Our Field Marketing managers are literally the “faces” of California Casualty, visiting schools, fire and police stations, hospitals and healthcare facilities, as well as attending group benefit fairs, orientations and charitable events. Year after year, they strive to improve on their skill sets to provide the best service for you and the groups to which you belong. Learn Adapt Grow
We believe strongly in investing time and effort to help them succeed. To facilitate this effort, our Field team attends a yearly Partner Relations Summer Meeting. The goal of the three-day gathering is to discuss best practices, share success stories, and learn new ideas. This year’s theme was “Learn, Adapt, Grow.”
Some of this year’s highlights included discussions about better time management, the importance of self-care, adapting to challenges in the insurance industry, and enhancing relationships with the groups/vocations that we serve. Our Field representatives came away with new valuable lessons on providing you with exceptional service.
Important breakout sessions included:
Understanding insurance fraud and how California Casualty protects customers from being victims of fraudulent activities
Products and services that differentiate California Casualty from other insurance companies
A refresher of the many tools California Casualty provides for informing group members about their auto and home insurance benefits and how to market them
The importance of helping individuals to strengthen our partnerships
A wellness presentation on simple tactics to stay healthy and how to be the best for others
A recognition ceremony and award presentation for the high achievers of our Partner Relations team
“I am amazed at how hard every one of our team works each day for our affinity groups and their members,” said Midwest Field Team Manager, Rebecca (Becky) Stumpf. “Sharing stories, having a better understanding of our products, and fulfilling our promises provides us better tools to serve and strengthen those partnerships.”
Amy Grosso, Assistant Vice President of Field Relations for the East, noted the value of the meeting to help build team unity and re-energize our Partner Relations team. “This is the one time, each year, that remote-based employees get together to build rapport, introduce new members, and recognize our annual award recipients. They leave this meeting with new ideas and energy that will enhance their relationships in the field and improve productivity,” she said.
Katelyn Hoffman, Field Marketing Manager for Missouri, said, “The amount of time and thought put into this meeting was amazing and truly appreciated. I am proud to be part of such an impressive organization – not only because the company is great, but I love our mission of helping those in public service create better lives for themselves and their families.”
California Field Marketing Manager Chris Renn and Washington Senior Field Marketing Manager Michelle Hawkins both agreed that the time spent at the meeting was not only valuable for them personally, but will enhance their efforts working with you. “I have a lot more tools to provide fresher and more specific information at the right time to better serve my groups,” said Chris.
Michelle added, “I always come back from the meeting with a huge to-do list. I am inspired by my peers to push myself a little more here and there to benefit our valued partners.”
You will soon be seeing our knowledgeable Field team members at your place of work or other work-related events. They will be invigorated to share the many ways California Casualty is looking out for you. They can also give you details on our many giving programs, like the $7,500 Garage Makeover for public safety, $2,500 Academic Award for educators, and the Music and Arts Grants for schools.
We appreciate all that you do, and our people are ready to serve you.
TAKEAWAY: California Casualty Field Marketing team members are in your community to meet you and show the benefits of our auto and home insurance through your affiliation. Learn more about our personalized service at www.calcas.com/why-california-casualty.
One of the keys to California Casualty’s success over the past 105 years is our Field Marketing team. They are literally the “faces” of California Casualty, visiting schools, fire and police stations, hospitals and healthcare facilities, as well as attending group benefit fairs, orientations and charitable events. They strive, year after year, to improve their skill set to provide the best service for members and the groups they belong to. California Casualty believes strongly in investing time and effort to help them succeed.
To facilitate this effort, our Field Marketing managers attend a yearly Partner Relations Summer Meeting. The goal of the three-day gathering is to discuss best practices, compare success stories, and learn new ideas. This year’s theme was “Learn, Adapt, Grow.”
Some of this year’s highlights included discussions better time management, the importance of self-care, and adapting to challenges in the insurance industry and the groups/vocations that we serve. Our Field representatives were given valuable lessons on individual changes they can make to help them provide you with more exceptional service, claims help, new products, and to communicate the value and benefits available for your specific needs.
“I am amazed how hard every one of the Partner Relations members works each day for our partners and their members,” said Midwest Field Team Manager, Rebecca Stumpf. “Sharing stories, having a better understanding of our products, and following up on our promise to help group members gives us all better tools to serve our groups, thus strengthening our ties with those groups.”
Amy Grosso, Field Team Manager for the East, noted the value of the meeting to help build team-unity and re-energize our Partner Relations team. “This is the one time, each year, that remote based employees get together to build rapport, introduce new team members, and recognize our annual award recipients. They leave this meeting with new ideas and energy that will enhance their relationships in the field and improve productivity,” she said.
Katelyn Hoffman, Field Marketing Manager for Missouri, feels that the training will benefit her and the partner organizations that she works with. “The amount of time and thought put into this meeting was amazing and truly appreciated. I am proud to be part of such an amazing organization – not only because the company is great, but I love our mission of helping those in public service create better lives for themselves and their families.”
California Field Marketing Manager Chris Renn and Washington Senior Field Marketing Manager Michelle Hawkins both agree that the time spent at the meeting was not only valuable for them personally, but for their efforts working with you. “I have a lot more tools to provide better, fresher, and more specific information at the right time to better serve my groups,” said Chris.
Michelle added, “I always come back from the meeting with a huge to-do list. I am inspired by my peers to push myself a little more here and there to benefit our valued partners.”
And, first-year New Jersey representative, Nikisha Feliciano, observed that the meeting has given her a new confidence in her role. “It was great to meet my colleagues and share different scenarios on how to be better at our job. I have a better understanding of our company and what it represents.”
Nikisha added that as a new employee, “I am honored to work with such an amazing group of people, and I am very grateful for the training and opportunities that have been offered to help me be more successful.”
We appreciate all that you do. Our employees are ready to provide you with the quality service and special benefits that you deserve.
TAKEAWAY: California Casualty Field Marketing team members are in your community to meet you and show the benefits of our auto and home insurance through your affiliation. Learn more about our personal touch at: calcas.com/why-california-casualty.
This Behind the Scenes has a different angle than in previous issues. Instead of highlighting what we do, we want to take a moment to show you an inspiring project that highlights what you do.
California Casualty has worked with first responder groups for decades. As your insurance provider, we know you as fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers – real people who dedicate themselves to making a difference for the world we live in.
To invite others to share our admiration for all that you do, we recently launched a video series that captures a behind-the-scenes look at those in uniform. Filmed by Wide Awake Films, the uplifting videos feature heartwarming interactions between first responders and children in their community.
In A Day With Law Enforcement, two kids, Jayden and Giselle, got the chance of a lifetime – spending a day meeting and riding with police officers. The videos highlight the interactions that broke down preconceived notions, and allowed the children to view police officers as real people.
“They were really nice…when you actually get to meet a cop – actually meet them – like others say, ‘you never judge a book by its cover,’” said Jayden.
“They’re just trying to do their job and they are putting their life on the line,” added Giselle.
In the other series, A Day With Firefighters, viewers are treated to 8-year-old Journey’s incredible day riding in a fire truck, meeting firefighters – from recruits to the fire chief – and showing his stop-drop-and-roll move.
“I think if I got to do what he did today when I was eight years old, it would have opened my eyes,” said one firefighter. “The community is only as good as the people who protect and service it…we all have a part in making our community a good place to live. It was a rewarding day for the both of us.”
“They have to be very brave because they are close to the fire and stuff,” said Journey. “Today was a very good day,” he added.
“We’ve worked with first responders for 50 years and are proud to give a glimpse of the people making a real difference for our communities,” said California Casualty Social Media Manager, Demian Tallman.
So far, there have been almost 367,000 views of the videos. You can see for yourself how Jayden and Giselle felt after their day-in-the-life at https://mycalcas.com/leoheroesvideo/.
Spring is when we at California Casualty take a moment to reflect on the previous year and look forward to new ways of serving you.
We’ve just held 2019 kickoff gatherings in our Claims, Customer Service, Partner Relations, Sales and Underwriting departments. Teams came together to share experiences, discuss areas of improvement, and detail new initiatives, with the common goal of providing the protection and service that you deserve.
Exceptional customer experience is our priority. From implementing updated software, streamlined processes, and lessons learned, we are well-equipped for this year and the future.
Staying true to our 105-year history of personalized care, California Casualty is finding innovative ways to continue to follow our founding principles of putting the customer first, and delivering on our obligations with high ethics and business integrity.
In his 2019 message to the company, fourth-generation CEO, Beau Brown, highlighted how proud he felt watching employees come together for policyholders following the various disasters of 2018: Hurricanes Florence and Michael, damaging Rocky Mountain hailstorms, and deadly fires in California.
Beau recognized the concerted effort by everyone at California Casualty, saying, “While many of our employees did not directly talk to customers in the aftermath of these disasters, you all did your part to support what was a company-wide team effort to fulfill our promises. I am very proud of everyone who gave so much to serve the people we insure. Thank you.”
While other companies are focusing more on profits, we remain steadfast in our focus on you. As the year progresses, we’ll share more details surrounding the initiatives that will directly impact you as we improve our way of doing business. These will include easier-to-read policy documents, less paperwork, and quicker conversations as our systems improve. It’s how we plan to maintain some of the best Customer Service and Claims satisfaction ratings in the industry – which were 98 percent and 96 percent, respectively, for 2018.
TAKEAWAY:
Read more about California Casualty, our people and our mission to help others in our Annual Report, found at https://www.calcas.com/Our-Company.
Like you, we worry that our young drivers are not 100 percent focused when behind the wheel. Even with all the information about how dangerous it can be, younger, inexperienced drivers are still the most likely group to be involved in a distracted driving crash.
In 2007, California Casualty joined educators and law enforcement to form a powerful nonprofit called Impact Teen Drivers (ITD) to address and stop the preventable losses from distracted driving.
California Casualty not only gives funding, but our employees actively work to bring ITD courses into their communities and share the life-saving message with young drivers and their passengers: Focus on the road ahead and get to where they are going safely.
In December, Impact Teen Drivers honored the champions who work with them to help spread this important message. Our Oregon Senior Field Marketing Manager, Sherry Hanacek, and Washington Field Marketing Manager, Michelle Hawkins, were recognized for their hands-on efforts.
Sherry has been tireless in bringing the important Impact Teen Drivers message to schools around Oregon and delivering presentations to the Nurse Practitioners of Oregon, the Oregon Nurses Association and the Portland Police Association. She also stepped in to facilitate the “What Do You Consider Lethal?” two-day program at a Portland-area school when nobody else could do the task. Sherry’s hard work promoting the Create Real Impact Contest has also led to several student and school winners from Oregon.
Sherry said, “I was humbled meeting the parents of affected families, who are so brave to publicly share one of the worst losses a parent can suffer – the death of their child from a preventable crash. They share their stories because they believe they can make a difference so other lives may be saved.”
She added, “I was also honored because we, as California Casualty Partner Relations team members, have the means to share these stories with nurses, educators, police, and firefighter customers every day.”
Michelle was cited for her efforts promoting the Impact Teen Drivers program to law enforcement, EMS/Trauma Care and two different fire departments in Washington. Her promotion of the Create Real Impact Contest resulted in Washington students receiving awards.
Michelle was also moved by the award. “It has inspired me to do more for Impact Teen Drivers,” she said. “After meeting several affected family members at this event, I vowed to them that I will continue to tell their child’s story to as many others as I can. I also want to thank our CEO, Beau Brown, for his continued support of this program – we are saving lives.”
California Casualty CEO, Beau Brown, presented the awards to Sherry and Michelle at the emotional Impact Teen Drivers Affected Family Member Appreciation Luncheon.
“It was a pleasure to be able to honor Michelle and Sherry with an Impact Teen Drivers Distinguished Service Award. They, along with a number of other Partner Relations representatives, are dedicated to trying to assist Impact Teen Drivers with its mission to prevent injuries and death due to reckless and distracted teen driving,” Beau said.
Kelly Browning, CEO of Impact Teen Drivers, is convinced Michelle, Sherry, and the partnership with California Casualty is saving young lives.
TAKEAWAY:
See the many ways that Impact Teen Drivers works to end distracted teen driving, and learn how you can bring the program to your school or community, at www.calcas.com/impact-teen-drivers1.
As disastrous wildfires recently tore through California once again, our employees went into high gear to reach customers, plan next steps for relief, and get their own feet on the ground to offer the needed face-to-face support.
From the first responders going above and beyond to save lives and property, to the devastated customers who were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs, California Casualty was there to give a helping hand to the decimated communities of Paradise, Concow and Magalia in Northern California, and the Southern California towns of Thousand Oaks and Malibu.
Our Partner Relations and Service Support Teams immediately started calling more than 530 insureds to see if they were okay, how they might be impacted, and help them if they needed to start a claim or required other support. Our employees talked to or left messages for more than 300 people.
The response was overwhelmingly positive, with many thanking California Casualty for reaching out and expressing concern for their safety. “You are even better than I thought you were,” said one policyholder, who was extremely grateful for the call. “Your call means more than words can say,” said another.
“The magnitude of the destruction, and knowing so many people were suffering, made this calling effort a lot more emotional than previous ones that we have done,” said Customer Support team member Karen.
Ruth, another Customer Support employee, said the calls were heart-wrenching at times. One insured told Ruth that she and a neighbor had barely escaped the flames, and they feared they might not make it out alive. She was beyond grateful that we called to offer compassion and caring. Ruth was able to email the customer her policy numbers and claims contact number, as well as information about how to contact the Red Cross and FEMA for additional assistance.
And Lorelei, a member of our Partner Relations team, said the calling effort made her proud to work for a company that takes the time to reach out to customers. While the magnitude of the disaster was overwhelming at times, she says one call to a retired California teacher was “life changing.”
He was in the hospital when the Woolsey fire broke out. His wife was rescued by first responders as their house was consumed by flames, but he had not been able to contact her.
“This was more than just an insurance call, it was a real connection. He needed someone to listen to him and be there for him,” Lorelei said. “He was obviously distressed, but I felt really good knowing what our company stands for and that we cared for him and his wife’s well-being. Just talking and listening to him made a difference, and he thanked me so much for doing that.”
Northern California Field Marketing Manager Christy leapt into action on the ground, meeting with insureds and bringing water, snacks and other necessities for evacuees and first responders to various locations around fire-stricken Butte County.
California Casualty Field Claims adjusters are now meeting with the hundreds of customers affected by the fires. As in past disasters, they are working with insureds to make sure their immediate needs are met, while helping them begin the long process to recovery. California Casualty will do everything in our power to lift up our customers during this devastating period in their lives.
California Casualty is there for our insureds in their greatest time of need. The people who commit to make a difference for our communities deserve financial protection with the highest levels of care, service, compassion, and understanding…which is why we exist.
As one of our adjusters said, “I think we are going to make you proud.”
This Behind the Scenes has a different angle than in previous issues. Instead of highlighting what we do, we want to take a moment to show you an inspiring project that highlights what you do.
Like you, we worry that our young drivers are not 100 percent focused when behind the wheel. Even with all the information about how dangerous it can be, younger, inexperienced drivers are still the most likely group to be involved in a 