Smooth, versatile and secure software solution for the green industry

To the general public, Visma is primarily known as the sponsor of multiple cycling champion Wout van Aert, but to green professionals the name may ring a bell for other reasons. 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 digitization.

"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's 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 evolve to serve 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 organizations 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 realize that garden contractors are not IT specialists. This is why, for example, we also make sure that our support staff are completely up to speed with the jargon of the green professional and can guide them smoothly towards the solution when problems arise."

New tools tailored for the green professional

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. You can easily drag new projects into the planning view, or you can have approved projects automatically included in the planning view. 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 offerings were expanded and reformed last year. "We abolished the distinction between Mobile Light and Mobile Pro subscriptions," Boone said. "To further lower the threshold to digitization, from now on all the functionalities of Mobile Pro, including the consultation and creation of quotations and invoices, are available to all employees free of charge. Is the green professional gone with that, then the mobile offering, just like the general software, can be further extended modularly with, for example, time registration."

Gold medal for safety

Digitization, however, not only offers opportunities, Boone admits, it can also present dangers. "We all know the stories about hacking and data theft. So some reticence about such systems is understandable. But that is also the advantage of a safety net such as the Visma Group, which invests more than 12 million euros annually in the security of its tools, has its own cybersecurity center, 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 but also a reliable solution!"