Digitalizing the Work Permit Process Saves Time, Effort—And Most Importantly, Increases Safety

Converting the work permit process into a digital format saves both time and hassle. But more importantly, it enhances safety. The easier and faster it is to manage permits, the more reliably you can ensure that, for example, the work site is properly prepared and that no tasks are performed without the required qualifications. With the Gate Apps work permit application, all the necessary information is always in your pocket.

Given all these benefits, it’s no surprise that the application is growing in popularity. In fact, Gate Apps recently reached a milestone of over 100,000 processed digital work permits as of April this year. That number alone exceeds the capabilities of many players in the Finnish market. But it’s not just about accumulating numbers—Gate Apps channels the learnings from this vast experience directly into product development for the benefit of both current and future customers. The result is continuously smoother processes and even higher quality content within the app.

What Have We Learned from Over 100,000 Work Permits?

One of the best features of Gate Apps is getting rid of paperwork. But when adopting the system, it’s worth thinking beyond simply replacing paper with digital forms. By investing some thought into how your unique permit process should function in a digital setting, you can make operations dramatically simpler, faster, and more efficient.

The process of identifying the right solution often starts when a client realizes they need a permit system—but isn’t quite sure what it should look like. Thanks to the high volume of permit processing experience, Gate Apps has become extremely skilled at designing workflows and identifying which features are essential for users issuing, managing, and receiving permits. Today, Gate Apps can guide and support clients from the very beginning, helping to define what a smart digital permit process should be. This process combines the customer’s needs with the experience of what’s truly worth rethinking and rebuilding.

The efficiency of a digital work permit system becomes even more evident when dealing with complex workflows—i.e., when a permit has a longer lifecycle. Sometimes, a permit goes straight into archive after being used. But more often, it goes through risk assessments, safety checks, acknowledgments, and other steps that can stretch out over weeks or months. Gate Apps not only provides the platform but also helps clients define these processes clearly. In addition, thanks to integration capabilities, all documents can be stored and retrieved through the customer’s existing Microsoft document management system.

In Work Permit Apps, Content Matters Too

Beyond the process itself, the second half of the equation is the content—meaning, for instance, the types of permit templates used. Gate Apps has continued to grow wiser in this area too, based on real-world usage. During onboarding, templates and related needs are reviewed thoroughly with the client.

Thanks to the large volume of permits, Gate Apps has built a library of ready-made solutions that can be adapted with just a few simple changes. For example, the hot work permit, which was the foundation of Gate Apps’ permit solutions, typically follows a standard format that can be tailored to each client's specific needs and requirements.

Sometimes, the client is a large multinational company with highly standardized procedures and compliance requirements. They might already have an existing template that needs to be implemented exactly as-is. Even if the out-of-the-box solution doesn’t support this directly, Gate Apps can flexibly build custom components that are rarely seen elsewhere.

Mobile-First from the Start

From the beginning, the guiding principle for Gate Apps' Work Permit solution has been mobile usability. The app doesn’t require complex documents to be filled out on a big screen—it works smoothly on any device and is optimized for the demands of fieldwork. Furthermore, the permits created in the app can be formatted visually to match exactly what the customer needs, including polished PDF exports.