PADI Americas Discovers New Depths Of Efficiency With Exact

PADI Americas, based in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA is part of PADI Worldwide, which includes seven service offices around the globe. PADI exists to develop programs that encourage and fulfill the public interest in recreational scuba and snorkel diving worldwide. With 100,000 professional members operating in 175 countries and territories, PADI instructors are the most ethnically, culturally and racially diverse group of dive educators in the world.

In early 2002, Sharon Dill, director of information technology for PADI Americas, began looking for a way to tie all the departments of the company together. "Our dive center, sales department and training and education group all talk with our customers," Dill says. "As a result, we might have three conversations going on in isolation. We didn't have a way to keep track of those conversations."

PADI Americas first implemented an Exact Software solution in 1999 as its Y2K solution. "One of our employees had used Exact's Macola Progression product before, but we also looked at some other products," Dill says. "We thought Macola Progression offered the best solution for the price."

Due to its existing relationship, when PADI began considering some different customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, they also looked at e-Synergy from Exact. "When I saw what e-Synergy could do, I was blown away by what a complete package it was," Dill says. "e-Synergy is a different way of thinking; a different way of doing business."

The company began implementation of e-Synergy in mid-2002.

Throughout the course of the implementation, Dill found mixed levels of acceptance. "As with anything new, employees are wondering 'What's in it for me?'" she explains. "Many employees have created isolated Excel files or other methods to do their jobs. They need to understand that everyone can access customer notes if they begin entering data into e-Synergy. Some departments have really taken off."

In the future, Dill hopes to give PADI Americas' members access to e-Synergy through the web so they can access frequently asked questions (FAQ) files, check their own order information and, eventually, place orders. Dill also plans on moving the company's overseas locations onto e-Synergy within the next several years.

In addition, during the summer of 2003, Dill plans to upgrade PADI's enterprise resource planning software, Macola Progression, to Exact's Macola ES product. With that upgrade, PADI Americas will achieve complete integration thanks to e-Synergy's business process management tools that are native to Macola ES.

With the integration of these products, PADI Americas will achieve further efficiency. "Right now, we have a membership database, a Macola database and an XML tool that updates the e-Synergy database," Dill says. "Once the upgrade and integration is complete, we'll have our membership information, Macola ES and e-Synergy sharing the same database – that will be powerful! Our employees will have more confidence in the system; they will know they are looking at accurate, up-to-date customer information."