Sign Program Data Systems Help TIC Staff Serve Customers
Providing great customer service is the number one priority of the TIC Sign Program. All staff are dedicated to providing top-notch service to every applicant. To help staff accomplish this goal, Luc Rizzo, Administrative Assistant & Database Technician, recently completed an upgrade and expansion to the sign inventory database, Cartegraph.

By keeping detailed customer information in a highly searchable format, Cartegraph helps TIC staff give great customer service by providing quick answers to questions. The system also helps staff schedule projects efficiently and plan for future sign replacements and cleaning.

Cartegraph stores a picture and an I. D. number for every sign in TIC's inventory. Its mapping features allows TIC to create maps that show township, range, and section, highways, local roads, sign locations, ID numbers and much more, making it easier for the installation crew to pinpoint installations. Diane Cheyne, Sign Services Coordinator, uses the system to generate work orders for the TIC sign crew, Oregon Department of Transportation's (ODOT) Sign Maintenance Crews, installation contractors, and board manufacturers. Cartegraph also interacts with TIC's customer database to produce letters, invoices and contracts. Diane can simply type in a customer or board I. D. number, and Cartegraph automatically fills in the blanks. This simple automation saves time and improves staff efficiency!

Cartegraph has been such an exceptional tool for TIC, it has attracted the attention of ODOT. Greg Stellmach, from ODOT's Traffic Engineering and Operations section, recently met with Luc for a tutorial and research on how Cartegraph may help ODOT catalog their sign inventory.

To begin populating Cartegraph with all the details of the nearly 6,000 signs in TIC's inventory, TIC hired Tom Halsey, a retired ODOT Sign Designer, to collect data in the field. Starting in the Portland area, Tom stops at every Gas, Food, Lodging, Camping, Attraction and Tourist Oriented Directional board and plaque, takes updated photos and GPS readings, ranks the condition of the boards and plaques, and checks for safety issues. Once the database is fully populated and customized, TIC will be able to forecast how to maintain boards and plaques and when and where to replace old, rotten wood or aluminum boards and faded, missing or damaged plaques.

In another enhancement to customer service, TIC is adding a fourth member to sign crew. The additional staff will allow for the expansion of TIC operations into regions previously outsourced to a contractor or ODOT. The additional crew member, combined with the current crew’s experience and work ethic, will ensure customer orders will be installed quickly.