Case Studies

Customer Profile

I-PASS is a prepaid toll collection system. Every toll lane on the Illinois Tollway is equipped to accept I-PASS, which can also be used on the Chicago Skyway, the Indiana Toll Road, and in 15 states by more than 25 toll agencies where E-ZPass is accepted.

Market:

U.S.

Industry:

Electronic toll collections

Challenge:

Manage customer service and fulfillment operations for I-PASS during its most vigorous growth phase.

The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority maintains and operates 274 miles of interstate tollways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois. The Tollway offers customers I-PASS electronic toll collection for congestion relief and ease of travel.

STATE OF ILLINOIS

Challenge

The Tollway needed a reliable, single source business partner to take over the call center and fulfillment operations connected with its automated toll payment system (I-PASS). The successful candidate would be able to reduce costs, improve service levels for nearly 1.9 million I-PASS customers and reduce transponder delivery times, as well as provide for a smooth transition of the business from The Tollway’s current vendor.

Solution

Within 45 days of being awarded the state contract, Marketing Alternatives envisioned, constructed and implemented a plan to transition the program into its own operations and created seamless links between the call center, fulfillment center and Transcore (the transaction database). The plan involved the careful marrying of Marketing Alternatives own technology with existing systems, as well as set up, scheduling and training within the Response Management and Integrated Fulfillment Centers.

Marketing Alternatives was up and running with the I-PASS customer service/transponder fulfillment program in half the time originally allotted for start-up. Within 90 days of taking over the program, call volumes increased 250% in response to an announced increase in tolls for customers who did not have I-PASS transponders. Because Marketing Alternatives plans were built around scalability, Marketing Alternatives was able to quickly meet the increased demands.