Managing staff schedules can be a hassle for retailers and other companies that rely heavily on hourly workers. According to Minneapolis-based Branch Messenger Inc., one way to ease the burden is by giving employees a direct say in when and where they take on shifts.

The startup is putting the concept into practice with a self-service scheduling app that has attracted a $6.8 million investment announced today. Early-stage fund March Capital Partners led the round with the support of CrossCut Ventures, Techstars Ventures and several other backers. Their cash infusion will help Branch Messenger widen the adoption of its platform in key markets.

Branch Messenger acts as an exchange through which workers can swap shifts with one another when their availability changes. Its self-service design removes many of the administrative obstacles normally involved in the process, which saves a great deal of time. The startup claims that the app can free up as many as 16 hours per month for managers while cutting the number of scheduling-related absences by 43 percent.

Branch Messenger has established an initial foothold in the market by enabling workers to download the app for free. Today, staff at several thousand retail locations use it to sort out scheduling changes between themselves. The startup plans to capitalize on the strong adoption by selling a commercial version to companies that wish to better reach their personnel.

Branch Messenger’s paid offering packs a set of communications features for coordinating work. Managers can broadcast announcements and other important updates, while a company’s development team may embed custom chatbots in the app to automatically answer employee questions.

One of the first adopters is Target Corp., which is also an investor in Branch Messenger through its partnership with Techstars. The retail giant is currently piloting the app at over 100 stores while several other Fortune 500 companies are running tests as well.

In an interview with The Star Tribune, Branch Messenger founder Atif Siddiqi said that one of the reasons he decided to set up shop in Minneapolis is to be near Target and the other potential enterprise clients based out of the area. He intends to double the startup’s current headcount of 20 as part of his growth plans. The push will see Branch Messenger widen its focus beyond retailers to manufacturers, support center operators and other companies that also employ a lot of hourly workers.

Image: Branch Messenger