Stephane Gauthier
Delight your clients and collaborators ... or disappear!
I am an expert in client and employee transformation, with deep expertise in hospitality, services, and digital transition management. My work is based on three pillars: inspiring conferences, strategic consulting, and operational coaching. My goal is to help companies place customer experience and employee engagement at the heart of their strategy to gain credibility, retain their clients, and stand out in a world where word-of-mouth and recommendations have become essential. My Approach: Combining Strategic Vision and Pragmatism • Client Transformation: I assist companies in rethinking their client relationships in the digital age by developing strategies based on authenticity, satisfaction, and proactive management of client feedback. I emphasize the importance of online reviews, personalization, and client delight. • Employee Engagement: I firmly believe that motivated and fulfilled employees are key to providing memorable client experiences. I work with leaders and HR directors to establish a positive corporate culture, improve conflict management, and foster team alignment around client satisfaction. • Digital Transformation: Drawing on my experience in digitalization within the hospitality sector, I guide companies to turn digital threats into opportunities, whether it’s through review platforms, online distribution, or reputation management. My Conferences and Interventions: Inspire to Act I offer a series of conferences aimed at leaders, managers, and employees, focused on reclaiming the client and employee engagement. Some key themes include: 1. Promise Less and Deliver More … or Disappear: How to exceed client expectations in a world saturated with offers. 2. Did Tripadvisor Kill Me? … The Client Saved Me!: Leveraging online reviews to build a solid reputation. 3. Turning a Problem into a Gem: Making client issues an opportunity for loyalty. 4. Happy Staff makes Happy Customer: The direct impact of employee experience on client experience. 5. The 4 New Ps: Think Problem, Not Product: A client-centric approach to innovate and differentiate. 6. Change or Be Changed: The importance of adapting to digital and cultural transformations. My Journey: An Experience at the Service of Excellence • Leadership in Hospitality: I led Best Western France for 10 years during the digital revolution of platforms (2000-2010), and I was the owner-operator of an independent hotel for 11 years. This dual experience allows me to combine strategic vision and operational understanding. • Teaching and Transmission: A professor at ESSEC and EM Lyon until 2020, I trained generations of professionals in service marketing, franchise management, e-reputation, and digital transformation. • Supporting Companies: As an APM expert and coach for Kestio, I advise growing or repositioning companies to align their client and employee strategies with their performance objectives. • Mediation in Companies: Certified in mediation, I help HR directors and managers resolve conflicts and strengthen team cohesion. My Philosophy: The Client and the Employee at the Heart of Performance I believe that client satisfaction and employee engagement are the main levers of any sustainable business. My approach is based on the idea that a delighted client and fulfilled employees enable better sales, greater loyalty, and a stronger brand reputation. Through a clear strategy and concrete actions, I turn these ideas into tangible results for companies. Whether through conferences, consulting, or coaching, I strive to share pragmatic and inspiring solutions tailored to each organization.
Prices
- Conference : 6500 €
Localization
Languages
My conferences
Deliver WOW experience to your customer and employees or … Disappear !
Who said that customer delight was reserved for BtC? Certainly not Sfpi Group, an independent industrial group in the building trades, security, heat exchange and air treatment in industry throughout Europe. Under the impetus of its founding director Henri Morel and its Managing Director Damien CHAUVEINC, this atypical and dynamic group decided several years ago to manage customer satisfaction with the NPS and to make customer culture one of its 4 strategic pillars and this is remarkable for a 100% BtB company. What a pleasure then for me to be able to share with the sales and marketing managers of all these countries my convictions on customer delight, which also resonate in this environment so far removed from my universe as a hotelier. Thank you Marie Mathilde Morel, Sophie MOREL, for piloting this Customer Day at NEU-JKF in the machine test room of the same name. Thank you Andoniaina Rakotoarisoa for the flawless organization of this event bringing together more than 10 different countries.
it's not covid that disrupts you, it's dissatisfied customers
The Covid crisis has accelerated and intensified the demands and behaviors of customers in both B2C and B2B: They are versatile and impatient (immediacy is a must), they want to buy online and can exchange remotely, their problems must be resolved swiftly, they want transparency and trust 'real' reviews, they want to buy fairly and responsibly. How to face these brutal changes? How to continue to delight your customers? How to provoke recommendations and let customers do the marketing for us? In my talk, I provide answers to help companies and brands engage their teams in this new paradigm of this somewhat extraterrestrial customer who remains to be conquered and retained.
Think Problem Not Product
As a speaker, I participate in seminars and conventions on topics such as customer satisfaction, the new behaviors of consumers born from the digitalization of the service economy, the profitability of brands through their e-reputation, and managerial transformation for the development of a customer service culture. I offer 6 conferences focused on winning back the customer: ☞ Promise Less and Deliver More ... or Disappear ☞ Tripadvisor Killed Me? ... The Customer Saved Me! ☞ Turning a Flaw into a Gem ☞ The 4 New Ps: Think Problem Not Product ☞ Happy Staff makes Happy Customer ☞ Change or Be Changed
Change or Be Changed
I speak at seminars and conventions on topics such as customer satisfaction, the new behaviors of consumers born from the digitalization of the service economy, the profitability of brands through their e-reputation, and managerial transformation for the development of a customer service culture. I offer 6 conferences around customer reconquest: ☞ Promise Less and Deliver More ... or Disappear ☞ Did Tripadvisor KILL me? ... The customer saved me! ☞ Turning a Problem into a Gem ☞ The 4 New Ps: Think Problem Not Product ☞ Happy Staff makes Happy Customer ☞ Change or Be Changed Graduated in International General Management from ESSEC, I have been working for 30 years in the fields of Hospitality and service. I managed the Best Western hotel chain for 10 years during a period (2000-2010) of major digital transformation in its profession and industry with the arrival of platforms like Tripadvisor, Booking, and Airbnb. I am currently a Professor (service marketing, hospitality, revenue management & distribution, web marketing and e-reputation, franchise network management...) in several business schools and universities across France (ESSEC, EM Lyon). I am also a member of Initiative Conseil with BPI to support growing or repositioning service companies: retail, startups, industrial, banks, insurance, automotive, fashion. Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbjIyjcJTys
Promise Less and Deliver More ... or Disappear
As a speaker, I participate in seminars and conventions on topics such as customer satisfaction, new consumer behaviors born from the digitalization of the service economy, brand profitability through their e-reputation, and managerial transformation for the development of a customer service culture. I propose 6 conferences around customer reconquest: ☞ Promise Less and Deliver More ... or Disappear ☞ Did Tripadvisor KILL me? ... The customer saved me! ☞ Turning a Problem into a Gem ☞ The 4 New Ps: Think Problem Not Product ☞ Happy Staff makes Happy Customer ☞ Change or Be Changed Graduated in International General Management from ESSEC, I have been working for 30 years in the fields of Hospitality and service. I led the Best Western hotel chain for 10 years during a period (2000-2010) of major digital transformation in its business and industry with the arrival of platforms like Tripadvisor, Booking, and Airbnb. I am currently a Professor (service marketing, hospitality, revenue management & distribution, web marketing and e-reputation, franchise network management...) in several business schools and universities across France (ESSEC, EM Lyon). I am also a member of Initiative Conseil with BPI to support growing or repositioning service companies: retail, startups, industrial, banks, insurance, automotive, fashion. Finally, I am an entrepreneur and owner-operator of a 25-room hotel in Orléans.
Learn more
Who am I?
What made me become a speaker
My interventions as CEO of Best Western
A failure or turning point that shaped me
The arrival of digital in hospitality
What excites me about working as a speaker
Getting on stage, feeling nervous and speaking as if it were the first time, and appreciating the audience's reaction
The mission I'm carrying today
To transmit, impact, and convince that one can make money by taking care of their customers and collaborators
The belief or message I want to leave for the long term
Customer enchantment is not a gimmick but a winning strategy
A personal story I often tell
My story at the head of Best Western France for 11 years
Positioning & expertise
What concrete problem I can help your audience solve
Alignment between marketing promise and operational deliverable Awareness that customer experience creates preference
Why book me rather than another speaker?
Because I have 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, a sector that is very dependent on customer experience and satisfaction. I was CEO of Best Western France for 11 years and owner-operator of my own hotel for 12 years.
My specialty in one sentence
Developing customer enchantment to turn your customers into ambassadors
Topics I don't cover
social networks
My unique angle
French English
The field experience behind my message
I have 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, a sector that is very dependent on customer experience and satisfaction. I was CEO of Best Western France for 11 years and owner-operator of my own hotel for 12 years.
My speaking style in one or two sentences
Provocative, humor, self-deprecation, and emotion
Which audiences get the most from my sessions
All corporate audiences
Which types of organizations I'm the best fit for
Service companies Network companies Retail
Concrete outcomes your audience can expect after I speak
Changing behavior towards external and internal customers with the 2 keys delivered in the conference
The method, framework, or philosophy I stand for
For 20 years I did what I could, for the next 20 years I will do what I want
Results & credibility
Career highlights I want to emphasize
CEO of Best Western France (300 hotels) from 2000 to 2011
Clients and sectors that have trusted me
Banking, insurance, hairdressing, mutual insurance, DIY, automotive, truck, software, agriculture, ski rental, laboratory, trading, wholesale, large distribution, real estate, accounting expertise, consulting, GMS, kitchen designer, travel, industry, catering
What organizers and audiences tell me most often
Impactful, funny, simple things, common sense, a good wake-up call, inspiring, motivating, refreshing
Where I shine most — and when I point you to another option
Meeting of a retail network, 100 to 1000 people to motivate each point of sale.
What I spotlight beyond my profile (book, certifications, proof, etc.)
APM Expert Member of BPI France Council Expert with FCA: Federation of Associated Commerce Trainer at CJD
Speaking style
My energy on stage
Impactful, funny, inspiring, motivating, refreshing, self-deprecating, interactive
How audiences experience my sessions (participation, humor, pace)
They do not notice the time passing
Visuals and personal stories: what to expect from me
Yes, I share my personal experience in hospitality
Inspirational keynote vs hands-on workshop; improvisation vs tight structure — how I work
1-hour keynote 1-hour keynote + 2-hour workshop
How I customize content and how much I tailor to you
yes, I always adapt the content to the client's sector
What makes my sessions memorable
Awareness that reality does not exist and the customer's perception is the truth
The strongest moments and insights I create for audiences
Awareness that reality does not exist and the customer's perception is the truth
The emotion or mindset I want people to leave with
Changing the way we view customer reviews, we all have the power to impact perception so that it changes opinions
Concrete content
The main takeaways participants leave with
The 3 keys to customer enchantment: Resolve, facilitate, and move
What your audience can apply the very next day
The 3 keys
Tools, methods, and exercises I provide
Writing the customer journey and resolving pain points
Myths and common mistakes I debunk
The customer is not always right, but their perception is always true
Real-world examples that best illustrate my message
In hospitality
Sensitive topics I address frankly, if any
You are stars and sometimes truffles: I show customer reviews + and -
Beliefs or ideas in the audience I aim to shift
We can impact people's perception
The “aha moment” I aim for your audience
I am getting the client's logo tattooed on my arm thanks to AI
Format
On-site, remote, or hybrid: what I accept and prefer
In-person
Limits & transparency
How I handle a difficult or low-energy audience
I unfold and return to their universe and open the questions at the end
If tech fails: how I respond
Humor, humor, I can do the conference without my slides
How I handle tough questions and running over time
I am open to all questions without having prepared them. I respect the time given to me.
What can derail a session, in my view — and how I prevent it
Not enough time, poor preparation with the client, a delayed train for participants as well as for the speaker
Logistics & organization
What technical setup I need on site
Video projector, screen, microphone
My tech rider or logistics document
NO
How early I usually arrive before the event
3 or 4 hours, the day before if needed
Whether I travel internationally and if I need an interpreter
Yes I speak French and English
My slides, filming, and reusing recordings
Yes, I provide my slides Video recording possible: + 1000€
My availability before/after, networking, meet & greet
Yes
Working together
Why organizers like working with me
Responsiveness, simplicity, complicity