Association Française de la Relation Client

What Association Française de la Relation Client does

AFRC is a French professional association (association loi 1901, registration number 478516743) founded in 1998 and headquartered at 143 avenue Charles de Gaulle, Neuilly-sur-Seine. It operates as the principal community for Customer Experience and Customer Relationship professionals in France, serving approximately 3,500–3,600 individual members across 300–330 corporate member organizations. The association's portfolio comprises flagship annual events (Palmes de la Relation Client awards, Meet-up, AFRCx Transformation Day, La Relation Client en Fête awareness week, Soirée Prospective des Décideurs CX), the biannual AFRC Magazine, the CX Maturity Assessment diagnostic tool developed with BearingPoint, the 'Relation Client 100% France' guarantee brand (with 48+ attested companies), Learning Expeditions to CES Las Vegas / NRF New York / VivaTech Paris, exclusive studies produced with research partners (Forrester, EY, Accenture, IPAG, Cision, Wavestone), webinars, ateliers projectifs, and regulatory advocacy on telemarketing, AI Act, RGPD, ARCEP, and CNIL matters. The association also represents France in the European Contact Centre Alliance (ECCA).

The association does not develop proprietary software products or technology platforms; it curates content, research, benchmarking tools, and a member directory, with events managed through a third-party registration platform (Inwink at atelier.afrc.org). Revenue is generated primarily through annual corporate membership subscriptions (pricing not publicly disclosed), tiered event sponsorships for the Palmes ceremony (Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Institutional tiers — e.g., Orange Business and Konecta as Platinum partners), partner contributions, and paid non-member participation in select events (e.g., €600 HT per Palmes dossier submission). Membership grants access to the full content library, events, the member directory, the CX Maturity Assessment tool, and the broader CX community.

AFRC is led by Eric Dadian (Director of Publication) with Angélique Gérard (Special Advisor to the President at Iliad) on the Board of Directors. The association operates with a lean team of 1–10 employees and is governed by its member organizations as a non-profit entity rather than shareholders or investors. Its member roster spans marquee French enterprises across hospitality (Accor, Club Med), retail (Carrefour, VeePee, Zadig & Voltaire), luxury (Louis Vuitton, Rimowa), banking and insurance (Arkéa Banking Services, BPCE Finance, Macif), energy (EDF, TotalEnergies), telecom (Bouygues Telecom, Orange Business via partnership), transport (SNCF Connect, La Poste Groupe), consumer goods (L'Oréal, Edenred, Nespresso), pharmaceuticals (Sanofi), and CX technology vendors (Cisco, Microsoft, Verint, 8x8, Manifone, ILLUIN Technology, Konecta, Capgemini/frog).

Name

Association Française de la Relation Client

Legal name

Association Française de la Relation Client

Website

https://afrc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AFRC is the French professional association for Customer Experience and Customer Relationship professionals, founded in 1998, serving roughly 3,500–3,600 members across 330+ corporate members through events, the Palmes de la Relation Client awards, publications, a CX maturity diagnostic, learning expeditions, and regulatory advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Neuilly-sur-seine

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: AFRC operates as a loi 1901 association (French law 1901) and generates revenue primarily through annual membership fees paid by companies and organizations. Membership grants access to the full site content, member directory, events, resources, workshops, and the broader CX professional community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

AFRC is a French non-profit professional association (loi 1901) founded in 1998 that runs a CX community of 3,600+ members across 330+ companies. It delivers annual events (Palmes de la Relation Client awards, Meet-up, AFRCx Transformation Day, Soirée Prospective), publishes the biannual AFRC Magazine, operates the Diagnostic CX BearingPoint CX-maturity self-assessment, runs Learning Expeditions to CES/NRF/VivaTech, maintains the 'Relation Client 100% France' guarantee brand, and produces exclusive studies with research partners such as Forrester, EY, Accenture and Wavestone. Revenue comes primarily from corporate membership dues plus event sponsorships and partner contributions.

Product overview

AFRC is a professional association ( loi 1901) founded in 1998 serving as a customer experience innovation laboratory. Its portfolio consists of flagship annual award ceremonies (Palmes de la Relation Client, Assemblée Générale & AFRCx Transformation Day), recurring professional events (Meet-up, Soirée Prospective, La Relation Client en Fête week, Ateliers projectifs, Rencontres Dirigeants), the biannual AFRC Magazine publication, the CX Maturity Assessment tool (Diagnostic CX BearingPoint), the 'Relation Client 100% France' guarantee brand, Learning Expeditions, and a research insights service. The association's events are primarily accessible to members via the atelier.afrc.org registration platform, with free member access and paid options for non-members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Palmes de la Relation Client Annual awards ceremony held each October recognizing the most innovative organizations and leaders in customer experience in France across categories including Palme Expérience Client, Palme Transformation Stratégique, Palme Initiative des Équipes, Palme Jeune Pousse, and Palme Directeur/trice Client de l'Année. Winners automatically qualify as finalists at the ECCCSA European awards.
• Diagnostic CX BearingPoint Self-diagnostic tool co-developed with BearingPoint that measures CX maturity across 4 key customer experience dimensions in 15 minutes and delivers a personalized comparative report within 10 days. Free for AFRC member brands (Marques).
• AFRC Magazine Biannual flagship publication exploring themes such as AI transformation, customer trust, emotional experience, and CX strategy; published in April and October with articles from industry experts, member case studies, and trend analyses.
• Relation Client 100% France Guarantee Brand Guarantee brand certifying organizations with fully France-based customer relations operations — local teams, domestic employment, premium quality, and authentic customer proximity. Reference framework for responsible, transparent, sovereign customer relations; 48+ attested companies.
• Learning Expeditions Immersive programs for leaders and decision-makers providing privileged access to international CX ecosystems at NRF New York, CES Las Vegas, VivaTech Paris, and European contact center benchmarks via ECCA.
• Meet-up AFRC Annual business-focused half-day event bringing together brands, outsourcers, and partners to share case studies, discuss ideas, and analyze major trends in customer relationship and experience. Features concrete cases, technological innovations, and AI teachings.
• AFRCx Transformation Day Strategic conference day featuring exclusive studies, expert keynotes, and international speakers exploring AI impact, cultural transformations, and innovations reshaping the customer relationship sector.
• La Relation Client en Fête Annual national week (5-9 October) celebrating customer relationship professionals through open days, job datings, advisor immersion experiences ('Vis ma vie'), hackathons, the Meilleur Conseiller Client competition, and the Dictée de la Relation Client.
• Soirée Prospective des Décideurs CX Annual confidential evening bringing together the most influential CX decision-makers to analyze weak signals, share significant visions, and anticipate deep mutations in customer relationship.
• Etudes & Insights AFRC Exclusive analyses and studies produced with partners including Forrester, EY, IPAG, Cision, Wavestone, and Accenture, providing insights, benchmarks, and strategic perspectives on AI, data, new professions, omnichannel, and sustainable customer relations.
• Webinaires et Conférences Regular webinar and conference sessions where the CX community analyzes and anticipates sector transformations, covering regulatory changes, GenAI impacts, technological innovations, market trends, and pioneering brand experiences.
• Ateliers Projectifs Interactive workshops inviting participants to imagine future scenarios, measure impacts, and prepare for sector transformations through keynote presentations and collaborative co-construction phases.

Quantifiable outcome

• 48+ companies attested with the 'Relation Client 100% France' guarantee brand

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability11 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / platinum, gold, silver, core, institutional and minor.

• Orange Businessflagship / platinumGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Orange Business is a Platinum/Partner of the Palmes de la Relation Client. As an AFRC partner, Orange Business participates in CX events, supports the association's activities, and provides expertise in digital transformation and customer experience orchestration for enterprise clients. Orange Business operates in 65 countries with 30,000+ employees and serves 30,000+ B2B clients.
• Konectaflagship / platinumGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Konecta is a Platinum partner and official partner of the Palmes de la Relation Client 2025. Konecta is a leading Customer Management and BPO provider present in 26 countries across 4 continents with 120,000+ employees and global revenue of €2 billion. They provide CX transformation expertise and content contributions (articles on AI, GenAI, trust & safety) to the AFRC community.
• EDFflagship / platinumGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025EDF is a Platinum partner of the Palmes de la Relation Client 2025. With 5,000 customer advisors all based in France serving 25 million clients, EDF exemplifies the 'Relation Client 100% France' ethos and supports AFRC's mission to promote excellence in French customer relations.
• ManifonegoldTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Manifone is a Gold partner of the Palmes de la Relation Client 2025. As a voice-at-scale expert for contact centers, Manifone provides AI-powered conversational agents, real-time voice transcription, and joinderability solutions. Services are hosted in France in RGPD compliance.
• CiscosilverTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Cisco is a Silver partner of the Palmes de la Relation Client 2025. Cisco provides CX platform solutions including CX Cloud and AI-integrated contact center technologies, helping enterprises maximize the value of technology investments and achieve strategic CX objectives.
• MacifsilverGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Macif is a Silver partner of the Palmes de la Relation Client 2025. The mutual insurance company protects 6.37 million members with near 12,000 employees in France, and was elected 'Marque Préférée des Français' in the insurance category for the second consecutive year in 2024.
• VerintsilverTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Verint is a Silver partner of the Palmes de la Relation Client 2025. A leader in CX automation serving 80+ Fortune 100 companies, Verint provides an open, AI-powered CX automation platform that delivers measurable AI results across the enterprise.
• 8x8silverTechnology or Integration · 1 January 20258x8 is a Silver partner of the Palmes de la Relation Client 2025. A NASDAQ-listed provider (EGHT), 8x8 offers integrated contact center, voice, video, chat, and SMS solutions on a single global cloud platform, eliminating organizational barriers for seamless CX delivery.
• MicrosoftsilverTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Microsoft is a Silver partner of the Palmes de la Relation Client 2025. Microsoft provides digital solutions including Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service, Microsoft Copilot for Service, and Microsoft Contact Center (CCaaS) to AFRC members and Palmes participants.
• ILLUIN TechnologysilverTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025ILLUIN Technology is a Silver partner of the Palmes de la Relation Client 2025. A French AI scale-up founded in 2017 within the CentraleSupélec/Paris-Saclay ecosystem, ILLUIN Technology has 120+ technical experts serving 85+ clients including EDF, AXA, Chronopost, Randstad, ENGIE, Allianz, Geopost, MACIF, and SNCF with GenAI, AI agents, and CX solutions.
• SP2C (Syndicat des Professionnels des Centres de Contact)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025SP2C is an institutional partner of the Palmes de la Relation Client. AFRC collaborates with SP2C on regulatory matters including telemarketing regulations, working together on advocacy and consultation with regulators.
• NespressoinstitutionalGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Nespresso is an institutional partner of the Palmes de la Relation Client. As a leading brand in premium coffee and community-building, Nespresso exemplifies excellence in customer relationship and brand community management featured in AFRC's case studies.
• IKEAinstitutionalGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025IKEA is an institutional partner of the Palmes de la Relation Client. IKEA supports AFRC events and activities as part of its commitment to customer experience excellence.
• ColoradoinstitutionalGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Colorado is an institutional partner of the Palmes de la Relation Client 2025.
• WavestonecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Wavestone is the partner for the Palme Jeune Pousse (Young Startup) category of the Palmes de la Relation Client. Together with AFRC, Wavestone pre-selects 10 startups, of which 3 finalists pitch live at the ceremony. Wavestone also co-authors studies and provides CX benchmarking expertise.
• BearingPointcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024BearingPoint is the exclusive development partner of the AFRC CX Maturity Assessment diagnostic tool. The self-assessment evaluates organizations across 4 key CX dimensions in 15 minutes and delivers personalized comparative reports within 10 days. Data is hosted in Europe and administered by BearingPoint.
• ECCA (European Contact Centre Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024AFRC is the French representative in the European Contact Centre Alliance (ECCA), which enables French organizations to benchmark against the best European contact centers, access ECCCSA awards, and participate in learning expeditions across Europe.
• Forrester ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024AFRC partners with Forrester Research for exclusive analysis, benchmarking data, and strategic insights on CX trends shared with members through studies and events.
• EY (Ernst & Young)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024AFRC collaborates with EY on exclusive CX studies, research, and insights for the French market, providing members with authoritative analysis on customer experience transformation.
• IPAG Business SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024AFRC partners with IPAG Business School for research and academic contributions to CX studies and thought leadership.
• CisionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024AFRC partners with Cision for media intelligence and social listening insights shared with members through studies on brand reputation and customer voice.
• AccentureminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024AFRC collaborates with Accenture on CX studies, research, and strategic insights for the French market, providing members with cutting-edge analysis on digital transformation and customer experience.
• AI BuildersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024AI Builders, led by Stéphane Roder, is a thought leadership partner contributing to AFRC's AI-related content and workshops. Stéphane Roder authored 'Guide pratique de l'intelligence artificielle dans l'entreprise' and delivers keynotes at AFRC events on AI industrialization in CX.
• Capgemini / frogminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Capgemini / frog contributes to AFRC workshops and events as an omnichannel and digital experience thought leader, addressing topics such as omnichannel integration and the convergence of physical and digital channels.
• Orange BusinessminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Orange Business contributes to AFRC workshops on the transformation of customer relationships and omnichannel challenges, drawing on its expertise in connected customer experience.
• ZoomminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Zoom joined the AFRC community in December 2023, seeking to engage with the CX professional community, share its vision of customer relations, and be recognized as a major contact center solution provider. Zoom contributes to AFRC's understanding of unified communications and cloud contact center innovation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CXPA (Customer Experience Professionals Association): US-founded global professional association for CX practitioners offering CX certification (CCXP), community, and research. Directly comparable to AFRC as a membership-based CX professional body targeting the same buyer personas.
• ICMI (International Customer Management Institute): Global community and training organization for contact center and customer management professionals, with conferences, publications, and advisory. Strongly comparable to AFRC's contact-center heritage and event-led model.
• ECXO (European Customer Experience Organisation): Europe-wide network for CX professionals offering events, certification, and benchmarking. Comparable as a peer professional body targeting senior CX decision-makers, with overlapping European brand logos.
• SP2C (Syndicat des Professionnels des Centres de Contact): French professional union for BPO/contact center operators, sharing regulatory advocacy and event programming with AFRC (they are listed as an AFRC institutional partner). Same geography and overlapping vendor/marque stakeholders.

Emerging players

• COPC Inc. Global customer experience operations standards body offering certification (COPC CX Standard), consulting, and benchmarking. Comparable to AFRC's CX Maturity Assessment and certification programs on the standards/methodology side.

Regional players

• EFCO (European Foundation for Customer Excellence): European foundation promoting CX excellence via certification and awards. Comparable as a peer European CX standards/certification body to AFRC's Palme awards and guarantee brand.
• ECCA (European Contact Centre Alliance): Alliance of European national contact center associations of which AFRC is the French member; runs the ECCCSA European awards. Comparable in scope but upstream of AFRC: AFRC feeds winners into ECCCSA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/afrclient
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCN7PWck3w8yneLLY3KRXyWg
• Facebookfacebook.com/Ass.FrancaisedelaRelationClient
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-francaise-de-la-relation-client-afrc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association Française de la Relation Client