Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
State Employees' Retirement System

The Challenge:
The Pennsylvania State Employees' Retirement System (SERS) needed all of its members elect whether or not to accept new benefits of the retirement system. SERS needed to deliver on election form to over 100,000 employees, and wanted a 100% return rate. SERS was concerned about accuracy, security, and meeting deadlines.

The NOVA Direct Marketing Solution:
Nova Direct Marketing customized a database program to achieve SERS's goals.

Nova barcoded each letter/election form that SERS sent to members. Each barcode contained the name, address and social security number of the employee it was sent to.

After SERS and Nova tested the barcodes for accuracy, Nova mailed the election forms, along with a pre-paid return envelope.

To ensure that the election forms were being properly handled, SERS and Nova maintained a daily count of returned and scanned election forms. Nova date-stamped and scanned each returned election form with a state-of-the-art, high-speed scanner. Each scan made a digital image and a text file, including the respondent's name and election.

On a weekly basis, Nova returned to SERS batches of scanned ballots, a CD containing the scanned images, and a disk containing the text file to be verified.

After review, SERS gave Nova the okay to send a confirmation letter to all respondents.

Nova sent confirmation letters within 3 weeks of receiving the election form.