Change can be scary- whether it’s moving to a new town, learning a new skill, or meeting new people. Humans are creatures of habit; we like what we know and are accustomed to, and often fear or resist the unknown. This logic extends not only to interpersonal life, but to our work lives as well- who we see, what programs we use, what our daily routine looks like- and whether we use paper forms or digital field forms.
The environmental industry and others like it have long relied on writing paper notes and forms while in the field. Slowly but surely, people are moving forward with the rest of the world and going digital. Still, many environmental companies rely on the age-old tradition of scribbling down their notes on paper. Does paper get the job done? Sure. Are people comfortable with it? Definitely. But does that mean it’s the best? Nope.
Beyond just the possibility of losing data, having to transcribe their notes again back at the office, and potentially writing illegible or messy notes- paper is a thing of the past. The world is digitalizing everything- people work on their computers from home, most purchases are made virtually, businesses risk failure by not having a presence on social media or an easily accessibly website, etc. Entering the digital world will not only make data and logs easier to share and access, saving the company time and money- but will mark your company as futuristic, with the times, and ever-growing and expanding.
The same logic applies to a company that has been on the same software for 20 years. It’s easy enough, database managers are comfortable with it, there’s no bright and obvious reason for change- so why switch?
The answer is the same one that would arise from thinking about why one might switch from owning both an iPod and Blackberry to an iPhone. If there’s one product that encompasses all your needs- even if you don’t know exactly what buttons to press when you first turn it on-would you still buy it? The initial discomfort to the change would be momentary, but the satisfaction from knowing you own a product that fits your ever-changing needs would be long-lasting. So, consider switching to the iPhone of digital field forms: QNOPY.
By: Emily Grasberger
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