Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority Chooses OpenText to Meet Government Information Standards in Record Time

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Apr 25, 2016, 09:00 ET

Organization Transformed its Digital Content to Offer Accessible Formats for All Individuals in Less than Six Weeks

WATERLOO, Ontario, April 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- OpenText™ (NASDAQ: OTEX, TSX: OTC), a global leader in Enterprise Information Management (EIM), today announced that Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA), a student loan servicing organization, has selected OpenText Automated Output Accessibility to help transform its digital content to comply with the electronic and information technology (EIT) standards set forth in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Using OpenText, MOHELA was able to meet tight government deadlines and make its information easily accessible to all individuals.

MOHELA helps borrowers manage student loans by providing information, advice, assistance, access to programs, and payment services. Serving the public on behalf of the Department of Education, MOHELA is required to meet electronic and information technology (EIT) standards to deliver all online content in accessible formats, including those needed for the blind and visually impaired. In order to comply, MOHELA has to produce roughly one million Accessible PDF documents every month—including electronic documents such as billing statements, past due notices, payment notifications, and disclosure statements.

The large volume of PDFs MOHELA generates each month posed a significant challenge. With less than two months to meet the first major deadline, MOHELA had no solution for producing the Accessible PDFs. MOHELA reached out to vendors to find a viable solution that could realistically be put in place on short notice. Ultimately, the organization chose OpenText.

"We were really between a rock and a hard place. We thought we were going to have to ask for an extension on the due date—and that would not have gone over very well," says Barry Usry, Senior Manager of Product Development at MOHELA. "Ultimately, we felt most comfortable with the OpenText solution. We liked the user interface and felt it had more flexibility than the other product. OpenText was a better fit for us."

With only six weeks to go before the deadline, MOHELA brought OpenText on board. To meet the deadline, OpenText worked closely with the team to immediately create appropriate templates for its billing and disclosure statements, which make up roughly 60% of MOHELA's monthly volume, or about 600,000 Accessible PDF documents. OpenText configured its solution to receive MOHELA's AFP print streams and digitally transform them into Accessible PDFs. The OpenText team also provided the necessary training to enable MOHELA employees to build dozens of other statements, letters, and notices templates.

Usry noted, "Developing a billing statement and a disclosure statement, OpenText installed the software, got the server and services up and running, and showed us how to use the product. We met the deadline and that was a big accomplishment."

By offering Accessible PDF documents, MOHELA is now able to provide a better customer experience to blind and visually impaired student-loan borrowers. These customers can now enjoy instant online access to all of their loan documents rather than waiting for alternate hardcopy formats such as Braille or Large Print to be created and delivered. As a result, MOHELA call center expects fewer requests for these and is able to focus on more complex customer needs.

"Right out of the gate, we were pleased with the performance," Usry continued. "We've also been very pleased with how easy it is to define a template for a given document. Since we went through the training, and then took a few days to come up with some basic document standards, it's gone very well. It's a pretty quick process."

Usry concluded, "OpenText was very responsive and very helpful. Having a lot of opposite experiences, it was refreshing to interact with a vendor that delivered on what they promised."

OpenText Automated Output Accessibility created properly tagged PDF files that are accessible by assistive reading devices for the visually impaired. Simple yet powerful, the solution helps organizations quickly and cost-effectively remediate high-volume, transactional documents that are electronically delivered, including statements, bills, invoices, Explanation of Benefits, policies, and more. OpenText Automated Output Accessibility easily integrates with existing enterprise content management (ECM) infrastructure.

About OpenText
OpenText enables the digital world, creating a better way for organizations to work with information, on premises or in the cloud. For more information about OpenText (NASDAQ: OTEX, TSX: OTC) visit opentext.com.

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Certain statements in this press release may contain words considered forward-looking statements or information under applicable securities laws. These statements are based on OpenText's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the operating environment, economies and markets in which the company operates. These statements are subject to important assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, and the actual outcome may be materially different. OpenText's assumptions, although considered reasonable by the company at the date of this press release, may prove to be inaccurate and consequently its actual results could differ materially from the expectations set out herein. For additional information with respect to risks and other factors which could occur, see OpenText's Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other securities filings with the SEC and other securities regulators. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, OpenText disclaims any intention or obligations to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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Further information:

Julie Millard
OpenText
519-888-7111 x3454
[email protected]

Sonya Mehan
Investor Relations
OpenText
519-888-7111 x2446
[email protected]

Katie Carbone
Weber Shandwick
1 617-520-7135
[email protected]

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SOURCE Open Text Corporation