Peoplematter has opened a new sales and customer operations center at 483 King St., directly across from its headquarters, which will support its continued growth, including an increase in staff of 50 new jobs over the next 18 months.

The new office is the nucleus for PeopleMatter's sales, implementation and customer service teams. Relocating team members to the new facility will allow for continued growth at the main headquarters for its product development, engineering, marketing and finance teams.

The new facility is a 10,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility, designed specifically to meet the working environment needs of team members who are selling to and supporting PeopleMatter's growing customer base.

"The two groups – our core sales team and our customer experience team – need a collaborative area that also provides space for independent work and thinking," said Nate DaPore, president and CEO of PeopleMatter. "The original layout we had was challenging, more like a call center, and it was very loud. We've optimized the new space to allow them to have conversations with customers and prospects in a more productive way. It was important to give them the tools to be successful in their roles."

The expansion nearly doubles PeopleMatter's office space. The company opened its 17,000-square-foot headquarters in early 2013 at 466 King St.

Kelly Hamilton, communications manager, said that because of its location in historic Charleston, S.C., the company did everything possible to preserve the historical elements of the buildings.

"With the headquarters building, we basically dropped a modern building into it, and with the new building across the street, we upfit it to support our needs," she said, "but we definitely understand and appreciate the historic aspects and did what we could to preserve what was there."

The company has been automating and optimizing people processes since 2009, starting at the Flagship, and then moving to a renovated brick-and-timber building on Storehouse Row on the Old Navy Base, where the company stayed for about three years before finding its current home on Upper King.

"We are in an exciting growth period," said DaPore. "We've established a strong foothold in the marketplace and are working with the largest brands in the service industry, such as Taco Bell, Buffalo Wild Wings and Jiffy Lube. The more than 41,000 retail, foodservice and hospitality locations that have selected PeopleMatter serve as a testament to the quality of our technology and the exceptional service we provide to our customers. Our expanded office space will allow us to continue our investment in our sales and customer support teams."

PeopleMatter provides a workforce management platform specifically for the service industry using a set of mobile workforce solutions and business analytics tools to connect processes, employees and customers.

DaPore pointed to several macro issues currently taking place in the industry as one of the catalysts for the company's rapid growth.

"First, the Affordable Care Act is a huge catalyst, and our products help optimize labor forecasting and scheduling for our clients," he said. "The discussions surrounding immigration reform are another issue. We can help companies maintain compliance, and that's been a huge driver the last several years."

DaPore noted that the service industries are going through a transformative phase where they want to automate more of what they do.

"What we offer can drive efficiencies into the business, especially through our mobile devices," he said. "Our system is a mobile-driven product. It allows employers and employees to interface with one another and be able to better work and be engaged with training, scheduling and a number of other areas."