EG launches Easoft in Norway at Fagtreff

On 28 August, sheet metal workers, roofers and suppliers from across the industry gathered at Fagtreff. We were there to officially launch our Easoft business management system in Norway. 

Easoft brings together the administration of trade businesses – from customer management and quotes to staffing, project progress, documentation and finances. Installers register their work on site and follow their schedules on their mobile phones, while office staff keep track of customers, projects and finances in the same system. 

• In many companies, customer information is stored in one place, planning in another, and time registrations and finances in a third. Easoft brings everything together in one system, so everyone in the company works with the same information, says Joona Suomala, Head of International Operations at Easoft.

Born out of a roofing business
Suomala has a background in roofing himself and was one of the founders of Easoft in Finland in 2012. The idea arose because they could not find a system suited to a business, handling many short jobs throughout the year. 

• We could lose time on every job because the information was not sufficiently connected. When we couldn't find a tool that suited the way we worked, we decided to develop our own, he says. 

He highlights an example from his own business, where jobs involving the installation of snow guards showed poor profitability. When they reviewed the data, they discovered that installers often spent 60–90 minutes driving to the supplier to pick up screws and other missing materials. 

The solution was to have the materials delivered directly to the job site. It cost slightly more in purchasing but saved significantly more in labour time. 

• Without the registrations, we would have known something was wrong, but not necessarily why. When working hours, costs and project data are brought together, it becomes much easier to see where the money is actually going, says Suomala.

AI to take over more routine work 
Easoft has also developed its own AI platform with agents capable of automating routine tasks. For example, an AI agent can call an installer who has forgotten to register their hours and collect the information directly. 

We are also exploring automated job scheduling with Easoft, particularly for companies where large numbers of installers need to be allocated across multiple projects during the week. 

• If you have 30 installers working on several jobs each week, planning alone can become a full-time job. Much of the work involved in allocating and coordinating jobs can be handled by AI, freeing up a significant amount of time for the business, says Suomala. He believes that, over time, tradespeople will notice the software itself less and less. 

• The goal is for registration to happen automatically while the work is being carried out. The system knows where you need to go, what needs to be done and what you need. This eliminates unnecessary journeys and administrative work afterwards, he says, adding: 

• At the same time, the company is left with data that can be used to improve operations and increase profitability. That is where we believe technology delivers the greatest value.