Orange County Transportation Authority retooling Web site to engage customers

April 16, 2009 - PRLog -- LOS ANGELES – The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is improving its customer and stakeholder experience by revamping one of their main touch points with the organization — its Web site. OCTA has contracted Los Angeles-based interactive agency Sensis to develop a user-centric site that effectively communicates and interacts with the organization’s key constituents.

“OCTA’s Web site redesign comes at a great time. Because of the economy and fluctuating gas prices, the organization is recording record-breaking numbers of bus and train riders,” Sensis CEO Jose Villa said. “The brand knowledge of OCTA is already very high because people use its services every day. Our job is to make the experience of visiting OCTA.net a pleasurable one and to turn passive customers into brand ambassadors. We will design a user-friendly, organized and interactive Web site that engages Orange County residents, helps convey OCTA’s messaging and communicates the organization’s great initiatives.”

The new site, which will launch in late June, will incorporate a new information architecture and refreshed visual design. The site currently houses more than 700 pages of information, which Sensis will rework and re-organize to help improve the flow of information.

OCTA has unique and varied target audiences — from bus riders to concerned citizens to elected officials — which make its Web site an important vehicle for the organization to remain in continual contact with these distinct user groups. OCTA’s current site receives more than one million hits per month, proving it is a key source of information for Orange County residents. By synthesizing the information gathered through Web analytics and audience research, Sensis will create Web personas that represent OCTA’s target audiences. These personas will group OCTA’s Web site users based on their online behavior and specifically how they interact with the site.

“Web personas are an integral part of our Web site development strategy. They provide concrete vehicles for communication and serve as the anchor around which all of our strategic recommendations are based,” Villa said. “Throughout the entire design process we always refer back at the personas and ensure our design meets the needs of the target audiences the personas reflect. We strive to create a user-centric site that best serves the customers, which ultimately best serves our client.”

Sensis has a long and successful history with award-winning Web site designs. Its design for Cooperative of American Physicians Inc. received Best in Class honors from the Interactive Media Council. Sensis’ own site and the Sensis-designed West Basin Water District site received Outstanding Achievement nods from the same entity, and four other Web development projects received WebAwards from Web Marketing Association.

About Sensis:
Sensis is a minority-owned and operated interactive agency with interactive marketing experience including strategy, analytics and emerging media capabilities such as mobile marketing, blogs, podcasting and online video. The award-winning agency earned a spot on the prestigious Inc. 500 2008 ranking of America’s fastest growing private companies and on Hispanic Business’ list of fastest growing Hispanic-owned companies at No. 13. Founded in 1998, Sensis has made an impact for many of its powerhouse clients, including the U.S. Army, L.A. Care Health Plan, the California Lottery, United Healthcare and Sempra Energy. For more information, visit www.sensisagency.com.

About OCTA:
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is a multi-modal transportation agency serving Orange County. It keeps Orange County moving with countywide bus and paratransit service, Metrolink commuter-rail service, the 91 Express Lanes toll facility, freeway, street and road improvement projects, motorist aid services and by regulating taxi operations. OCTA began in 1991 with the consolidation of seven separate transportation agencies. An 18-member board of directors governs OCTA and consists of five county supervisors, 10 city members, two public members and the director of the Department of Transportation District 12.

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About Sensis:
Sensis is a minority-owned and operated interactive agency with interactive marketing experience including strategy, analytics and emerging media capabilities such as mobile marketing, blogs, podcasting and online video. The award-winning agency earned a spot on the prestigious Inc. 500 2008 ranking of America’s fastest growing private companies and on Hispanic Business’ list of fastest growing Hispanic-owned companies at No. 13. Founded in 1998, Sensis has made an impact for many of its powerhouse clients, including the U.S. Army, L.A. Care Health Plan, the California Lottery, United Healthcare and Sempra Energy. For more information, visit www.sensisagency.com.