Square has bought the team behind Zenlytic, a startup that builds chat-style tools for getting answers from business data. The aim is a Square tool called Managerbot. It would let sellers ask plain questions about their business instead of digging through reports.
What changed
Managerbot is led by Willem Avé at Square. Owners could ask why sales dipped one week, which menu items may need a second look, or whether staffing fits peak hours. "Business owners shouldn't have to spend hours in reports to figure out what needs their attention," Avé said.
Ryan Jannsen, co-founder and CEO of Zenlytic, said joining Square lets the team "build a new product that helps sellers make AI work for their businesses."
What is not known yet
The coverage gives no launch date, price or list of who will get access. Deal terms are not shared either. It says only that sellers will "soon" be able to ask questions in plain language.
AI answers can be wrong or miss context. Anyone who tries Managerbot should compare its answers with their own sales numbers before changing staffing, menus or orders.
The takeawayIf you sell with Square, expect easier data answers, but check any AI answer against your own numbers before acting on it.