Growth through listening

After the launch of Plan-IT in 2000, a period of rapid and continuous development began.
The first version had already made an impression with its simplicity and effectiveness, but market demand quickly grew. Workshops wanted more: more insight, more control, and above all, greater integration with the systems they were already using. That demand became the compass guiding Plan-IT’s direction.

The success lay not only in smart technology, but above all in the willingness to listen. From the outset, user feedback was actively sought—not through lengthy surveys, but through direct conversations with the market. Features emerged not from whiteboards, but from real-world needs: drag & drop functionality, live updates of work orders, automatic time blocking, and visual optimisation of the planning board. What began as a simple digital translation of a wall full of cards evolved into a powerful system that could anticipate needs.

A major breakthrough came with the integration of Plan-IT and DMS systems. This enabled work orders to be automatically imported—complete with customer data, vehicle details, and appointment specifics. Efficiency increased dramatically. Workshops no longer had to manually re-enter everything, a time-consuming and error-prone task. These integrations made Plan-IT attractive to larger dealer organisations, and the first dealer groups soon followed. The system’s scalability was tested—and passed with flying colours.

Meanwhile, the team grew alongside the product. What started as a small development group around Julian, Rogier, and Luuk gradually evolved into a full-fledged organisation. A helpdesk was introduced, which quickly became one of Plan-IT’s greatest strengths. Customers praised its accessibility, expertise, and rapid resolution times. A helpdesk that didn’t just respond—but actively thought along with the user.

The introduction of Plan-IT Online marked another milestone. This expansion allowed customers of automotive businesses to schedule their own workshop appointments online—taking into account available technicians, specialisations, and materials. For car dealerships, this meant a direct connection between customer and workshop—without the need for a phone call or front desk. The combination of Plan-IT Workshop and Plan-IT Online provided a comprehensive solution for modern workshop planning.

On the technical side, development continued apace. Updates were no longer sent via CDs in the post, but made available at the click of a button. Each month brought new features, often directly based on user feedback gathered through steering groups and customer sessions.

Thanks to this ongoing development, Plan-IT became not just a powerful tool, but a strategic component of day-to-day operations for many dealerships. Major players in the industry, such as PON and Volvo Netherlands, made the switch. Smart architecture allowed Plan-IT to manage planning across multiple locations—even when those locations used different brands and DMS platforms—something that proved invaluable.

At its core, the original philosophy remains unchanged: create software that works for the people who use it. With that mindset, Plan-IT grew from a clever solution into the market standard. Its ambitions now extend beyond the Netherlands, and international expansion is already a reality. The transition to .NET for web applications and the adoption of Kubernetes for scalable cloud infrastructure are equipping Plan-IT with the modern backbone it deserves.

And yet, the essence remains simple: listen, adapt, improve. Not for show—but for the workshop floor. Where the keys hang, where technicians get their hands dirty, and where planning makes the difference between chaos and control.