Fourth Launches iQ 2.1, Introducing New Recommendations to the iQ App Including AI-driven Labour Adjustments

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fourth, the leading provider of workforce and inventory management solutions for the hospitality sector, today announced the release of Fourth iQ 2.1, expanding the capabilities of its AI-powered Fourth iQ App. The update introduces a major new labour forecasting capability and a suite of new workforce, HR, and inventory recommendations designed to help managers make faster, more confident decisions every shift.

Clinton Anderson, CEO at Fourth, said: “The Fourth iQ App continues to raise the bar for the industry with each new release, we’re adding more AI-powered recommendations and actions that deliver real value for our customers — saving time, improving accuracy, and helping managers focus on what really matters. iQ 2.1 is another step forward, bringing even more AI guided decision making into the hands of hospitality teams.”

At the heart of the release is the ‘Forecast Labour Adjustment’ recommendation — a new capability that helps managers react quickly to changes in demand. When the sales forecast shifts significantly, the system recalculates labour productivity and sends an alert directly to highlight the impact on sales and labour costs. If the new forecast highlights an increase in demand, the manager receives is recommended the best open shifts to create to ensure optimal staffing levels are achieved. This results in a far more immediate and proactive approach to managing demand and labour.

Amongst the customers rolling out the iQ App to their managers is Public House Group. Commenting on the launch of the iQ App, Linga Nadarajah, Operations Manager at Public House Group stated, “The Fourth iQ App is already showing huge potential. I love the daily sales and labour notifications — they’re simple, clear, and give a real snapshot of performance. Seeing managers prompted to chase deliveries or review performance is exactly the kind of support that makes decision-making easier and operations sharper. It’s the kind of innovation I’m really excited about!"

The new release builds on the 20+ recommendations introduced in the September launch of the iQ App, which delivers AI-powered recommendations across HR, workforce, and inventory management — all accessible via mobile, tablet, or web.

Expanding the Fourth iQ App ecosystem

Alongside the new Forecast Labour Adjustment, iQ 2.1 introduces a range of recommendations that make day-to-day operations simpler and smarter:

Workforce Management

• Shift & Availability Actions – Managers can now approve employee requests to swap, give, or drop shifts, as well as manage unavailability requests — all directly within the app.
• Schedule Deadlines & Planning Alerts – Notifies managers when schedules must be marked ready for senior review, ensuring timely submission and compliance.

Human Resources

• Employment Change Requests – HR users can review, approve, or reject employee change requests directly within the app, while store managers automatically receive an alert confirming the outcome.
• Candidate Onboarding Alerts – Store managers are reminded when a new starter hasn’t completed onboarding three days before their start date.
• Employee Onboarding Completion – Notifies managers when a new employee’s onboarding is complete, prompting them to send a personalised welcome message directly through the app.
• TrustID Responses – Integrated alerts notify managers of right-to-work verification outcomes from TrustID, ensuring compliance and faster follow-up where required.

Inventory Management

• Daily Missing PLU Alert – Alerts managers to all active PLU codes not currently assigned to an item in inventory, helping managers to avoid stock outs and spot anomalies.

The release marks another milestone in Fourth’s mission to help operators move from reactive management to proactive decision-making. By embedding AI directly into daily workflows, the Fourth iQ App enables managers to control costs, increase efficiency, and spend more time leading their teams and serving guests.

For more information, visit Fourth website

About Fourth

When every hour of every shift matters, Fourth helps restaurants, retailers, and hotels conquer the day with data-driven workforce and inventory technology. The Fourth AI Platform leverages more than 20 years of rich data and advanced analytics to deliver actionable insights and demand forecasting for optimising operations, maximising margins, and empowering employees. With a streamlined business powered by the Fourth AI Platform, industry operators can act with certainty and conquer with confidence whatever comes their way every day. Fourth serves more than 15,000 customers across 120,000 locations globally. For more information, please visit uk.fourth.com.