What were the biggest challenges? 

Before the advent of vPlan, Smits Vastgoedzorg used a mix of paper project folders and complex Excel schedules. As the company grew, this way of working became unwieldy and error-prone. The company struggled with different programmes that did not work seamlessly together. Excel was growing out of control. The need arose to merge various schedules and look for an integrated solution. 

"Excel works until it doesn't." - Wilco de Moet 

Solution for Smits 

We speak to Wilco de Moet, property service business manager: "It works until something stops working. Excel became slow and it's not live. We were using many different systems, an administrative programme, project folders and schedules.... How do we merge all that, we wondered. vPlan offers flexibility in managing different types of schedules, which really added value for us. The transition was gradual, first internally and later to external parties. We really like the ability to view the same schedule in a bar schedule and a calendar. In addition, the flexibility and live insight really appealed to us".

How does Smits deploy vPlan? 

Wilco explains the set-up of vPlan. "We use multiple planning boards - currently there are seven - and various views. For example, we have a planning board for all internal employees and one for subcontractors. A plan board in which all bathroom, kitchen and toilet renovations are planned and a plan board with projects. We also have a plan board for mutations and aftercare." 

How does he maintain an overview between the plan boards? He says: "Being able to switch easily and quickly between the plan boards and the different views is really a plus. I also have live insight in the app every day. The subcontractors we work with also have (limited) access to their own plan board. So everyone sees what is of interest to them. What I especially like about vPlan is its flexibility. You can set up vPlan exactly the way you want, so you only see what you like to see. With that, I maintain an overview." 

Super-fast order generation 

For the time being, Smits Vastgoedzorg uses vPlan as a standalone, i.e. without an ERP system. All orders are created in vPlan. Wilco explains how this works: "A standard job format is ready in the backlog. Say we need to plan a bathroom renovation. We use the format and add the label 'bathroom'. Then all the work is added as activities, with pre-calculation, to the job ticket in vPlan. Then the supervisors are added, so it is immediately clear who is responsible for the job." 

He continues, "We also create a ticket for warranty complaints. We fill this with all the information. Then we change the status to 'make an appointment', which automatically sends an e-mail to the subcontractor. When an appointment is made, I attach a date to the ticket. That way I can easily see when someone starts."  

Lots of insight thanks to different views 

Wilco is one of the few people using all views. He says: "Basically, we use the timeline, but we also use the list, calendar, analysis and Kanban. New construction projects require various disciplines to complete complexes. The different views offer a solution here. At resource level, for instance, we can look at a painter and see how much he has to do in a day. So you have insight at the detail level and an overview of the broader timeline. If something didn't work out, we can also immediately see whether it affects the other disciplines. They are also notified right away if things shift. Very handy." 

Handy automations 

Smits uses some handy automations that save time and reduce manual actions. For example: if the label 'on hold' is added to a property, all involved automatically receive an e-mail that the property is on hold. Or if a resource is added, it also automatically becomes a follower (followers automatically receive updates of any change within a job). This way, as a stakeholder, you don't miss any updates.

Subcontractors' experience 

The company now uses more comprehensive information and experiences time savings. Live monitoring of tasks and automatic sending of notifications when status changes occur have significantly improved efficiency.  

The results are impressive:  

• Time savings; 
• Simple automations; 
• Better monitoring; 
• Smoother communication with subcontractors and other partners. 

Wilco: "It used to take a lot of time to check whether everyone met their agreements. Sometimes assignments turned out not to be fully completed or there were still points for improvement after the inspection round. The subcontractor was then called and told what needed to be done. The question was then when it was done. The contractor then drove rounds to check the houses again. Sometimes you would come into a house four days later and only then see that nothing had been done. Very frustrating." 

He continues, "Now you can immediately see in the morning what is ready and what is not. The subcontractors also like vPlan. The changeover went very smoothly. We went everywhere once to show how it worked. Planners use the desktop version, fitters the app. Mechanics sometimes missed a meter list, which is now standard in the app. They also easily upload photos of service maintenance in the app. Ideal. They always have all the information to hand," says Wilco. 

"Without vPlan, we wouldn't have been able to grow so fast." - Wilco de Moet 

Clients also stay informed in real time 

Willco adds: "We also have clients with many apartment complexes. These large projects are visualised in a vPlan planning board. Clients get a read-only account on these planning boards, so they can view planning and progress. We find that clients really like the fact that we work in this structured way and that we are transparent about the planning. We also see this reflected in our tendering processes." 

Benefits for Smits 

Wilco is particularly pleased with the programme's flexibility."You can set exactly which columns you want to see in your planning and which you don't, and everyone can set that for themselves. vPlan switches between planning boards and views nice and fast.And the fact that it's live is super.That way, no one misses anything anymore.Communication with subcontractors and other partners has greatly improved.Automations are easy to set up.The overview is very pleasant.Searching is very quick and easy. I like to keep an eye on the progress of projects and statuses do that very well.Without vPlan, we wouldn't have been able to grow so fast and would have needed more FTEs. Everything is much more manageable now. It saves us a lot of time.In short: highly recommended for growing companies with lots of planning and external parties!", concludes Wilco.  

Wilco, thanks for your time and the interesting conversation!