Construction, trades, business services: three sectors where workarounds to the official tool are everywhere. Here's where they hide, and why.
Much talk of construction digitalisation, services automation, trades modernisation. On the ground, these talks remain largely theoretical. Most tradespeople, site managers, service providers we meet in Lyon still rely heavily on paper, voice notes, post-its. Not that they refuse digital: the tools sold to them weren't built for how they work. Here are the workarounds we see most often in these three sectors, and what we do to understand them.
In construction
The site notebook in the manager's pocket for delays, reservations, change requests. Re-entered (or not) into management software in the evening. A time gap and sometimes forgetting between the two. Photos on the team lead's personal phone, taken at day's end to show progress, sent via WhatsApp to the client. No centralisation, no clean archive, no trace if there's a dispute. The Monday-printed schedule, hand-modified during the week, trashed on Friday. The digital version is only up to date on Mondays.
In services
The paper client card kept alongside the CRM. Contains the real notes: details not typed in because too long or too sensitive. The evening voice note a salesperson sends to HQ to pass on important info before it's forgotten. Never re-entered, stays in the messaging app, disappears when the phone changes. The shared Excel that drifts, used by three or four people at once to track an urgent file, because the official CRM is too slow or rigid for that occasional need.
In the trades
The quote scrawled on headed paper, taken at the client's, signed on site, re-typed (or not) a week later in billing software. Risk of forgetting or modification between the two. The paper appointment book, because the digital calendar doesn't work on the phone during a basement job or atop a ladder. The parts-to-buy list, kept as voice notes or photos, ending at the shop where the tradesperson often overbuys, just in case.
What we do arriving in one of these sectors
No written brief in a meeting room. We spend a day in situation: on the site, on a sales round, in the workshop. We spot the workarounds, understand why they exist, and propose a tool that integrates them rather than fighting them. In most cases, the real subject isn't "have a better tool" but "have a tool that respects the real craft gesture." That's what we're for.
What we've seen on the ground
Observing a site manager for two hours, we saw he lost much time pulling his phone out, searching a supplier contact, copying a number, moving on. We built a mobile interface with the 10 most frequent contacts on one screen, readable with a gloved finger. Nothing technically remarkable, but without on-site observation we wouldn't have thought of it.
FAQ
Do you only work with trades and construction? No. We work with any SME or institution whose need is well-bounded. Sectors we know best in Lyon are those we have most proof of success in: restaurants, winemaking, culture, services, and yes construction.
Is it long to follow a site to understand? Half a day to two days. Package-priced, so you don't watch the meter.
You're in a trade where paper, voice notes, post-its are still everywhere? That's probably where we can help most. Tell us about a typical day. Let's talk →