Company: ICW Group, San Diego, CA
Company Description: ICW Group Insurance Companies is the largest privately held insurance company domiciled in California. Quoting more than $3 billion annually, ICW Group represents a group of Workers’ Compensation, Assumed Reinsurance and Catastrophe insurance carriers. ICW Group is recognized nationally as an industry leader in helping policyholders achieve fewer and less costly claims. Visit ICWGroup.com.
Nomination Category: Customer Service & Call Center Awards Achievement Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Award for Innovation in Customer Service - Financial Services Industries
 Nomination Title: CX: A Journey Driven by Customers Virtual Trade Show
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the nominated achievement since July 1, 2020, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below.
- Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 197 words used.
ICW Group Insurance Companies is the largest privately held insurance company in California. Quoting more than $3 billion annually, ICW Group provides commercial property and casualty coverages, including workers’ compensation, to thousands of customers across the US. As a national, top-tier carrier, the company has distinguished itself with proactive claims handling, market- leading value-added services, and award-winning customer experience (CX) that goes above and beyond what’s expected from a workers’ compensation carrier. Its mission is to “create the best insurance experience possible for its customers,” which includes policyholders and agents who place business with the carrier. While workers’ compensation is mandatory in most states, businesses have many options when choosing a carrier. To remain competitive, value-added services offer a way to engage with policyholders and rise above the competition. The challenge is breaking through the clutter to reach an audience not expecting to interact with their carrier beyond a claim. Each year, ICW Group celebrates CX Day, a globally recognized celebration that commemorates all things CX. This year, the company wanted to engage customers about the value-added services available to help them get the most out of their policies (policyholders) and partnership with ICW Group (agents).
- Outline the nominated achievement since July 1 2020 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 245 words used.
Led by ICW Group’s CX department, the company organized a one-day virtual trade show offering live webinars, product demos, and more. Working with vendor V-Unite, ICW Group created an immersive 3D virtual trade show journey set against the backdrop of the open road. The themed event, titled “CX: A Journey Driven by Customers,” was designed to mimic the historic Route 66 and invited policyholders and agents to take a virtual ride to learn how to maximize their relationship with ICW Group. Exhibitor booths resembled food trucks, and attendees could make pit stops at the drive-in movie auditorium and roadside diners – each filled with pertinent information. The event focused on connection with the brand, engagement, education, and providing a customizable customer experience. Features included:
- 75+ live webinars and 125+ downloadable resources. Each webinar allowed time for Q&A and unanswered questions were followed up on post-event.
- Webinars and demos on free, value-added services available.
- Gamification component with prizes.
- Social Wall with a “selfie” photo booth to encourage engagement.
- Attendees could customize their experience to accommodate their busy schedules and drop in for an hour or stay all day.
To ensure attendees were getting information that was valuable to them, ICW Group used customer feedback gathered through ongoing surveys and frequently asked questions the company receives and has captured to develop the program. While attendees were pulled in with relevant topics they had asked for, the event highlighted the value-added services customers may not know about.
- Explain why the achievement you have highlighted is unique or significant. If possible compare the achievement to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
The one-of-a-kind event, not previously done by another carrier in this space, was a success. More than 1,000 customers (policyholders and agents) attended the event and stayed on the virtual trade show platform for an average of 75 minutes. ICW Group holds regular webinars on various topics, and an average webinar attracts 140 attendees – that’s more than a 600% increase in engagement over the carrier’s standard informational touchpoint.
For customers to take advantage of the free, value-added services available to them, registration is required. The carrier’s most recent endeavor to educate policyholders about these value-added services was through a series of webinars called Policyholder Perks. The virtual trade show resulted in 3x the number of registrations that resulted from Policyholder Perks for HR OnDemand (human resources advice and services offered to policyholders with their policy) and a 16% increase for Safety OnDemand (a safety learning management system with 1000s of loss control resources). Overall usage also increased for both services. Additionally, the renewal rate for attending policyholders was 5 percentage points higher than the company’s average, equating to potentially $1M in additional yearly premium. On the agent side, new agents signed up for LeadGen OnDemand (a lead-generating tool offering branded prospecting tools such as emails and direct mail pieces). The resulting registrations make this the single most successful event to date. Additionally, agents who attended the virtual trade show sent the carrier 4x more requests for policy quotes the month following the event than agents who did not.
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 246 words used.
A survey targeting agents conducted by Harvest Channel research in early 2022 found that ICW Group was a preferred carrier in California (where the carrier has its highest concentration of policyholders) when it came to providing value-added products and services. The virtual trade show was an opportunity to showcase these services and the ICW Group brand in a positive way to the agents’ clients – the carriers’ policyholders. Continuing to move the needle with the adoption of these services will prove beneficial to both ICW Group and its agent partners. The attached Welcome Guide details the event schedule and how to navigate the virtual trade show. It also summarizes what to expect during each of the live webinars so customers can get the most out of their experience. The Guide gives a comprehensive overview of everything ICW Group has to offer before ever logging in to attend a session.
Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive and highlighted a positive customer experience and increased awareness of what is offered beyond claims management. Comments are highlighted in the attached summary of feedback along with a peek at the social wall.
To view the trade show floor, post-event, use the following login information:
Username: jnorthrup@icwgroup.com
Password: 123
Log in here: https://experience.v-unite.com/#/icwgroup/cxajourneydrivenbycustomers/login
Also, view a walkthrough of the event in the attached video taken on CX Day. Notice the many themed rooms, areas to access information, and the friendly faces of ICW Group leadership scattered throughout.
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