Case Studies

Information Products, Inc. is a privately held corporation founded in 1974 and domiciled in the state of Connecticut. The firm has been a custom software developer since its’ founding and has been focused on the development of human resource and benefits related voice response systems since 1994 and internet systems since 1996. IPI services, supports and warranties more than one hundred and thirty of its systems throughout the United States. IPI is a leader in the development of hosted benefit enrollment and communication systems and in designing and implementing voice response and internet systems for larger employers, third party administrators, insurance companies, retirement plan administrators and Taft-Hartley fund administrators. Information Products’ clients are among the finest employers in the United States.

TGI FRIDAYS/MAIN STREET RESTAURANT GROUP

Phoenix, AZ

Main Street Restaurant Group (MSRG), the Phoenix based holding company for a chain of national restaurants including TGI Fridays uses the Lawson software system to administer payroll and HR for its 6,000 employees. Information Products was chosen in February 2005 to develop a custom web and IVR based benefits enrollment and communications system that went live May 2005.

The functional requirements for the project included custom development of a web and voice response enrollment application with approximately 40 web enrollment pages including payroll deductions for contributory health and welfare benefits and Section 125 flex account deferrals with a system generated enrollment confirmation statement that can be printed locally by employees. IPI interpreted the client's plan rules for all classes that employees were only allowed to enroll in the plans of benefits for which they are eligible during the annual enrollment period and as newly benefits eligible employees. The project scope included development of a web based administrative module so the client's HR team could log on to the system securely as system administrators and conduct administrative enrollments for employees if necessary. System administrators can also review and print enrollment management reports with various date ranges. IPI's work on the project included posting and hosting benefits communication materials, coverage overviews, plan comparisons, plan costs and explanations of participants' rights after life changes including births, adoptions, marriages, divorces and job status changes.

IPI developed its web application and voice response application in the United States using Microsoft tools. IPI's enrollment application queries eligibility data residing on a SQL Server database that IPI custom developed to mirror the client's Lawson data fields. IPI provided the client with a development platform that was used for system testing prior to going live. IPI and the client developed in depth application test plans and database test plans and thoroughly tested and debugged all aspects of the system prior to going live. The system was completed on time and on budget. The system accurately administered the client's open enrollment in May of 2005 and again in May of 2006 in English and Spanish and is presently accurately administering enrollments for newly benefits eligible employees.

SYSCO

Houston, TX

SYSCO is the leading provider of products and services to the restaurant and food service industry in the U.S. with 148 locations in the contiguous United States, Alaska and Canada. The company has more than 47,000 employees.

SYSCO uses a host of cutting edge technologies and vendors to help it manage its business, reduce costs and improve productivity. SYSCO contracts with industry leader ADP to provide its payroll services including payroll administration and payroll production and fulfillment. ADP offers its innovative web based I-Pay application so SYSCO employees can view and print payroll statements and payroll information online.

Information Products worked with SYSCO to design voice applications to mirror those offered by ADP’s I-Pay application and IPI collaborated with ADP to create a custom payroll interface and implement a regular schedule for automated payroll data feeds. The voice response system was implemented on time and on budget three months from the date the project began.

Quest Diagnostic Clinical Labs

Collegeville, Pennsylvania

Quest Diagnostic Labs has used Information Products’ voice response system since it was custom programmed in 1994. The client required custom development of a high volume voice response system that would be available 24/7 and that would allow patients to call the system and check the status of laboratory test results and to search for network laboratories based on a number of search criteria. The system is interfaced with databases maintained by Quest, AEtna, Prudential United Healthcare and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. The system is configured with a primary application server and a “hot” back-up application server programmed for load balancing. The voice response servers are capable of answering up to ninety-six simultaneous telephone calls and typically process 30,000 calls per month.

Employease & Comfort Systems, USA

Atlanta, Georgia

Employease is the leading web-based human resources application service provider in the United States. The firm competes with more traditional human resource information systems vendors such as PeopleSoft, Lawson, SAP, Oracle, J D Edwards, ADP and Ceridian. Employease provides HR services to Comfort Systems - an Atlanta based heating and air conditioning contractor that employs 8,000 folks many of whom are of Spanish descent. Comfort Systems, USA outsourced its human resource administration to Employease with the understanding that voice response enrollment was an important aspect of the engagement. Employease selected Information Products as its vendor to develop the required voice response enrollment systems (hardware & software) and signed IPI to a master services agreement to be its exclusive provider of voice response enrollment systems and support for all of its clients. IPI configured two high-density voice response application servers (hardware & software) for Employease that are capable of answering up to forty-eight simultaneous enrollment calls. The system is configured with a main voice response server and a “hot” back-up voice response server that runs the applications without service interruption in the event of a hardware or software failure. The enrollment software is programmed in English and Spanish. IPI programmed a custom interface between the voice response system and Employease’s web-based system. The voice response system facilitates transmission of benefit election files to Blue Cross, United Healthcare, Delta Dental, Unum, ADP and other plan administrators. Comfort Systems’ employees use the voice response system to elect medical benefits, dental benefits, employee life insurance, dependent life insurance, AD & D insurance, short term disability benefits, long term disability benefits and to make salary deferrals to Section 125 dependent care accounts and medical expense accounts. The system speaks back employees’ payroll deductions at the conclusion of enrollment sessions and it provides human resource managers with enrollment reports. Comfort Systems will use IPIs’ voice response enrollment service for its sixth annual enrollment in November, 2004.

County of Ventura, California

Ventura California

Ventura County is a forward thinking public sector employer with 7,600 employees. When the County first hired IPI to administer its annual benefits enrollment the County administered personnel records using a combination of three incompatible home grown computer applications and data bases. Ventura County hired AON Consulting to write an RFP for voice response enrollment services and to help the County select a vendor. AON and Ventura County selected Information Products to replace the previous voice response enrollment system. IPI customized its voice response enrollment system for the client, printed enrollment worksheets and communications materials and printed individual enrollment confirmation statements. The system was hosted on IPI’s hardware from its data center near Hartford, Connecticut.

The voice response enrollment system allowed employees to elect medical benefits, dental benefits, vision benefits and to make pre-tax salary deferrals into Section 125 plan medical expense accounts and dependent care accounts. IPI created a custom interface between the client’s human resource and payroll systems and the voice response and enrollment system. The enrollment system was programmed to provide the client’s human resources department with enrollment management reports and system utilization reports. IPI also delivered 8,000 individual benefit enrollment worksheets and individual enrollment confirmation statements.

Ventura County migrated to the PeopleSoft platform in 2004 and signed a new administration agreement with Information Products based on its promise to create a custom interface to PeopleSoft. IPI and the County created and tested a custom PeopleSoft interface during the summer of 2004 and the voice response enrollment system and custom interface were used for the fall 2004 annual benefit enrollment. In 1998 IPI worked with the County and conducted a successful web enrollment pilot program to demonstrate its ability to successfully administer voice response and web based annual enrollments. Over the years the system provided benefit election file extracts to Blue Cross, Delta Dental, Great West, Value Care Health Plan and the client’s Section 125 plan administrator.

Allstate Insurance Company/Winn Dixie

Jacksonville, Florida

American Heritage Life Insurance Company (a division of Allstate) administers benefits for Winn Dixie’s 100,000 benefits eligible employees. AHL wanted to improve service to Winn Dixie’s employees by reducing average on-hold times and its number of hang-ups. IPI designed and deployed six IVR modules: (claims status, eligibility verification, provider locator, network verification, coverage overview, and system administration) with a production cut-over date less than 25 days from the date of the signed agreement. Information Products configured the systems’ hardware and software, programmed the systems’ applications, programmed the interfaces, installed and cabled the systems and assisted AHL during production cut-over. The project was completed on time and on budget and helped American Heritage Life collect new service revenue in exchange for the new services it provided Winn Dixie. The 48 port voice response system processes approximately 584,000 phone calls per year which represents more than two million minutes of time saved by Allstate and its service representatives. Approximately 50% of callers retrieve answers via the voice response system.

Associated Administrators, Inc.

Baltimore, Maryland

Information Products developed a turnkey voice response system in accordance with Associated Administrators custom specifications. IPI configured the hardware and custom programmed the software to interface with the clients core plan administration system (basys). The voice response system provided callers (plan participants and providers) with health and welfare and pension eligibility verification, claims status, pension credit status, disability claim & payment status and fax on demand applications. IPI cabled and installed the system in AAI’s data center and assisted during cut-over to production. The system operates 24/7 and has greatly reduced providers’ reliance on call center staff for eligibility verifications and the status of claim reimbursements. The client’s service staff spends more time helping plan participants since the implementation of the voice response system. The system reduced operating expenses, increase productivity and helped avoid additional expenses that would have otherwise been incurred as a result of hiring and training additional service representatives.

New York City Carpenters Benefit Trust Fund

New York, New York

Information Products was invited by the New York City Carpenters Fund office to bid on its RFP for a voice response system with web page development, call center screen pop and instant messaging (web chat). It was determined that IPI offered the best Taft-Hartley solution and was the low cost provider, therefore the firm was engaged by the Carpenters to build the system working in collaboration with Standard Data (legacy system), Verizon (phone & data), Atrion (network infrastructure) and Avaya (PBX & CTI software). Information Products was engaged by the client and together they developed a project plan and script for the system in English and Spanish. IPI configured the voice response servers (primary and back-up) and developed the software. It ordered a custom high fault tolerant and redundant Computer Telephony Server and Web Chat Server designed to its specifications from Compaq. IPI managed the project in accordance with the mutually agreed upon project plan and had the system configured, developed, installed, tested and online by the agreed upon deadline.

State of Connecticut, Department of Education

Hartford, CT

Information Products designed a Teacher Certification System for the State of Connecticut Department of Education to help school administrators verify that applicants for teaching positions are certified to teach the grade and subject matter for which they are applying. The system was designed to help the Department of Education comply with legislation that was enacted compelling verifications of appropriate teaching certifications. The system resides in the Department of Education’s data center. School Administrators throughout the state can call the system 24/7 and obtain confirmation of certification including: type of certification, date of expiration and status of applications for certification. The Fax on Demand module allows caller to request hard copy fax confirmation statements of the information the system speaks back over touch-tone phones. The system was developed and implemented in 1995. Information Products was engaged to upgrade the system for year 2000 compliance in 1999 to ensure that it would continue to operate without interruption.

California Correctional Peace Officer’s Association Benefit Trust Fund

West Sacramento, CA

CCPOA’s Verify system is designed to integrate with its core administration system (basys) that is used to administer eligibility and pay claims for dental benefits for the fund offices 35,000 members. Information Products designed a voice response system and custom integration that operates 24/7 and provides members, dependents and physicians with claims information (reimbursement amounts, check dates, payees and claim status) and eligibility determinations including hard copy faxes that are sent to physician’s offices without human intervention via the system’s Fax on Demand module.

Keyspan Energy

Brooklyn, NY

Keyspan Energy’s incentive compensation program for exempt employees is partially based upon the results of a survey completed at the end of the year by non-exempt employees. Survey participants are anonymous and the survey is administered by the Human Resource Department and analyzed by the Compensation Committee. The HR Department decided to automate the survey to expedite the process. The client was directed by its consultant to engage Information Products to help it design, develop and implement a voice response survey system hosted by IPI. Keyspan provided IPI with fifteen survey questions that IPI recorded, edited and digitized in English and Spanish. IPI custom programmed a voice response system that allowed authorized callers to access the system, answer fifteen survey questions and leave recorded messages. IPI provided Keyspan with hard copy statistical measurements of the survey results based on reporting specifications defined by the client. IPI downloaded the voice recordings and provided the client with a hard copy transcript of the messages. The system was hosted in IPI’s data center and ran on IPI’s servers. IPI provided a toll free telephone line and local lines that were integrated with the system and dedicated for the clients use.