Chattr, an artificial intelligence-powered software focused on making hiring easier in the retail, restaurant and hospitality industries, has secured a one-year partnership with Bealls Inc.
It is the first major partnership for the Tampa-based startup, whose technology will help streamline the hiring and onboarding process for Bealls, which has more than 500 stores across the U.S.
"The value is these companies are coming back online; they're opening back up, but with leaner organizations," said Jim Schimpf, Chattr's founder and CEO. "They have to depend on workflow automation and automation tools because they have to do more with less."
No financial details were disclosed.
Chattr's software helps with a company's initial job posting, reviews and narrows down qualified potential candidates, schedules interviews and handles post-interview duties. Its AI chatbot can also chat with potential applicants, taking them through a series of questions instead of a lengthy application.
"The Chattr platform gives Bealls an important talent advantage," Dan Doyle, Bealls chief human resource officer, said in a statement. "It allows our store managers to identify and hire top team members quickly so we can focus on the guest's shopping experience."
Despite a dropping unemployment rate, service industries — including retail, restaurants and hospitality — have struggled to rehire a once-laid-off workforce.
"Every business we talk to on a daily basis has the same issue, and we're talking to businesses all over the country," Schimpf said. "I could see how reading unemployment reports could mislead what's going on in the industries, but I will say the average consumer may start to feel it when the service levels at restaurants drop, there are limited hours at stores ... so they will feel it on a daily basis, not just see it in the news."
Chattr was founded in 2018 and is a member of local innovation hub Embarc Collective. It previously raised $200,000 under its corporate name Hire Humanely from investment firm Florida Funders but is not seeking any funding in the near future. It has five full-time employees who are all local and its technology is used in 27 states.
While Schimpf said he does not have any measurable goals he'd like to hit by the end of the year, such as a specific increase in employees or presence in a state. He said he wants to continue to help cobble the industry back together. He added that while Bealls is the first significant partnership for the company, he expects more in the coming months.
"We want to make an impact on the industries and help reunite the industries; that's our rallying cry," Schimpf said. "And if we can be a solution to help that occur, that's a big win for us — to help people get back to work and get open and fully staffed, so they can operate at pre-Covid levels and deliver pre-Covid services. That's our cause and a cause never goes out of business."
