Smooth, versatile and secure software solution for the green sector

To the general public, Visma is mainly known as the sponsor of multiple cycling champion Wout van Aert, but among green professionals the name may ring a bell for other reasons. Indeed, since July 2021, Use IT Group's administrative software, including Groensoft, has also been sailing under the Norwegian Visma flag. More than a year after the transformation into Visma Bouwsoft, director of marketing & business development Gianni Boone looks both back and ahead at how the acquisition lowers the threshold to digitalisation.

“As a supplier of business-critical software, the Visma Group's goal is to simplify and automate work as much as possible, leaving more room to grow and live,” says Boone. “That is a great ambition, but of course it also means that people need to find their way and added value easily in those software solutions. An accounting package or generalist software is not for everyone. Especially in the construction and green sector, we see the need for very specific niche solutions. And that is exactly what we offer with Visma Bouwsoft: a sector-specific software for the entire process, from quotation to post-calculation.”

In partnership with the industry

Although Groensoft was renamed Visma Bouwsoft upon acquisition, the administrative software continues to develop in the service of the green professional. “Not only are we in close contact with our users, but over the past year we have also built strong ties with sector organisations Groen Groeien and Pro4Green. This way, we keep our finger on the pulse and get a clear insight into which functionalities are more or less relevant, where further developments are needed, and how we can increase user-friendliness in the field. Because, of course, we realise that garden contractors are not IT specialists. That's why, for example, we also make sure that our support staff are fully versed in the jargon of the green professional and can guide them smoothly towards the solution when problems arise.”

New tools tailored for green professionals

One of the functionalities in the modular software package where the partnership with the industry is being played out today is the materials platform. “Just as there was already a direct link with certain building materials suppliers, in this quarter we are making the connection with Green Supply and Boomkwekerij Willaert, among others. This means that users can drag and drop the right articles and article codes directly into their quotations. In other words, everything runs faster and with less risk of errors.”

The Visma Bouwsoft planning tool, new since the end of 2022, also came about in close cooperation with the industry. “At a glance in this module, you can see which shifts are scheduled and which are available, or which projects are still on the waiting list, for example. New projects can be easily dragged into the planning view, or you can have approved projects automatically included in the planning overview. Everything is aimed at keeping the overview and scheduling efficiently, without having to open another software.”

Increasingly mobile

Because a garden contractor is more in the field than behind his desk, Visma Bouwsoft's mobile offering was expanded and reformed last year. “We abolished the distinction between the Mobile Light and Mobile Pro subscriptions,” says Boone. “To further lower the threshold to digitisation, from now on all the functionalities of Mobile Pro, including consulting and preparing quotations and invoices, are available to all employees free of charge. Is the green professional gone with that, then the mobile offering, like the general software, can be further extended modularly with, for example, time recording.”

Gold medal for safety

However, digitisation does not only offer opportunities, Boone admits, it can also pose dangers. “We all know the stories about hacking and data theft. So some reluctance towards such systems is understandable. But that is also the advantage of a safety net such as the Visma Group, which invests over 12 million euros annually in the security of its tools, has its own cybersecurity centre, as well as employing eighty people in the Benelux alone to closely monitor everything. Visma Bouwsoft itself has also been awarded a gold medal for security since this year. Proof that we offer green professionals not only an efficient and relevant solution, but also a reliable one!”