamlined approach to address in-store technology-related disruptions so they can quickly return to business as usual with swift issue resolution or the deployment of a workaround.”

Capgemini’s Agile Store solution provides a range of technologies and services to help restaurants and retailers reimagine and remake their store and restaurant channels. It offers greater convenience and value to customers and guests, while transforming operations to be more efficient and contribute to increased profitability. Capgemini has deployed Agile Store at more than 10,000 stores or restaurants in 80 countries and provides services for more than 100,000 stores in over 120 countries.

To learn more about the project, watch a video interview with O’Rourke.

About Tropical Smoothie Cafe®️

Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a national fast-casual cafe concept inspiring healthier lifestyles across the country with more than 750 locations nationwide. Serving better-for-you smoothies, wraps, sandwiches, and flatbreads, Tropical Smoothie Cafe also offers upgraded app technology and enhanced mobile ordering capabilities to further elevate the digital and dine-in cafe experience and emphasize the brand’s focus on convenience. The rapidly growing franchise has received numerous accolades including rankings in QSR’s Best Franchise Deals, Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500, Forbes’ Best Franchises and Fast Casual’s Top 100 Movers and Shakers in 2018, as well as Franchise Times’ Top 200+ and Nation’s Restaurant News’ Fastest Growing Chains in 2018.

About Capgemini

A global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, Capgemini is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients’ opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. Building on its strong 50-year heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organizations to realize their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. Capgemini is driven by the conviction that the business value of technology comes from and through people. It is a multicultural company of over 200,000 team members in more than 40 countries. The Group reported 2018 global revenues of EUR 13.2 billion (about $15.6 billion USD at 2018 average rate).

Visit us at www.capgemini.com. People matter, results count.

Press contact:
Kristen Sharkey
Tel.: 203-644-4899
E-mail: Kristen.sharkey@capgemini.com