Stories



“When I’m away from the office I can stop at the beach, look at the surf…and do some work—finish that Excel report or send an Outlook e-mail. I have a lot of freedom to do the things that I love.”

Victor Lozano, Owner, Dolphin Excursions

For the past 10 years, Dolphin Excursions has taken customers—ages 5 to 105—out onto the waters off Oahu’s western shore to swim with spinner dolphins, watch majestic humpback whales, and snorkel among the pristine Hawaiian reefs. Business was booming, so owner Victor Lozano upgraded to Windows Vista® Ultimate and the 2007 Microsoft® Office system to simplify tasks, work more efficiently, and manage time more effectively.

Business Needs

When Victor Lozano was 19, he left his home-town of Los Angeles, California, and moved to Hawaii. “I came to Hawaii to surf, and to this day I’m still surfing,” says Lozano, Owner of Dolphin Excursions. “In Hawaii, the ocean is alive. It has a lot of spirit. I have a big romance with the water here.”

After 25 years as a charter boat captain working for other people, Lozano decided to open his own business. In 1998, he started Dolphin Excursions—a fun, safe dolphin and whale eco-tour that guides customers into the Hawaiian waters to experience marine wildlife in their natural habitat.

In the beginning, Dolphin Excursions consisted of a 14-passenger van, a 23-foot Zodiac boat, and a crew of one. “For the first two years, I did everything myself,” Lozano explains. “I would pick up my passengers in Waikiki, drive them out to the Waianae Coast, get the boat ready, do the tour, then head back to Waikiki to drop everybody off. During all of this, I’d be taking reservations on my cell phone. I’d wear an earpiece and a little recorder so I didn’t have to write while I was driving. Then I’d jot the reservations down on pieces of paper, even bar napkins, and eventually write them in my book. I had piles of paper all over my home office, and occasionally I’d lose the reservation information or misplace my book! Then I

wouldn’t have a clue about where to pick up my passengers the next morning.”

As business continued to thrive, Lozano decided he needed to manage his company differently. “The reason I started a business was to have freedom,” Lozano says. “If I kept doing things the old way I wouldn’t have any time for the other parts of my life.”

Solution

In 2004, Lozano hired Lisa Doty, Office Manager, to handle reservations, customer service, and daily business operations. He also purchased two computers and installed the Windows® XP operating system. In 2006, he upgraded to the Windows Vista® Ultimate operating system and the 2007 Microsoft® Office system.

“When I first started working with Dolphin Excursions, our ‘technology’ consisted of a pencil, paper, and a binder,” says Doty. “Victor did everything the old-fashioned way, so there were endless boxes of paper everywhere. Using Microsoft products, we’re much more organized and efficient. Now I don't have to riffle through piles of papers to find a reser-vation. All I do is point, click, and there it is.

“Windows Vista makes my life in the office a lot easier,” Doty continues. “The system is very reliable, so I can concentrate on providing personal service to every customer.”

Lozano adds, “I use Windows Vista Ultimate

to stay connected to the office while I’m on the road. I have access to all my files, even when I’m traveling. Also, if Lisa is working on a document, she can send it to me via e-mail. I read it, edit it, send it back to her, and it's a done deal. This really cuts down on the amount of time I have to spend in the office.”

For daily business operations, Doty primarily uses the Microsoft Office Outlook® 2007 messaging and collaboration client, Microsoft Office Word 2007, and the Microsoft Office Excel® 2007 spreadsheet software.

“I use Office Word to create confirmation letters, which I send to our customers using Office Outlook,” says Doty. “I also use Office Excel to track our accounts receivable and create reports so that Victor can quickly reference where the revenue is coming from and how much.”

Benefits

Dolphin Excursions upgraded from pencil and paper to state-of-the-art Microsoft technol-ogies and in the process increased business by 60 percent. The company’s employees have also gained peace of mind, greater freedom, and the satisfaction of helping to make people’s dreams come true.

Ease of Use

Doty creates gift certificates and coupons using Microsoft Office Publisher 2007 and Microsoft Office Picture Manager. “I'm able to design pretty much anything we need with Office Publisher,” says Doty. “I also work with the pictures our photographer takes so that they fit our Web site perfectly. I open them up with Office Picture Manager and crop them to highlight the best part—make sure to get that sea turtle in there!”

Doty adds, “We chose Microsoft software because it's so user-friendly. It’s easy to set up and easy to use. Also, when I train new employees they’re already familiar with the products, which saves a lot of time.”

Peace of Mind

Dolphin Excursions subscribes to the Windows Live™ OneCare™ computer protection and maintenance software. “We take reservations a year in advance, so

security for our computer system is extremely important,” says Lozano. “Windows Live OneCare gives me peace of mind because I know that the credit card and customer information stored in our system is protected.”

A Life of Freedom

Before he started Dolphin Excursions, Lozano rarely used a computer. “Today, my computer and the Microsoft products on it are a very important part of my life,” Lozano says. “When I’m away from the office I can stop at the beach, look at the surf for a while, and do some work—finish that Excel report or send an Outlook e-mail. I have a lot of freedom to do the things that I love.”

Doty concludes, “The best part is that now we can focus even more on making each person’s experience memorable. To swim with the dolphins is a dream come true for a lot of people. It was my own dream, I did it, and I've been doing it for four years. Nothing could be better than that!”

Microsoft Small Business

Microsoft provides simple, complete and connected solutions to help Small Business start, grow and thrive.

For more information on how Microsoft Small Business Solutions can help maximize your business potential visit:

smallbusiness

To locate a Microsoft Small Business Specialist in your area visit: smallbusinessspecialist

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For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit: casestudies

Customer: Dolphin Excursions

Web Site:

Customer Size: 10 employees

Country or Region: United States

Industry: EntertainmentEntertainment─Tourism

Customer Profile

In 1998, Victor Lozano turned his passion for the ocean into a thriving business. Dolphin Excursions, based on the Waianae Coast in Oahu, offers some of the most popular dolphin and whale eco-tours in Hawaii.

Software and Services

2007 Microsoft Office system

Microsoft Office Word 2007

Microsoft Office Excel 2007

Microsoft Office Outlook 2007

Microsoft Office Picture Manager

Windows Live OneCare

Windows Vista Ultimate

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Victor Lozano, Owner, Dolphin Excursions

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