Legend Diving Goes Paper Free
No Paper, No Problem
Paperless and it feels so good! Legend Diving has made the decision to go paper free. It was something that we have been working to move towards for some time now. However, things on an island move a bit slower, and changes take time.
We have used the opportunity that low season provides to make the transition. This allows us to be ready to roll paper free when high season comes in the next few months. We decided to make the move since most of the world is now paper free.
Ever since PADI began to make the switch it just made sense for us to follow suit. For now on, the shop has implemented tablets for guests to use for various reasons. PADI is now offering a majority of their courses online, and that makes our lives a lot easier. No more need for multiple textbooks taking up shelf space when we can just pull it up on an app.
The Transition
It has been a relatively smooth one. After a few weeks of trial and error, we are happy with the results and the system we have implemented. The most important part, our customers seem to be responding to the change. As a dive shop, and an eco-friendly one, it is our responsibility to make these changes. We strive to be a shop that sets the example and does the little things that make a difference in the environment around us.
As we all know, Indonesia currently does not have the recycling facilities they need. If we were to continue to go through paper at a rapid pace, we would only be making the problem worse.
The Technology We Are Using
For simplicity, we decided to go with handheld tablets. As customers come in to book days of diving they will fill in the information needed on the tablets with the assistance of our employees. We will admit, the first few customers were a bit of a trial run. There was a bit of minor confusion on both sides of the tablets, but our customers were thrilled to be the ones helping to test the new eco-friendly process.
How We Think It Will Make A Difference
Regardless of a bump in business or not, this was the right move. We hope that this sparks changes in the small business that line our beautiful island. We hope that customers can appreciate our attempts to be more eco-friendly by going paper free. But at the end of the day, this was a decision that Legend Diving management made because they wanted to spark some change.
Besides, this change makes life easier for us. We run a small dive shop that has plenty of people coming in and out of our doors for plenty of reasons. The amount of paper that began to build up and get lost in the shuffle became more of a headache then anything. Going digital has allowed us to make a big stride in the organization of files. Just ask our receptionists and shop managers – less clutter is a gift from above.
Going paper free and having everything easily accessible online makes sharing information among staff much easier. And though we are still are going through some of the growing pains that come with a change like this, we will be operating like a well-oiled paper free machine come high season.
Why We Did It: The Impact
We are a dive shop. Our passions live below the surface. However, recognizing that all ecosystems are connected is so important. Some of the statistics provided by Go Paperless need to be taken into consideration. The environmental impact of just 10 million pages of paper is eye-opening.
For 10 million pages, 2,500 trees are cut down. 56,000 gallons of oil is used to transfer and produce the paper. 10 million pages results in 450 cubic yards of garbage in a landfill and 595,000 kilowatts of energy. (Data source: https://www.epa.gov/)
Why we did it: we did our research
Making an investment in expensive tablets was a tough decision to make. However, 59% of businesses going paperless receive full return on investment in less than 12 months, and 84% do in less 18 months. (Information about ROI found at gopaperless.) For a dive shop that plans to be in Nusa Lembongan for a long time, we knew this investment would be a smart one. Being streamlined is also extremely important for us. We need to be fast and efficient. Life may move a bit slower on an island, but Legend Diving doesn’t need to operate on island time.
What are the benefits?
It is said that going paperless can improve staff productivity by up to 30%. That increase in productivity means that we can spend less time filling out paperwork, and more time doing what we love – diving.
This transition really was an easy one for us, and it was one that we are really proud of. We want to be known as a company that is moving in the right direction and taking the environment into consideration along the way.
We offer fantastic programs to improve life below the water, such as CoralWatch and other underwater speciality skills, Eco-Friendly Diving Internships, and world-class PADI approved diving courses. Going paper free was our way to make a change on dry land.
We are not saying that us going paper-free will make a big difference, or even make a dent in the paper industry. But we do hope that it can inspire others to do the same. If more businesses around Nusa Lembongan begin to make the paper free change and stick to it, then we can make a change.
A change in Nusa Lembongan, where people from all over the world come to visit, can spark a worldwide revolution. We are a big believer in doing things the right way. If we take short cuts, we only are cheating ourselves in the long run.
by Linwood Butler of Legend Diving
