Administrative software has been helping De Vlieger & Zn move forward for more than a decade

Since last year, Groensoft, like all other digital administrative solutions of the former Use IT Group, has gone by the name Visma Bouwsoft. With the exception of the opening screen, however, nothing changes for users. The functionalities remain the same and the four pillars of the program - time savings, financial and administrative insight, affordability and all-in-one - also remain intact. And let that be precisely the reason why garden contractor De Vlieger & Zn has been working with Bouwsoft for more than ten years.

De Vlieger & Zn is a small family business in Beervelde, East Flanders, specializing in the design and construction of gardens and swimming ponds. Today the contracting company has six employees, but it also regularly uses subcontractors. 

"Our first experience with Bouwsoft dates back more than ten years," says current Managing Director Johan De Vlieger. "Because a lot of works and materials recur, especially for swimming ponds, we were looking for a way to streamline our quotations. Since then, we have used Bouwsoft to prepare all our quotations. Especially my wife Véronique, who is in charge of the administration, uses it a lot."

Always the right price

Bouwsoft not only provides De Vlieger & Zn with a way to optimize and update standard quotations, but, above all, guards the company against pricing errors. "With today's highly fluctuating prices, this is no unnecessary luxury," De Vlieger said. "I've heard enough stories of contractors who have worked for free because they didn't update the prices on their quotes in time. In Bouwsoft, that happens centrally and, consequently, our quotes are automatically adjusted."

De Vlieger still tracks prices manually, but there is now the ability to link directly to various suppliers. 

"We commit ourselves very explicitly to the construction, installation and green space sectors," says Gianni Boone, commercial director of Visma Bouwsoft. "That's why we also try to draw as many suppliers from the sector into our story as possible. Today, we can already establish an automatic link with daily prices with a dozen major players. That means you are guaranteed to have the right price in every quotation. Not just like that, but exactly according to your own price agreements with the manufacturer or supplier!"

Tailored to sector and company

Linking with relevant vendors is just one thing that shows that Bouwsoft stays true to its niche. Johan De Vlieger also notices it in use and support. "A great advantage of Bouwsoft is that it is user-friendly, even for someone who knows nothing about computers or IT. In addition, I am always impressed by how fast and accurate the service is. The help desk people know our jargon, know what technical specifications are important to us, and invariably manage to provide support in an understandable way."

At the same time, Visma Bouwsoft allows clients to tailor the software entirely to their own business. Says Boone, "The possibilities of our digital solutions are vast, but because of our modular system, the customer only pays for what he needs. After all, we can't tell a garden contractor how to run his business. We can only provide the necessary tools; it is up to our customers to decide what is relevant to them. For example, our planning tool, which will be launched in September, will be seen as a great added value by a lot of customers."

The future is mobile

For Johan De Vlieger, it is already clear that price management, quotations and materials management can bring him the most profit. Yet he also sees the importance of new, mobile functionalities. "Today we only use the free app," he admits. "We mainly use that to look things up on location or view quotes. That way you always have everything at hand. But there is a good chance that we will soon take things a step further. After all, the future is mobile." Gianni Boone agrees, "We continue to invest heavily to expand the mobile applications." 

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