Unisys Corporation (NYSE:UIS) and the Illinois Tollway today announced that the outsourcing engagement between the two organizations has won a 2007 Outsourcing Excellence Award in the annual Outsourcing Center awards program sponsored by Everest Group and Forbes magazine. The award – for “Best IT Application”– recognizes the e-commerce benefits the partners are delivering to the Illinois state government and users of Illinois’ I-PASS electronic toll collection system.
The I-PASS Online Account Management system is currently used by more than one million I-PASS users. It has enabled the Tollway to offer customers the capability to review and update their pre-paid toll accounts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at www.getipass.com, as well as to purchase and activate new I-PASS transponders at their convenience.
The automation of I-PASS account management services for Illinois Tollway customers is in keeping with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s mandate to use technology to make government services more accessible to Illinois citizens. In addition, the system played a critical role when the Tollway underwent a system-wide conversion from traditional barrier-style toll collection plazas to Open Road Tolling, which permits I-PASS users to have tolls automatically deducted from pre-paid toll accounts as they travel through toll plazas at highway speeds.
The conversion was part of the governor’s $5.3 billion Congestion-Relief Program – Open Roads for a Faster Future. I-PASS usage has grown to 78 percent of all Tollway drivers – up from 38 percent in just three years.
“The Illinois Tollway is gratified by this major recognition of our efforts to improve customer service for our 2.8 million I-PASS customers,” said John Mitola, chairman of the Illinois Tollway Board of Directors. “Unisys expertise in the business of government and IT outsourcing have been instrumental in furthering both the Tollway’s mission and our governor’s initiatives to provide an infrastructure that serves I-PASS users with increasing efficiency.”
In addition to enhancing customer service, the Web-based system has helped reduce the Illinois Tollway’s support requirements and costs and has enabled the Tollway to realize net savings of $3.3 million. Through the optimized Web site the Tollway has generated more than $31 million in total revenue, including one-time payments and transponder purchases. The system has had a total of 8.9 million log-ins and more than 4 million transactions completed.
“Unisys proved to be an ideal partner for both business and IT,” said Ted Young, Illinois Tollway’s CIO. “The Unisys team helped us understand where we needed to go to serve a constantly increasing number of motorists more effectively, and then integrated and managed all the elements for a successful IT solution. Unisys showed us the business payback that outsourcing could provide, and then delivered on that vision.”
The systems that comprise the backbone of the I-PASS Account Management solution are housed at the Unisys Outsourcing Centre in Eagan, Minnesota. The systems support an Oracle database that houses account information of motorists collected through transponders as well as by transactions completed through the system’s Web-based interface or interactive voice response (IVR) telephone system.
The integrated system offers numerous benefits to participating and non-participating motorists alike. A recent enhancement allows cash payers who do not have coins or accidentally drive through an I-PASS-Only lane to pay their missed tolls online and avoid fines. The portal also provides commuters with detailed information, such as construction plans and road delays.
“The Illinois Tollway’s commitment to innovation in serving citizens more effectively perfectly matches Unisys commitment to providing outsourcing solutions that help customers deliver increasingly higher levels of service to their constituents,” said Alfred G. Binford, vice president and managing partner, North America, Unisys Global Outsourcing and Infrastructure Services. “Unisys is proud to be recognized for helping further the Illinois Tollway’s mission to make highway travel more convenient for the state’s motorists while increasing operational and cost efficiencies that benefit Illinois taxpayers.”
The Illinois Tollway-Unisys relationship is spotlighted along with other Outsourcing Excellence award winners in a special section of the June 4, 2007 issue of Forbes magazine.
About the Illinois Tollway
The Illinois Tollway maintains and operates 274 miles of interstate tollways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois, including the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), the North-South Tollway (I-355), the Northwest Tollway (I-90) and the Tri-State Tollway (I-94, I-294, I-80/I-294). Tollway customers can save time and money with I-PASS electronic toll collection - Get I-PASS & Get Going! For more information visit www.illinoistollway.com.
About Unisys
Unisys is a worldwide technology services and solutions company. Our consultants apply Unisys expertise in consulting, systems integration, outsourcing, infrastructure, and server technology to help our clients achieve secure business operations. We build more secure organizations by creating visibility into clients’ business operations. Leveraging the Unisys 3D Visible Enterprise approach, we make visible the impact of their decisions – ahead of investments, opportunities and risks. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.
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