Pinnacol Policyholders Reap Benefits from Ease of Doing Business ...

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Focus is published quarterly for Pinnacol Assurance’s policyholders. Pinnacol Assurance’s Phone Listing Please have your policy number ready when you call. Toll Free 1-800-873-7242 Telephone Relay Service 1-800-659-2656 Claims Reporting Fax 1-888-329-2251 Fraud Hotline Toll Free 1-800-873-1888 Report workplace injuries immediately by going to www.pinnacol.com and clicking on “Pinnacol ServiceLink.” President’s Message Improvements Help Raise Customer Satisfaction Because Pinnacol Assurance is always looking for ways we can improve, we regularly ask our customers about their interactions with us. In recent years, feedback from agents and policyholders indicated that we were not easy to do business with, especially when compared to many of our competitors – so we took action. In 2006, we established a new corporate strategic theme – Ease of Doing Business (EODB) – that focused on being more flexible and streamlined, with the goal of saving time and eliminating inconveniences for our customers. Since we launched EODB, more than 30 underwriting and policy management-related areas have undergone improvement, including our installment plan options, payroll reporting form, and invoices. You can read more about these and other EODB initiatives in this issue of Focus. Have our efforts made a difference? We think so. One indication is our recent customer satisfaction survey results. The results of our 2006 Policyholder Service Quality Survey show that Pinnacol received our highest-ever rating of 8.9 out of 10 points for overall customer satisfaction, which is significantly above the nationwide insurance industry norm of 8.2 and up from our 2005 score of 8.7. Survey respondents also gave Pinnacol a 9.0 rating on the likelihood of renewing their policies, an all-time high mark for the company. Few companies in any industry receive customer satisfaction scores as high as ours, and we couldn’t have achieved such high numbers if not for our employees. Their focus on meeting customers’ needs, combined with all the services Pinnacol provides, has clearly had a positive impact. One example of that impact comes from Ted Roach, a Pinnacol policyholder and small business owner, who has benefited, firsthand, from our EODB efforts (see story on page 3). With a seasonal cash flow, he struggled to pay his policy premium in one lump sum – so we designed a payment plan that fit the seasonal nature of his business. Although our EODB efforts have made a difference so far, there’s more to be done – so we are expanding these initiatives in 2007 and beyond. Ultimately, we want our policyholders, injured workers, and agents to acknowledge that we are easy to do business with. Business Update 2007 “Ease of Doing Business” Update Last year, Pinnacol Assurance launched our Ease of Doing Business (EODB) initiative aimed at addressing feedback from customers, who said that our paperwork requirements and other processes were too cumbersome. Here’s a quick overview of the improvements we’ve implemented so far: • Shorter Applications with Flexible Upfront Deposits – We’ve cut our application supplement in half. • More Flexible Installment Plans – We’re helping policyholders adjust their payment schedules to meet their business needs (see story on page 3). 2 • Redesigned Safety Questionnaire – The new “risk profile” saves policyholders time and eliminates redundant paperwork. • One-Time Independent Contractor Forms – These forms are now required only once for the lifetime of the policy, unless a change occurs. • Streamlined Invoices – Our invoices are shorter and contain better information on payment plans, audits, and monetary disbursement options. • Streamlined ERM 14 Form (Change in Ownership) – Policyholders now receive this form with many of the fields automatically filled in by our system. • E-Signatures Acceptable – Our system now accepts electronic “signatures” for new business applicants and electronic fund transfer (EFT) payments, eliminating the need for faxed signatures. • More Efficient Payroll Reporting – A streamlined form, available online at Pinnacol ServiceLink, makes payroll reporting simpler and quicker for policyholders. • Reduced Deposits with New “Pinnacol Pay Partners” – Under certain circumstances, there is now no deposit required when a Pinnacol policyholder reports actual payroll instead of estimated payroll. • Provider Designation Over the Phone – Policyholders can now designate medical providers from Pinnacol’s SelectNet network by completing the written form or by calling their underwriter or our customer service team. • Phone System Upgrade – Calls are answered faster, our Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) system does a better job of transferring calls to the right person, and we’re enhancing our menu options to include Spanish and self-service options (see story on page 6). cont. on page 6 >>
Feature Story Flexible Premium Payments Help Painting Contractor Deal with Colorado’s Seasons IT ALL BEGAN WITH A PAINT JOB – and a conversation. When Pinnacol Assurance Associate Vice President Debby Magures needed to have her house painted last summer, she asked around for recommendations. A friend suggested that she call Ted Roach, who owns Executive Painting in Wheat Ridge, Colo. Magures hired Roach to do the job. While work progressed, Magures and Roach began to chat. She learned that he had been a Pinnacol policyholder since 1986; the two also discussed some of the problems he faces as a small business owner. As anyone working in the outside trades (painting, construction, etc.) in Colorado can tell you, the weather and the elements are a constant battle. Roach normally has two employees, but the seasonal nature of his business – heavier in the summer months – makes it hard for him to retain good help. And, because his cash flow is so seasonal, paying his workers’ comp premium in one lump sum in January – the worst time of the year – was problematic. Roach mentioned casually that it would be helpful if he could spread his premium payments over the summer months, when his business is thriving. “I listened to Ted and realized that this was exactly the type of problem that Pinnacol’s Ease of Doing Business (EODB) initiative was designed to solve,” said Magures. Magures then spoke with Jennifer Konecny, the Pinnacol underwriter who handles Executive Painting’s policy. Konecny knew that flexible installment plans were one of the key objectives of the EODB program; she told Magures, “I think we can help him.” Konecny contacted Roach and talked to him about a payment plan that would fit the seasonal nature of his business. When Executive Painting’s policy came up for its 2007 renewal, Pinnacol presented Roach with a pleasant alternative. Konecny had redesigned his premium payments: a modest re-installment fee in January and the bulk of his payments spread over June, July, August, and September – Roach’s busiest months of the year. “It’s a huge help to me,” said Roach. “In January, I just don’t have that kind of cash lying around, so that lump payment was always a struggle. I’m impressed that Pinnacol took the time to understand my business and come up with a plan that works for both of us.” Konecny encourages other policyholders to talk with their underwriters about flexible payment options, as well as other ways that Pinnacol can make policyholders’ lives easier while meeting their workers’ compensation needs. “Pinnacol’s Ease of Doing Business initiative is about actions, not just words,” said Konecny. “If there’s a way we can help you, we’ll get it done.” Jennifer Konecny, Pinnacol underwriter, and Ted Roach, owner of Executive Painting, discuss his redesigned payment schedule. 3
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Pinnacol Policyholders Reap Benefits from Ease of Doing Business ...

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