Local IT professionals creating innovative tools for business digitalisation in Latvia

In today’s dynamic business environment, digital tools are becoming irreplaceable as they significantly boost efficiency and competitiveness. Accounting software automates data input and reduces the possibility of human error, business process management tools streamline workflows, while human resources management platforms help attract and develop talent. Interestingly many digital management tools often used by Latvian companies have been developed right here in Latvia – by Visma Group companies. These solutions help calculate salaries, process invoices, and maintain national level registers. Alongside well-known products, the brand is also offering a new innovative solution – a shift planning tool called Numo.

In Latvia, the Visma brand consists of four companies, which are part of the international Visma Group. One of these companies is Visma Enterprise, which has developed the widely acclaimed resource management system Visma Horizon. This tool is especially popular among Latvian businesses with the salaries for over 40% of workers in Latvia being calculated using Horizon. Visma also offers other state-of-the-art solutions, such as employee self-service portal HoP, human resources management and business intelligence tools, as well as IT solutions and system integration developed by Visma Consulting.

Numo: a smart solution for shift planning 

One of the latest and most innovative solutions by Visma, Numo has been developed to simplify shift planning for companies that work on a shift schedule or non-standard working hours. This tool not only ensures compliance with current legislative requirements but can also adapt to the specific needs of the company and employee preferences by automating the complex process of creating a shift schedule.

“Shift planning is a difficult task; there is good reason why in computer science it is given as an example of so-called NP level, i.e., especially complicated, problems” Laura Brīvība-Dzenuška, spokesperson for Visma Enterprise, explains. “The law prescribes the number of hours a worker is allowed to work, the permissible length of a shift, whether a shift can include nighttime hours. At the same time, the specific needs of the company and personal preferences of employees also must be considered. For example, at a hospital, certain specialists need to work in shifts, but salary budget restrictions on overtime also need to be considered. An employee can request a personal day, have regular training to attend or work at another facility on certain days. Managing this set of factors manually is extremely time-consuming, but many companies are still doing it in Excel spreadsheets.”

The Numo algorithm effectively overcomes these challenges by automating schedule planning. Not only does this reduce the time and resources spent, but also removes the emotional toll often borne out of manual scheduling. “The software automatically ensures that legislative requirements are met. The company just must put in their needs and employee preferences, and the algorithm will create an optimal work schedule. This objectivity also reduces the risk that staff members could feel slighted. The algorithm is an objective and impartial planner. Manual planning of shift schedules can sometimes create a sense of unfairness: someone assigned to work on a holiday, for example, could assume that the planning was unfair. If it is all done by an algorithm, this emotional element is removed,” Ms Brīvība-Dzenuška explains. 

Numo is already available to clients, and the company is continuing to improve the tool to adapt it to the specifics of different sectors.

Constant product improvement and solutions tailored to the Latvian market

Last year, Visma Enterprise’s turnover was almost EUR 12 million, which was a 12.3% increase over the previous year, while the company’s profits in 2023 exceeded EUR 2 million. There are more than 500 professionals working across the four Visma Group companies in Latvia, and the annual turnover increase for the company is a double-digit percentage. 

Visma companies in Latvia see the most potential in further digitalisation of Latvian business. “Even though state administration in Latvia has reached quite a high level of digitalisation, there is still a lot to do in the business sector. Manual processes, decisions based on intuition and insufficient use of technology is often a stumbling block in business growth. That is why Visma solutions are aimed at helping companies raise efficiency and improve their competitiveness at local and global level. Moreover, these solutions have been tailor-made for the Latvian market and its needs, thus providing added value,” Ms Brīvība-Dzenuška says about the prospects of Visma Group companies in Latvia.

Information material prepared with the support of the Recovery Fund. The author is solely responsible for the content of this publication. The views expressed herein do not reflect the official position of the European Union or the European Commission.