Article

PeopleMatter launches real-time scheduling tool

New SCHEDULE module latest launch in PeopleMatter's Software-as-a-Service platform.

February 27, 2012 by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

One the eve of PeopleMatter's launch of its SCHEDULE Software-as-a-Service module, the company had other big news to share: it also secured $14 million Series C funding from Morgenthaler Ventures.

Both announcements are significant for the company, which got its start by providing SaaS programs to aid service-industry employers in hiring and training hourly employees. With its latest SCHEDULE, the service will also help managers and employees schedule or switch shifts through the Web. (Read also, Will PeopleMatter change the future of HR tech?)

Managers can use SCHEDULE to create employee schedules months in advance, copy and past schedules and click-and-drag to make changes. The online software also allows managers to update schedules automatically and send alerts via mobile app, email or the Web to everyone affected.

Four key features of SCHEDULE are:

1. Its ability to forecast the number of employees per shift, per day based on previous years' labor needs, and auto generate a schedule;
2. Its ability to let managers build their own schedules or copy schedules from previous years. As well as push out alerts or automatic notifications;
3. Its ability to share schedules through iPhone and Android applications, which can be downloaded for free. The sharing component gives employees the opportunity to give up or pick up shifts, based on availability and management approval; and
4. Its ability to integrate with time and attendance records to prevent people from misleadingly clocking into or out of work. It also highlights when a person has reached overtime hours and the cost per employee per shift, per week.

If an employee doesn't have a smartphone, the company created D, a phone-activated voice system similar to the iPhone 4's Siri. Through voice direction, an employee can ask D when they are scheduled to work on any given day and, if they can't, they can direct D to offer up their shift to another.

The goal of PeopleMatter's platform is simple: To change the way employers and employees interact in the workplace and make it better, said Nate DaPore, PeopleMatter's founder and CEO.

Since PeopleMatter launched its first module, HIRE, in 2010, (followed by the launch of LEARN in 2011), the platform has logged 214,349 users. Additionally, more than 1,134 employees are hired daily.

Because the program is Internet based, employers and employees can access the information from any computer, anywhere in the world. All that’s needed is an Internet connection.

Overall, there are four modules on the PeopleMatter platform, each coming to market at various times to the service industries. The modules are:

1. HIRE: Automates and tracks the application process. Performs background checks and assessments.
2. SCHEDULE: Automated management of shifts and workflow.
3. LEARN: Online training curriculum for certifications, loss prevention and ServeSafe training, among others.  
4. ENGAGE: Connects and motivates the workforce through mobile and social tools, including the tracking of work performance.

DaPore said he would like to eventually get its customers' customers engaged in the new products by enabling employees to build a profile that they can take with them to other jobs. The profile would ideally include where they've worked and their certifications.

Read more about mobile initiatives.