English version: "A long journey with technical challenges"

Rogier’s Story.

"Looking back on this journey, I feel especially proud. To me, Plan-IT isn’t just software, it’s a part of who I am. And that makes its success deeply personal.".

My journey with the workshop scheduling tool began during my internship. After completing my original assignment, I was given the opportunity to work on a larger project: migrating the workshop planner from Clipper to Visual DataFlex (VDF). I had no prior experience with VDF, but with help from my colleague Luuk, I quickly found my footing.

At the time, the planner had been developed for Autobedrijf van Haren, allowing the branches in Venray and Boxmeer to view each other’s schedules. The transition to Windows came with significant technical challenges. The biggest one? Displaying the planning visually. While textual interfaces were the norm, we wanted a graphical interface with time blocks for each technician. This was innovative at the time and a major step forward.

Initially, there was some hesitation among clients regarding the move to Plan-IT. Many dealers still relied on physical planning boards. But once they saw that all information was centrally available on-screen, their doubts quickly faded. Workflows became calmer, more organised, and significantly more efficient. Work orders no longer had to be tracked manually, everything was handled digitally. The impact on workshop productivity was immediate.

From a technical standpoint, we fully committed to Visual DataFlex and used Crystal Reports for reporting. This allowed us to build a stable and scalable system that could grow alongside our ambitions.

Plan-IT has been continuously developed. A major milestone was the integration with Dealer Management Systems (DMS). This enabled us to better serve larger dealer groups and significantly expand our client base. Today, nearly all DMS platforms in the Netherlands are connected to Plan-IT.

The interface became increasingly user-friendly. We introduced drag-and-drop functionality and made it possible to visually resize work orders, a unique feature at the time. The next big step was integration with Plan-IT Online, allowing car dealers to let their customers book workshop appointments online, with appointments automatically appearing in the planner and tailored to available capacity and required expertise. This flexibility proved vital for dealer groups acquiring smaller dealers, and we were able to work seamlessly with various DMS platforms, regardless of brand.

User feedback has always been central to our development process. By listening closely to their needs, we were able to continually improve Plan-IT. Every few months, we released updates with both small and major enhancements. Our web applications now run on .NET and Kubernetes, supported by Linux. The desktop version still runs reliably on DataFlex, though our primary focus is now on web-based solutions to prepare for the future.

Together with Luuk, I worked intensively on the technical side, while Julian Hendriks (Juul) focused on the commercial side. Two strategic decisions we made together were particularly crucial: initially outsourcing sales to Idégoned to leverage their market presence, and later bringing sales back in-house to increase our agility.

A major highlight was the transition of VAG dealers to Plan-IT. This brought nearly all VAG dealers on board as clients. Shortly afterwards, Volvo followed suit, for whom we developed a scheduling system in collaboration with their DMS, iDas. These milestones gave our growth a tremendous boost.

The future lies in Plan-IT Werkplaats Web. We aim to make all essential desktop features available online. In addition, we continue to invest in Plan-IT Online, Test Drive, and Workshop – user-friendly solutions that evolve with our customers’ needs.

Looking back on this journey, I feel especially proud. To me, Plan-IT isn’t just software, it’s a part of who I am. And that makes its success deeply personal.