February 8, 2016

PeopleMatter Partners With Texas-based HotSchedules On Workforce Platform

Liz Segrist  /  Charleston Regional Business Journal

Charleston-based PeopleMatter has partnered with Austin-based HotSchedules on a workforce management platform geared toward the restaurant industry, according to a news release.

Company officials said it is not a merger or an acquisition; rather, the companies will collaborate by referring customers to each other's platforms.

HotSchedules will refer customers to PeopleMatter's hiring platform, in which applicants can apply online rather than on paper, and hiring managers can check for tax credits and speed up the hiring process.

PeopleMatter will refer customers to HotSchedules' scheduling app, which allows managers to create employee schedules and lets employees request to swap, release and pick up shifts.

PeopleMatter will also refer customers to HotSchedules' recruiting app, which enables restaurants to post jobs for free and job seekers to look for open positions in their area.

The new partnership comes one month after PeopleMatter founder and former CEO Nate DaPore announced plans to resign. George Mackie assumed the helm of the tech firm last month.

"This is a case where two companies are collaborating to build a platform that represents the sum of our strengths. Simply put, we get to focus on our sweet spots and customers get the best of both worlds," Mackie said in the release. "From a cultural standpoint, this was an easy decision. We share customer-centric values and a mission to improve the lives of restaurant employees through transformative technology."

Founded in 2009, PeopleMatter sells platforms that are used in more than 47,000 store locations at over 7,000 businesses.

HotSchedules, founded in the late 1990s, partnered with three other hospitality technology companies in 2013. It now has more than 2 million users in over 150,000 locations in 26 countries.

Both technology firms offer mobile, cloud-based software that aims to improve efficiencies and reduce turnover in the hospitality, restaurant and retail industries.

"Our partner strategy is to build an ecosystem with best-in-class partners who complement our core strengths. That is why PeopleMatter is a great match for us. ... As we deepen this collaboration through the HotSchedules IoT Platform, our joint value proposition will strengthen," Keith Dunphy, HotSchedules' vice president of channel sales, said in the news release.