Customer Service Performance Requirements Added for TSP

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Dec. 1, 2020) – The Joint Board met today and approved a single resolution for a change order to the Toll Services Agreement for the Toll System Provider (TSP). Kapsch TrafficCom serves as the TSP. The change order includes modification of customer service performance requirements and liquidated damages related to those requirements. It also includes pass-through costs for out-of-state lookups and supplemental customer service representatives and supervisors.

The Joint Board and TSP believe the customer service requirements and the additional staffing, as needed, will result in more consistency in meeting customer service needs. Successful out-of-state lookups to locate addresses for the purposes of sending invoices help to ensure all drivers enjoying the benefits of the bridges are paying their fair share.
Additions and modifications were made to customer service performance requirements. They include the following:

• The maximum call wait time shall not exceed 10 minutes with daily reporting on this requirement.
• Semi-monthly reporting will be required for the existing requirement that a minimum of 80 percent of calls be answered by a live representative within 60 seconds.
• Customer service staff will be scheduled to comply with the requirement that no more than 4 percent of calls are abandoned after 60 seconds.

Additional provisions of the change order require the TSP to pay liquidated damages to the Joint Board when the customer service performance requirements are not met. They include:

• The TSP shall pay the Joint Board $100 for each event in which the call wait time is ten minutes or longer.
• When a minimum of 80 percent of calls are not answered by a live representative within 60 seconds, the TSP shall pay the Joint Board $500 for every percent or portion of a percent below 80 percent during semi-monthly reporting.
• When more than 4 percent of customer service calls are abandoned after 60 seconds, the TSP shall pay the Joint Board $300 for every percent or portion of a percent above four percent for the day, as measured on a daily basis.

The TSP can deduct liquidated damages owed from its monthly operations and maintenance fee invoice.
Pass-Through Costs
The change order also includes additional costs the TSP will be passing through to the states on its monthly invoice. Those additional costs include:

• The Joint Board will pay 80 percent of the actual cost for out-of-state lookup, up to $1 per lookup. The lookup includes license plate and registration searches for vehicles registered outside of Kentucky and Indiana.
• The Joint Board will pay for additional customer service staffing beyond 20 full-time representatives, as needed, to help meet performance requirements.
• The Joint Board will pay for supplemental supervisors for every 15 customer service representatives added beyond the baseline of 20 representatives.

The change order includes a total change in price, to be paid in a single lump sum to the TSP, of $2.9 million. The total includes $1.6 million for 80 percent of the cost of out-of-state lookups from January 2019 through September 2020. The additional $1.3 million is for additional customer service representatives and supervisors for February 2019 – November 2019.
Joint Board
The Joint Board includes transportation and finance leaders from Indiana and Kentucky. It’s made up of the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) commissioner, the Indiana public finance director, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet secretary and the Kentucky Public Transportation Infrastructure Authority (KPTIA) chairman, or their designees.
The Joint Board was created to have long-term oversight and management responsibility for the Ohio Rivers Bridges Project. Bi-state tolling representatives handle the day-to-day administration of the tolling system.
Note: Resolutions and supporting documents from the meeting will be posted at riverlink.com: https://riverlink.com/about/joint-board/.