WHO WE ARE.
Life at Travelers Podcast Ep. 5 – Workforce Solutions
Kim: Welcome, everybody, to another episode of the Life at Travelers podcast. I’m here with my friend Wes Alexander today and we are diving into Workforce Solutions. And for folks who aren’t familiar with that, we’re going to dig deep. Are you ready, Wes?
Wes: I’m so ready.
Kim: Okay, cool. So first, can you tell our listeners, you know, who you are? What’s your title? How’d you get to Travelers?
Wes: Yeah, I’m the Vice President of Workforce Solutions is my current title, but I came to Travelers about ten years ago now, initially working in employee relations (E.R.).
Kim: Oh, okay.
Wes: Right, so my background is in employee relations. And even before then, I was in employment law. But, yeah, my first job here was E.R. Now, it’s workforce solutions.
Kim: How did you go from law school, you know, being a lawyer, and now into working at Travelers and being in workforce solutions?
Wes: It’s really been a constant journey for me to try to find a job that I felt like was more conducive to my personality. So, the truth is, I got into being a lawyer because I really didn’t have a plan. I didn’t really know what it would take to be a lawyer every day. And I learned about 90 days into my law practice, once I graduated from law school, that I was in trouble.
Kim: Okay.
Wes: I never really, truly loved being a corporate lawyer. That’s what I was, kind of, a big firm law firm lawyer before becoming an in-house lawyer, which was better for me.
Kim: Yeah.
Wes: But it’s been a journey for me to really try to find something that I think really suits who I am as a person. And this most current position, I think, really does that for me.
Kim: Yup.
Wes: The, the long and short of it is, you know, when you’re a employment lawyer, which is what I was, your fiduciary duty, everything that I do, I’m responsible for making sure I protect the company.
Kim: Yes.
Wes: Right? So, it’s always a company-first mentality. When I moved into employer relations, the moniker is, you try to do what’s right for employees and what’s right for the company. So, it’s more of a balance. What I love about this job is that it truly is an “employee first,” right? So, I’ve gone all the way from company first, employee second to really, employee first. Not necessarily company second, I mean, this is a company function, but my goal is to, when you call me as an employee, to work with you in terms of your issues and really to put your interests first in terms of trying to figure out what’s best for you.
Kim: Yes.
Wes: And if that doesn’t align with what’s best for the company, we can, kind of, find ways to get there. But just my mentality, and my focus, being able to shift in terms of being, like, an employee-first resource, that’s been my, that’s been my journey and I think that’s actually why it works for me.
Kim: So, this role you have now is authentic to Wes.
Wes: It is. It truly is. I mean, I’m, I think I’m one of the, I think I’m one of the blessed people that, you know, it’s not necessarily, from my standpoint, in terms of how much money you make. It’s do I get a chance to wake up and do something that I, on some level, enjoy doing? This job has done that for me.
Kim: Yeah. And it’s being blessed, but it’s, it’s also working for it, right? You’ve come a long way, right? And you’ve been searching for this.
Wes: Absolutely. You know, a lot of internal work and just a lot of luck, to be honest, right? Being in the right place at the right time. And I think that, you know, the good thing for me is that my background in employment law, in employee relations, it really does suit and support the work that I do now, like, just being able to issue spot and just, you know, dealing with manager issues, employee issues. That’s something I’ve been doing for the last 20, almost 25 years. But being able to do it from this lens, in this capacity, that’s the part that I think suits me the most.
Kim: Yeah, definitely. So, so, before, because I have a million more questions, but before we get into that…
Wes: Sure.
Kim: …let’s talk about workforce solutions from a high level. Because, you know, we were talking before this episode, not many folks might know what that is. You know, what is that? We know the words, “employee experience,” sure.
Wes: Sure. Yeah.
Kim: But what is workforce solutions and, you know, what is your team doing on any given day?
Wes: Yeah. It really is a function that’s niche to Travelers. So, let me start with that.
Kim: Okay.
Wes: And the truth is the idea of the function, I wish I could say it was mine, but it wasn’t, it’s really Alan’s (CEO), right? I think what he was trying to ensure was that, you know, that there were places within Travelers where people can go to just make sure that they could speak authentically, truthfully and it was safe.
Kim: Yup.
Wes: The thing that I say all the time is, you know, we, my group, we don’t have a, we don’t have a monopoly on safe spaces, right? I guess, the hope is that many employees, they’re going to find their people, right? Whether it be some other employee or their manager or even their HR generalist, right? Somebody that they can talk to and speak freely and openly.
Kim: Yup.
Wes: Hey, this thing is bothering me, or this is causing me to struggle on my job or whatever the case is. Right? But I think the beauty in this is that Alan was able to, and my boss, now, Diane (CHRO), Alan and Diane Kurtzman is really, this is their brainchild. I think their thought was understanding that, while there will be people who are able to find their people and find safe spaces, we have 30,000 employees.
Kim: Right.
Wes: So, there are always going to be people who are, kind of, on the outside and they don’t know where to turn. They don’t know where to go. That is the, that is the genesis. That is the crux of our practice, right? Being able to just be this open space where you can call and the sheer fact that you call is confidential and anonymous and your issues, you know, again, with some, with some guardrails, are going to just be held with my group first, and then we can decide, kind of, where you go so that you can feel good and safe about what it is that you share. So, that’s the, the high level. I mean, we break it down into certain components. We can get into it as much as you want.
Kim: Yeah.
Wes: But at the end of the day, you know, when people ask me what I do, what I try to tell folks is that our North Star, this Workforce Solutions North Star, it’s providing safe spaces for employees, places for employees to go when they don’t know where to turn.
Kim: Yep, yep. And I’ve seen you do that, you know, personally even through, you know, we have meetings with, you know, members of HR where we talk about certain topics or a listening session with a Diversity Network, right? So, it might not be the employees coming to you, but more so, hey, we’re going to host this for you, you know, bringing it to them.
Wes: Yep.
Kim: So are there, you know, can you talk about those experiences and maybe others that I might not have mentioned?
Wes: Yeah, I kind of break them down into a few different categories. Right? So, the first category really is designed to be this open space. Literally any employee at any level can reach out to myself or the Workforce Solutions team.
Kim: Small but mighty.
Wes: Small but mighty. But you can reach out to us, get on our calendar, and in those conversations, we can consult, we can coach or we can just listen. So, that’s, kind of, one big bucket.
Kim: Yep.
Wes: The second big bucket is this idea of what we call sensing sessions, which is some leader, some topline leader will say, hey, you know, I have questions about how people are experiencing, you know, my organization.
Kim: Yeah.
Wes: It doesn’t have to be, by the way, like, a trouble situation. Sometimes it’s, you know, we’re coming in because there’s noise, but other times it’s just we’ve made changes or we’re restructuring or we’re, you know, establishing a new business process and I want to see how my people are really, you know, feeling about this. Can you, Workforce Solutions, come in, put people in rooms or maybe even have one-on-one conversations and really get underneath, like, how is your job really? How do you feel about this change, really? Because the truth is we’re just people, right? And while I think most of our leaders, when they really do ask, they’ll say, you know, we’re changing this thing. Kim, let me know how this feels to you.
Kim: Yes.
Wes: And you may be the employee who’s, like, totally comfortable raising your hand in 3GS (Auditorium) and saying, you know what, senior leader? I don’t like this. Right? And by the way, bless those people. Right? Those are important people. And, and I believe we do try to encourage that. And I think many employees will feel comfortable doing that, but we’re people, right? So, some employees will hear that question and look around and, you know, their boss is in the room, or maybe their boss’s boss is the one that’s on stage.
Kim: And it doesn’t feel like the place.
Wes: They sit on their hands.
Kim: Yeah.
Wes: Right? And then they go outside and they find somebody they trust and say, why are we doing this?
Kim: Yeah.
Wes: Right? Like that’s most people, right? And, and, and what we want to do is, for those folks who aren’t sure where can I go for, for truly explaining how I feel about this business change? The sensing session is designed to provide that space for you, put it in the aggregate, keep you safe, and then roll it back to your leader and say, hey, here are the three or four things that your people really think about this change.
Kim: Yes.
Wes: So, that’s another big bucket. The last, kind of, big bucket that I’ll mention is what you were talking about. This idea of hosting conversations, safe spaces for employees to talk about things that we generally don’t talk about at work.
Kim: Right.
Wes: I think it’s really important for me to say out loud, like, you know, this isn’t just a free for all, and these are always voluntary and are always structured. We have a set of ground rules.
Kim: Oh, yeah.
Wes: Like, we’re really adamant on adhering to in terms of making sure that people, instead of just getting on some call and espousing wild opinions or just giving their, you know, theories on the world, instead, what we really, what’s important for us to gather is, what’s your experience? What have you seen, what have you gone through…
Kim: Those “I” statements.
Wes: “I” statements, leading with an “I” statement and ensuring that, you know, when you speak your truth, there’s nothing to argue about. Your truth is your truth.
Kim: That’s right.
Wes: So, we can’t get into a back-and-forth conversation about what happened to Kim, because what happened to you is what happened to you.
Kim: Right.
Wes: Instead, we use that to draw connections. Maybe I can build something, I can take something that you’ve experienced and put it into my life.
Kim: Yes.
Wes: Right? That sort of thing. And we get closer and more connected because we learn more about one another as people and I am a firm believer that the better we know each other as people, the better we’re going to ultimately produce business outcomes, which is what this is all about.
Kim: That’s right. Well, it builds community. It shows you that people share your experiences…
Wes: That’s right.
Kim: …that you might not know about.
Wes: Right, or not. Right? It’s like, oh my gosh, I didn’t even know.
Kim: Well, that’s stimulating self-reflection.
Wes: Right.
Kim: Yeah.
Wes: Why haven’t I experienced that or how would I handle that or what can I take from this?
Kim: Absolutely.
Wes: That’s, that’s a lot of the work, too. So, those are, kind of, like, the main, main buckets of providing safe spaces.
Kim: Right. It’s important work. And Wes, what do you think it is about you said this is, you know, niche to Travelers.
Wes: Yeah.
Kim: What makes Travelers different in this space?
Wes: I think it’s our commitment to our culture.
Kim: Yeah.
Wes: If you have heard Alan talk through what’s important to him, what’s important to us and not just him, what is historically, traditionally been important to Travelers in terms of putting the place first and being invested in everybody else’s success and really, truly being collaborative and really thinking what’s best for the place long term. Those are the components, right?
Kim: Yep.
Wes: And when you take the work that we do, it hits on all those things.
Kim: That’s right.
Wes: Right? Whether it’s, you know, hey, here’s an opportunity to put the place first because we are going to allow for employees through focus groups to really express their experiences and, and tell their leaders how they feel in a candid way, right? And here’s a leader putting the place first, for example, and saying, you know what, this may not feel good to get this feedback, right? Like, I don’t know exactly what these employees are going to say when I allow Wes and his team to come in and lift up the hood, but I am going to put my self-interest below the interest of the place in that I really want to know what is best for the place.
Kim: Yes.
Wes: Like, that’s what I think makes Travelers want to have a group like this. I think this is what connects to our culture and the fact that our culture is really important, and I think that’s why Alan has allowed for this and wanted this…
Kim: Yeah.
Wes: …because I think, and again, I don’t want to speak for the man, but I think if he were here, what he would tell you is that our culture is one of our competitive advantages.
Kim: Yeah.
Wes: Right? We sell insurance.
Kim: Yeah.
Wes: Just like the other places that sell state and federally mandated, like, insurance. Right? This is a product that has government regulations so you can only do but so much. So, what’s going to make us different?
Kim: What’s inside the walls?
Wes: I think it’s our culture.
Kim: Yeah. And, and your daily role is, you’re embedded in the culture just based on the work you do.
Wes: Yeah.
Kim: How do you personally experience the culture outside of your day-to-day? What are what else are you involved in?
Wes: Yeah, I think for me, how I personally experience the culture is a couple of ways. One, I’m involved in the Diversity Networks. I enjoy the work that we do just in terms of showing up for those cultural events, learning those experiences, getting to learn the experiences of others. I’m here for all of that. You know, I also like to, just on behalf of the organization, you know, I participate in a couple of different, kind of, outside, one’s, a nonprofit. It’s the Urban League of Greater Hartford, and I participate on behalf of Travelers and I love to be able to do that because it’s a community organization designed to improve the local community in which we sit.
Kim: Yes.
Wes: I sit on the Governor’s Workforce Council, again on behalf of Travelers, to try and push initiatives that, from a statewide perspective, are trying to get people at work and figuring out how Travelers can be a part of that.
Kim: Right.
Wes: Right? So, you know, I do that, I think, because as I’ve now continued to be here, I think it’s important for me to also show our connection to our community, because we’re such a big employer here.
Kim: Yeah.
Wes: And people hear that I work at Travelers or hear that, you know, I have a connection to Travelers, and they want to hear more about what it is that we do and how we’re investing in Hartford. So, yeah, I try to do that because I think, again, I think it’s important for us to be connected.
Kim: Yup. Definitely. So, at the beginning of the conversation, we were talking about how you moved from a role that didn’t feel as authentic to you…
Wes: Yeah.
Kim: …and into this role now. Would you change anything about your journey?
Wes: No, not one thing, because each experience builds on, and then allowed me, to get to this point. So, no. It was tough, and there were some moments where, I’m going to tell you, I really disliked getting up in the morning and going to work, right? Like, just knowing you’re in the wrong job?
Kim: Yeah.
Wes: For me there was nothing worse, right? It had an impact on how I showed up in other places, too, at home with my kids, with my wife. So, no, it was, it was, it was necessary, I think, to be able to that now be, like, comfortable and credible and having those experiences in employer relations and as an employment lawyer, I think it really does lend and assist me as I do this job. So, it was needed. It was just my journey, you know, and it just kind of worked out this way for me, but also I was intentional about it, too, like, I was honest with myself about, hey, you know, I’m doing this and I’m trying to feed my family, but I don’t love this so I got to keep trying to move towards something that feels better for me.
Kim: That’s right. And I ask all my guests this.
Wes: Yeah.
Kim: If you were talking to somebody who’s interested in working at Travelers, what would you tell them?
Wes: I would tell them that Travelers, I think success at Travelers is really, a two-part formula.
Kim: Okay.
Wes: I’ve said this all the time. Number one, whatever it is that you are asked to do from a perform standpoint, whatever that thing is that makes you a subject matter expert, right, and all the things that we do here, you got to be great at that. Right? Because we are a perform culture. You have to get your job done. It is table stakes for you to come in here and be nice at what you do. I think that’s number one.
Kim: Okay.
Wes: I think the second piece of the Travelers formula is that you have to be committed and willing, if you are looking to get more, to put yourself out there and build relationships because I think our culture matters. I think we’re a relationship culture, and I think it does impact how people speak about you when you’re not in rooms, in terms of how you show up. Right? Are you willing to bring answers to the table, are you, you know, making connections with people, maybe outside of just the normal people that you work with? Or even just the people that you work with. Are you invested in learning who they are? I think that this is, and I don’t mean this as like a negative or a pejorative, but this is not my first rodeo, right? I’ve been in a lot of different corporate spaces. Travelers is the most relational place I’ve ever worked. And I don’t, you know, I don’t say that’s good or bad. I just say it is. Right? So, to me, I want to give as many people, like, what I think is, the answer to the test as possible. Like, the formula. Be super good at what you do, plus make relationships, equals success here. I just, I’ve seen it now too many times…
Kim: Yeah.
Wes: …right, to not believe that that is the formula. So, that’s what I would say to anybody. Like that, to me, is, that’s how, that’s how you move through this place.
Kim: Yep.
Wes: Kill your job, meet, invest and, and, take the time to build relationships with people.
Kim: Yep. Yep. Now, Wes, I feel like you brought an energy to this episode. It’s just a feeling I have. You might have heard that before.
Wes: Yeah, yeah, I can’t help it.
Kim: I feel like people will hear this, and they might want to connect with you to learn more about Travelers.
Wes: Yeah.
Kim: So, if folks, because we’re going to post this out on social media, if we tag you…
Wes: Please.
Kim: Awesome. Well, thank you not only for being here Wes, but also, just for the work you do because it is so important, you know? And I know you feel blessed and a little bit lucky and that sort of thing, but, you know, you, you bring so much to the company and it’s very much appreciated.
Wes: No, I appreciate it. I say this all the time. This only happens because our leaders allow it to happen. I mean, when you think about exactly everything I just said, this only happens if I have the support of the most senior leaders in this organization for the work that we do. If they think it’s important, if they’re going to, like, push their people to utilize this, right? So, you know, I’m just I am thankful, but I’m only, you know, right, I realize that I’m only as good as the invitation. Right? So, you know, as much as I can really impress upon you all that this is, this is our leaders’ doing and them just allowing us to have this space to do it, knowing that this is niche, knowing that this is something that doesn’t happen in other places, again, I think it speaks to how special our culture is.
Kim: Awesome. Well, thank you, Wes, and thank you to our listeners. Thanks for joining us once again and we’ll be back very soon with another episode for you. Until then, take care.
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WHO WE ARE.
Travelers Recognized with CIO 100 Award for AI-Driven Innovation
Travelers has been named a recipient of the CIO 100 2025 Award for our cutting-edge New Business Submission Automation in Bond & Specialty Insurance. This AI-powered solution accelerates new business registration, enhancing both employee efficiency and the customer experience.
This marks the second national recognition for the innovation, following last year’s Gartner Eye on Innovation Award. The achievement underscores Travelers’ ongoing commitment to leveraging technology to drive business impact.
New Business Submission Automation uses automatic data collection to significantly accelerate the registration process. Speed is critical in our industry, as quote turnaround time plays a considerable factor in customer and agency satisfaction.
New Business Submission Automation has far-reaching implications beyond B&SI. Created with the future in mind, this flexible model is being adapted by other businesses to increase process efficiency and data accuracy across the enterprise.
This is Travelers’ third CIO 100 Award within the past five years, following our wins in 2021 for digitizing customer service capabilities and in 2020 for our Wildlife Loss Detector, which also earned a Gartner Eye on Innovation Award.
The CIO 100 Awards celebrate organizations that use technology in innovative ways to deliver business value by creating competitive advantage, optimizing business processes, enabling growth or improving relationships with customers.
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WHO WE ARE.
Courage, Resilience and Discipline—Adapting to the Civilian Workforce
Lisa Kopitzke values the skills and experiences she gained in the military and the meaningful career she’s built at Travelers. As a U.S. Army Medic, she sharpened her courage, resilience, and discipline — strengths that have guided her through 15 years at Travelers. Now a Lead at the Advanced Analytics Information Technology Center of Excellence, Lisa is proof that the skills gained in the military can translate into a thriving career in insurance.
As an Army Medic, Lisa was stationed in Augsburg, Germany and Fort Hood, Texas. In Germany, Lisa said she was privileged to help soldiers, their families and military retirees at a local medical clinic. Her time as a medic not only gave her technical skills but also shaped her mindset, which carries into her work today.
“In the active military, I was in the medical field. And there isn’t a day at Travelers that goes by that I don’t draw upon that skill set of helping others and growing in my servant leadership skills,” she said.
Throughout her career at Travelers, she has held several key positions, including Sr. Architect and Risk and Security Officer. She also serves on the Technology and Analytics Training Advisory Board. In her current role as Director of the Advanced Analytics Information Technology Center of Excellence, Lisa leads multiple employee working groups focused on enhancing the value of software and strengthening support within the analytics community. She attributes “connecting with such great colleagues” as something she likes best about working at Travelers.
Lisa’s servant leadership was also evident when she provided assistance to hurricane victims in 2017. Team Rubicon was seeking veterans, medical personnel and civilians to provide boots-on-the-ground support, and she was prepared to answer the call. Since that experience, Lisa has continued to volunteer with various youth organizations in the community, such as scouting, coding, and robotics programs.
Throughout her experience at Travelers, Lisa has found her own support through the Military/Veterans & Allies Diversity Network (MVADN). Through this diversity network, our military professionals and allies can connect, celebrate service, share insights on transitioning to civilian roles and support those navigating deployments. “I’m also proud to be a member of our MVADN and can feel the immense backing of such a large, caring community.”
Lisa’s military experience, volunteer efforts and work at Travelers show that military veterans can build meaningful careers in insurance. “As a large company, Travelers excels in guiding with warmth, leading with respect, and cultivating a culture of thoughtful collaboration. It’s a place to thrive.”
Fifteen years ago, when Lisa came to Travelers she said, she was “thrilled to be recruited by such a supportive team that acknowledges the discipline and focus that she cultivated in the military.”
With her experience in mind, she offers this advice to anyone in the military considering a transition to Travelers or the civilian workforce: “People are people wherever you go. The main difference is in how we communicate and what we expect from others. Be adaptable and you’ll find your footing.”
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WHO WE ARE.
A Commitment to Customer Service Series: Spotlight on Travelers In-Synch Service Award Honorees
Travelers is committed to being there for our customers and agents when they need us most. Fulfilling this promise begins with the dedication of our front-line, customer-facing Claim and Operations professionals, whose efforts are recognized through the In-Synch Service Award program.
Launched in 2006, the award honors those from Claim, Billing, Personal Insurance (PI) and Business Insurance Customer Service, Premium Audit and PI Underwriting who demonstrate high-quality service, timeliness, innovative problem-solving, and, most importantly, a commitment to consistently meeting the needs of our customers, agents and brokers.
In 2023, more than 100 employees from the U.S. and Canada were recognized with an In-Synch Service Award. Below we highlight three more outstanding recipients.
Shenika Douglas
Premium Audit
Business Insurance Premium Auditor Shenika goes the extra mile on each audit and puts the customer first by listening, taking ownership to find solutions and delivering the Travelers Promise in every interaction. We consistently receive compliments from business customers about Shenika, highlighting her dedication and above-and-beyond service as exceptional and the reason they stay with Travelers.
Q&A with Shenika
Tell us about your Travelers career journey.
I started in Claim Operations handling Notice of Loss for workers’ compensation. As my skills developed, I became a Notice of Loss coordinator and volunteered for catastrophe calls. Afterward, I transitioned to National Accounts as an Account Manager to learn about class codes, which prepared me to become a Premium Auditor. I started as an Associate Premium Auditor in 2018 and quickly obtained my Associate in Premium Audit® 91 and 92 designations. I am now a Senior Premium Auditor. Through my six years in Premium Audit, I’ve consistently ranked among the top auditors at Travelers.
What is most meaningful about your work?
Helping our insureds navigate the insurance world, especially the intricacies of workers compensation policies. Insurance can be complex to learn, so I am always honored to be of assistance.
If you could go back to when you started at Travelers, what is one piece of advice you would give your younger self?
I’d tell myself to learn about joining Premium Audit sooner. It has been the best career move of my over a decade at Travelers – and my entire life.
What motivates you?
Helping others and being able to put a smile on their face.
Lisa Erb
Canada Operations
Lisa was an In-Synch Award Honoree a few years ago and it’s no surprise she was recognized again. With the highest customer experience scores across Travelers Canada Customer Service, brokers and customers rave about Lisa. They say she consistently exceeds expectations, is caring and helpful, and a true pleasure to work with. Additionally, Lisa willingly shares her knowledge with her peers and is known as a beacon within her department for her ability to help those around her.
Q&A with Lisa
Tell us about your Travelers career journey.
My Travelers journey began in June 1987, when I was a temporary summer worker in the mailroom. I was hired full time in August of the same year, and I have now worked in many different departments at Travelers, such as accounting, operations, clerical and customer service. I transitioned to a Specialized Insurance Service Representative in 2022.
What is most meaningful about your work?
Being able to positively impact anyone that I cross paths with is the most meaningful part of my job. Whether it’s a colleague, broker or customer, I love helping people resolve their needs. It brings me great gratification to be able to assist others.
If you could go back to when you started at Travelers, what is one piece of advice you would give your younger self?
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Learning takes time and we will all make mistakes, but always remember that those mistakes help us develop.
What motivates you?
My children motivate me to always strive to be the best role model.
Danny Miller
Personal Insurance Operations
From endorsements to underwriting approvals and everything in between, Danny approaches each interaction as an opportunity to be the best at helping people protect what matters most. He consistently demonstrates empathy, is solution-oriented and follows up with clear communication. His motivation is, in his words, simple: “doing whatever I can to make it right.”
Q&A with Danny
Tell us about your Travelers career journey.
I started at Travelers in 2010 working in National Telesales. I previously worked in retail management, so I had strong sales and management skills, but zero insurance knowledge. My leaders listened – and assisted me in developing my career. After a few years, I moved to the Coverage Specialist Team before starting my current position in Underwriting in 2018.
What is most meaningful about your work?
Maintaining profitable business for Travelers while simultaneously building positive relationships with our agents.
If you could go back to when you started at Travelers, what is one piece of advice you would give your younger self?
Never doubt yourself. Believe in yourself and your skillset.
What motivates you?
Performing my job to the best of my abilities and the satisfaction I get from helping others grow within their roles.
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New Business Submission Automation Nets Fourth Gartner Eye on Innovation Award
Travelers won its fourth (and third consecutive) Gartner Eye on Innovation Award in 2024 for its New Business Submission Automation tool developed by Bond & Specialty Insurance and Technology employees. This AI-powered solution significantly reduces the time it takes to register new business submissions – from two hours to two minutes – increasing our opportunity to win more business and to deliver on the Travelers Promise to take care of our customers, communities and each other.
The previous process for registering new business submissions was manual and time-consuming, relying primarily on email exchanges along with manual data extraction and input. But speed is critical in the insurance industry: Surveys show that quote turnaround time is among the most important factors in business placement and agency satisfaction.
The New Business Submission Automation solution, powered by Amazon Web Services, expedites the process by first extracting critical data from email submissions and predicting other key data. This information is then prioritized based on AI outputs and integrated with both third-party and proprietary Travelers data products, offering end-to-end processing that significantly outperforms vendors’ single-use cases.
This tool was built with scalability and flexibility in mind, with an eye toward broad use cases. In addition to Bond & Specialty Insurance, we’ve expanded its use to Canada Business Insurance, which follows a similar process for collecting and inputting submission data. As additional businesses adopt the model, improvements can be plugged into the pipeline.
Travelers’ success in innovation is driven by the expertise and collaboration of our people. The development of the New Business Submission Automation tool is a testament to the talent and forward-thinking mindset of our employees. By leveraging AI and automation, they’ve not only streamlined critical processes but also created opportunities for professional growth and cross-functional teamwork. As we continue to enhance this technology and expand its impact, our employees remain at the center—applying their skills to solve complex challenges and shape the future of insurance.
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Together We Thrive: Disaster Preparedness & Response
When disaster strikes, thousands turn to their insurance providers for support. At Travelers, an effective and sustainable response is critical when it comes to helping our customers and ensuring mutual, long-term success. We take a holistic approach to managing Travelers’ exposure to disasters, helping our customers prepare for, respond to and recover from catastrophic events.
Chris Day, Assistant Vice President of Catastrophe Response, has been with Travelers for 25 years, and his work is integral to helping ensure the safety of both our customers and employees. In his role, Chris works with many groups to support our catastrophe (CAT) response efforts before, during and after an event. “Some of my responsibilities include daily weather analysis and coordination of the business resiliency components of our CAT response. I also manage our Mobile Claim Office fleet and our vendors, and I oversee the mapping and geospatial visualization capabilities for our responses,” Chris said.
Innovative technology plays a crucial role in the speed and accuracy of our CAT response. “This includes analytical and geospatial capabilities, such as imagery analytics, which help us compare locations before and after a loss to better assess damage and tailor our deployment strategy,” Chris explained. “Ground-level technologies further improve efficiency by integrating photos with estimating software to expedite claims processing.”
According to Chris, another innovative example of how Travelers supports our customers during a disaster is through our recent SaveMyRideSM program. This program was a winning idea at Travelers’ Innovation Jam (InJam), and it’s simple: During hurricanes and tropical storms, we offer our policyholders in flood-prone areas free parking in an above-ground parking facility. Damage to vehicles during storms can be a big problem, so providing these customers with a safe place to store their vehicles can help them potentially avoid an auto claim. Our SaveMyRide program is a great example of how we’re innovating to better serve our customers and help ensure the company’s long-term success.
While Chris’ team focuses on disaster preparedness and response efforts, Chris emphasized that every employee plays a role in delivering on the Travelers Promise to take care of our customers, our communities and each other. “People may not always think about their role as being significant in creating sustained value, but it’s important for all employees to understand that doing their work well and with purpose helps contribute to the greater good,” Chris said. “Wherever you sit – behind the scenes or on the front lines – when you’re delivering on your work, you’re delivering on the promise we make to be there for our customers, as well as our communities and each other.”
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Life at Travelers Podcast Ep.4 – Community and Volunteerism at Travelers
Kim: Welcome, everybody, to the Life at Travelers podcast. Another great episode for you here. Today, we are diving into community. And so, I have a couple of guests here with me today, Rita Ortiz and Lisa Cameron. Here to talk all things community and volunteerism and philanthropy here at Travelers. So, I’ll kick it over to both of you. Do you want to introduce yourself and tell us what you do here?
Rita: Want me to go first, Lisa?
Lisa: Yes, sure.
Rita: Alright. So, I serve as Senior Director in Community Relations for the Travelers Company and Assistant Vice President of the Travelers Foundation. I help to manage the company’s giving portfolio in Minnesota and I’m also responsible for the management of Community Connections employee field office grants, which support volunteerism in the field, matching and volunteer rewards, which we’ll talk about in a little bit, and I also serve as a consultant for our international offices.
Kim: So, you’re bored, really.
Rita: A little bit. Yeah.
Kim: Excellent, Rita. No, that’s amazing. Thank you. And Lisa?
Lisa: Yes, I’m Lisa Cameron. I am the Vice President of Enterprise Billing and Receivables Management, which is a very fancy way of saying I lead the team that collects almost all of the money that runs through Travelers.
Kim: Gotcha. Excellent. Well, thank you both for being here. I’m super excited to get into this today. So, Rita, I’ll start with you. Can you share some insights into the Travelers approach to philanthropy?
Rita: Absolutely. So, Travelers believes that strong communities are sustained by educational and economic opportunities, and we’re dedicated to assisting our communities in actually generating those opportunities. We focus on inclusion, and we target our giving and our volunteerism to help advance academic and career success, develop thriving neighborhoods and create culturally enriched communities.
Kim: That’s great. Okay. And can you tell us a little bit about your team, the Community Relations team here at Travelers and, kind of, some of your strategic tactics that you use?
Rita: Sure. So, we have a great team. We consist of seven members. Marlene Ibsen is our leader. She serves as the CEO and President of the Travelers Foundation, and Vice President of Community Relations. Then, we have our operations team, which is led by Tara Spain and Kelly Fournier and Kim Tallard, and their additional efforts include post-secondary education and attainment, which includes our Travelers EDGE® program, Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment, which I’ll talk about a little bit later, our small business support programs and the culturally enriched initiatives such as Art Speaks. And Roxanne Ringuette serves as manager for our national and local employee involvement programs and other efforts. And Erin Haberman leads our Hartford partnerships and our disaster relief, resilience and response efforts, which include a focus on affordable housing, and our Travelers fortified communities initiatives.
We’re driven by our strategic pillars, which include business alignment. We’re always working to align to the business. We have signature programs, which also connect back to the business. We provide thought leadership in different arenas such as attending conferences. We promote inclusion and aligning with ED&I’s [Enterprise Diversity & Inclusion] efforts. And we’re always working to drive impact relating back to the company, maybe tying back to the brand as we have employees going out to volunteer. They have the Travelers branded T-shirts on. So, we’re showing our good efforts there. And lastly, our business integration strategy. Our team serves as liaisons and consultants to all Travelers business lines and the Diversity Networks.
Kim:
Wow. Amazing. And just seven of you are doing all of that.
Rita: Yes.
Kim: It’s wonderful work and thank you for sharing that. And you mentioned matching gifts, volunteer awards program.
Rita: Yes.
Kim: What does that entail?
Rita: Sure. So, we help amplify our employees’ generosity with matching gifts and volunteer rewards. So, from 2014 to 2023, we matched our employees’ gift of time and treasure with $21 million. That is nothing to…
Lisa: Amazing.
Kim: Yeah.
Rita: …laugh at. Our program offers an annual cash match of up to $500 per employee for donations made through our online portal. And employees are also eligible to earn volunteer rewards at a rate of $20 per hour logged, which then they can designate to eligible charities in our system, and employees can earn up to $1,000 annually. So that’s $1,500 that employees have in benefits to support organizations that they care about.
Kim: Yup, I know, I can say, personally, I’ve logged my hours in years past. I know we talked before the podcast episode, I have to do mine for this year.
Rita: Yes, please.
Kim: And yeah, I’ve been able to get those rewards back and give them to charities, I mean, I get to hand select the ones that mean so much to me and it feels really impactful. You know, it feels like the work we do matters. So, I love that we have that.
And, Lisa, I want to talk with you a bit about your volunteering experience. I know that you have a plethora and I know you’re logging your hours, too, right?
Lisa: Yes. Although, I am a little behind this year, so I will get it done before the end of the year.
Kim: We have to-do’s, Rita. Lisa and I have takeaways.
Rita: You have to do this. Our goal this year is 120,000 volunteer hours and we’re almost there.
Kim: Amazing.
Rita: So, please, ladies.
Kim: You got it.
Lisa: I have it on my calendar to do it before the end of the year, I promise.
Kim: So, Lisa, tell me about your volunteering experience.
Lisa: Sure. So, I am a lifelong volunteer. I started out young in life doing service projects and it carried into my adult life. And I try to do things that are meaningful to me, personally, and also can tie into my own life. So, some of the things that I’m focused on right now, I’m on the board of my daughter’s Montessori school because she’s important to me and I want to give back in that way…
Kim: Definitely.
Lisa: …but I also focus in the greater Hartford area, primarily on food and shelter stability. And so, I’ve been on the board of one charity in particular, Hands on Hartford, which that is their core mission. They help individuals that are experiencing homelessness either find housing or give them supported services. They also help feed families through their food pantry and other services and also help feed the community in a dignified way through their “pay what you can” contribution-based restaurant. So, I’ve been on their board for nine years and that definitely helps fill my cup as well.
Kim: Oh, thank you for sharing that. And I’m curious through your experiences and Rita you as well, you know, any interesting volunteering stories, you know, experiences of giving back that have touched you, touched the people you’ve served? I’m curious.
Lisa: So, I would say, you know, as I do my work with Hands on Hartford, sometimes I get to come face-to-face with the clients that we’re serving, and sometimes it’s conceptual. And so, one evening I was at a fundraiser at Hands on Hartford’s office over in Parkville area, and coming out of there, I saw someone on a street corner who appeared to be experiencing homelessness. It may have been temporary, I’m not sure. Very young man. And he had a sign up that he was hungry. And while I don’t personally feel good handing money out of my car window, I did realize that I had not eaten my lunch that day and so, I had an apple and a protein bar and some other snacks in the car. So, I rolled down the window and I went to hand them to the young man, and before he even had his hand out of the window, the apple was already in his mouth. And it was so impactful to me to see firsthand someone experiencing that, and also know that I could do something very small to help them. But then, I also educated him about Hands on Hartford, which was less than a half a mile away, and let him know that that was there as a resource for him and that he should potentially connect with them and see what they could do to support him. So, it just really reinforced “the why” for me and put it in a very real and tangible way for me.
Kim: Of course. That apple for him will probably translate into a much bigger thing. So, thank you for sharing. Rita?
Rita: Yeah. I can think of many examples but the one that comes to mind is through our Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment program, EDGE, that I mentioned earlier. It’s our education signature program where we’re supporting students in a variety of ways – introducing them to insurance and financial services, especially at Travelers, and supporting them with scholarships and, hopefully, internships. And we’ve had a number, hundreds of students go through the program and some come to work at Travelers, ultimately. We’ve had some of those students that have, in turn, now become mentors for the next generation of Travelers EDGE scholars coming through the program. And I think that just says a lot.
Kim: Yeah, it’s a continuous loop, almost.
Rita: Giving back.
Kim: And now I know we are talking a lot about employees volunteering, right? And so, when folks are potentially interested in coming to work for a company, apply for a position, you know, with Travelers, for example, right? They want to volunteer, but they’re wondering, am I using sick time for that? Am I using, you know, PTO or… How does that work where folks want to volunteer, they want to take some time off of work to go do that. What is the Travelers policy?
Rita: Yeah. So, we definitely believe that volunteering, or even serving in a civic capacity, offers opportunities for professional growth. And we believe that it can also provide opportunities for team building. Right, Lisa? Like, we’ve had a lot of teams come together and do things, even internally, at Travelers. A great way to build teamworking and networking and some bonding. So, our policy suggests that employees must seek approval from management, from their managers in advance, if they require time off from work to participate in activities, for both volunteering and civic service. And it’s primarily for company-designated opportunities. So, it’s pretty flexible, I would say.
Lisa: Yes, for sure.
Kim: That’s great. Yeah, I know on my team, we do, we try to do multiple times a year, we all get together, right? Because we’re all in different states. And, oftentimes, you know, my leadership will say… I’ve worked with you, Rita, oftentimes about, you know, we want to do something all together. We want to go out in the community while we’re all together and do something outside, get out of the office. And it’s true, the team building aspect is huge. We have some of our best memories from those times together. Times of laughing, right? And times of being very touched and impacted. It’s so important and I can say, you know, as an employee at Travelers, I so appreciate that flexibility. It’s so important.
Rita: It’s been great working with you and creating some of those opportunities with your team.
Kim: Yeah. No, it’s been really fun and I look forward to the years to come, you know.
So, thinking about candidates, right? Thinking about Travelers as a potential employer, still keeping that lens, what would you tell somebody who might be interested in working at Travelers? It’s a question I always ask my guests because I’m so curious, from your different perspectives, what would you tell somebody? Either one of you.
Lisa: So, I’m a newbie here. I’ve been here just over four years. A newbie in the terms of Travelers tenure. And I will say, it was very refreshing to come into a company that was similar-minded to me as far as my approach to philanthropy and giving back to the community. It was just so refreshing to know that I did have that ability to serve on boards or take my team out and do an activity. So here, I would say, it’s a place that values that and creates those opportunities throughout the year and it’s just a wonderful thing to experience.
Rita: Yeah, it’s so cool to share that, last year, Travelers, teams hosted more than 300 events and fundraisers out of Travelers’ Community Connections platform, it’s our internal platform, and that’s compared to 156 in 2022, which is a 96% year-over-year increase. That’s quite an accomplishment. And I know that this year we topped that number even more. So, we haven’t finalized those numbers, but there’s no doubt in my mind. And again, last year, we logged 103,000 hours and we’re approaching 120,000 hours.
Kim: Wow.
Lisa: Amazing.
Rita: I’m just blown away. You know, before COVID, and we always talk about COVID, in conversation COVID always comes up.
Kim: I know.
Rita: We were well above approaching 150. So, the fact that we’re back to 120, I think, says a lot about our culture.
Kim: Yeah. Excellent. Thank you for doing that. And yeah, it’s embedded in the culture. You can feel it. You know, it’s not just, oh I, you know, I go home in my normal life and I do my volunteering as an individual. No, I’m in Diversity Networks and we’re volunteering together. I’m in my own business unit and we’re volunteering together. I’m a Leadership Development Program participant and we’re doing it. You know, it’s embedded in the culture. You can feel it. And so, I’m not shocked we’re bouncing back. It’s great to hear as far as the number of hours.
We’ve talked about a lot today, but I’m wondering if there’s anything we haven’t touched on that’s important to, that either of you would want to circle back to.
Lisa: So, I would just say, if you’re someone that maybe hasn’t made the time to volunteer yet or you’ve been thinking about volunteering, you should absolutely do it. Find something that is meaningful to you that hits close to home or warms your heart and do it. Because, even though it feels like you’re giving as part of that volunteer process, you’re actually going to receive far more than you give and it is the most rewarding thing that you could possibly do.
Rita: Yeah, Lisa, I couldn’t agree more. I think, volunteering also helps to build some skill sets that you might be looking maybe to, that next job promotion within Travelers. Go out and find a nonprofit that could help you build that skill set.
Lisa: I would agree with that 100%, because early in my career, I had a significant fear of public speaking, I didn’t have an opportunity to manage people right away, and I didn’t really work on projects that often. And through my volunteer work, I was able to get some of those skills and work towards overcoming my fear of public speaking. Although, it’s always a little bit of a work in progress, I feel a lot more comfortable now than I did back then.
Kim: Yeah. No, you seem like a natural in front of the mic.
Rita: Absolutely.
Kim: I would say, too, thinking about it while we’re talking, and it’s growing your network and connections, too, right? I, and right, here comes the pandemic again. But during the pandemic, I had signed up for delivering groceries to an elderly couple and, I think we were months into this going on, and I ended up finding out that the woman was a Travelers retiree. And it was this really, you know, spur of the moment, you know, spontaneous thing that I got connected with them. They ended up being in my Travelers community and now I get Christmas cards, birthday cards from them, you know, it created a real friendship. And, yeah, like you said, Lisa, you get back what you give and more. So, I would echo both what you’re saying. It brings a lot. It brings a lot, too.
Well, thank you both so much for being here. This was really fun.
Lisa: Yes. Thank you for having us.
Rita: Thank you so much.
Kim: It’s such an important topic. And, like Rita said, if you want to learn more about our community involvement, you can check out our website and thank you for listening, as always, and we’ll be back, very soon, with another episode. Take care.
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Steve Shiring’s Journey: From the Military to an Insurance Career at Travelers
Steve Shiring, VP of Personal Insurance, Product Management, is also a U.S. Navy veteran. His inspiring military career helped him to acquire many skills which helped him pivot to and sustain a 20-year career at Travelers.
Steve began serving at 22 years old, stating, “I always had a strong desire to serve and be part of a greater good, a mission.” He started his military journey on the USS West Virginia Gold Crew, a U.S. Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine.
After completing 15 months of training—including six months of Nuclear Power Officer training and six months of on-the-job training—he began working as a Divisional Junior Officer aboard the submarine. In this role, he was responsible for maintaining the vessel, ensuring it operated properly, and repairing its mechanical systems.
“During my tenure on the submarine, I was in charge of a wide variety of machinery in the engine room, throughout the ship, and the nuclear weapons onboard the submarine,” Steve recounted.
In his subsequent role as a Weapons Officer, Steve oversaw the submarine’s weapon system. He routinely performed quality assurance checks, repaired weaponry, and managed the equipment procurement process.
“Coming into the military, I was thrust into a situation at 22 years old, leading a division of eight sailors. I knew very little about my submarine—they were experienced, and I had never spent a day at sea. Yet I was expected to lead them. I also had to rely on their expertise so that together, we could accomplish the mission.”
After serving three years at sea, Steve transitioned to a shore duty role at the Navy’s submarine research and development facility. During his time there, he assisted in developing equipment that is currently onboard the next generation submarine. “It was a true test and learn. We would build prototypes in the laboratory to identify what might work out on a submarine.”
Steve’s seven years in the military, along with the skills, knowledge and experience he acquired, have served him well as he joined Travelers in 2004. He began his career as a Product Managing Director in Pricing Support and over the course of two decades, ascended to his current position of VP of Personal Insurance, Product Management. “As I think about how the military prepared me for Travelers, I think of the accountability, discipline, leadership, teamwork. All of those are transferrable skills to Travelers that tie to power decisions, win together, and test and learn.”
In addition to the military qualities Steve brings to his work at Travelers, his strong collaboration skills also translate seamlessly into his civilian career.
“The submarine force is a very diverse organization. People from all walks of life step onboard that submarine and we learn to work together. I tie that closely to things at Travelers. We get faced with obstacles every day, a weather event, a storm or whatever. You have to support that, support our customers and agents in a similar way.”
Our veterans and service members, and military spouses, are a valued part of our team at Travelers and we recognize the challenges these professionals face when transitioning into the civilian workforce. Through several partnerships and programs, we work to ease that process. Programs, such as our Military/Veterans and Allies Diversity Network (MVADN), which includes over 3,000 Travelers veterans, service members, military spouses, and allies who are dedicated to building awareness, offering support, and creating opportunities for learning and volunteering.
Steve’s dedication to our country as well as the skills he’s developed in the military continue to impact his work and teams at Travelers. His journey demonstrates how military veterans can translate their strengths into fulfilling insurance careers under the umbrella.
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My Travelers Journey: Viktor Shcheglov
Viktor Shcheglov’s career is fueled by both talent and tenacity.
As a student at the University of Connecticut (UConn), Viktor set his sights on a career with Travelers and earned an internship his junior year. He made a great impression that summer, winning second place in an innovation sprint event for his Intern Experience Board idea, which would allow interns to easily find short-term projects, tasks or shadowing opportunities across all lines of business.
After one more summer, during which Viktor worked as a software engineer intern at a well-known tech company, he was hired into Travelers’ Technology Leadership Development Program (TLDP) (now the Engineering Development Program (EDP)). Since then, he has been promoted to Software Engineer 1, where he is involved in an initiative that helps Travelers make inflation-related adjustments in our risk models.
Viktor comes by his dedication to success honestly. His mother was determined to move the family from Russia to the United States, and she didn’t let their first attempt — a year spent in Davis, California, that ended when they were forced to return to Novosibirsk, a city in Siberia, because of a recession — deter her.
Two years later, 13-year-old Viktor and his mom were able to set up a home in America, permanently this time, in Hartford, Conn. He started hearing about Travelers as a freshman at UConn, when seniors told him about the great internships and the TLDP Program (now the EDP Program) – which piqued his interest, given that he wanted to improve his engineering and leadership skills.
Travelers is just as invested in Viktor’s leadership potential, inviting him into the Mid-Level Talent Pool Program, which is providing him key leadership skills training.
Outside of Travelers, Viktor works on his programming skills, plays video games, practices guitar, swims, works out at the gym and grows a vegetable garden in the summer.
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Life at Travelers Podcast Ep.3 – Claim University
Kim: Welcome, everybody, to another episode of the Life at Travelers podcast. Today, I have my guest Chris Day here with me to really dig into what is, at times, an unknown treasure of Travelers. That is Claim University.
And so, we’re going to talk all about Claim U, what’s there, what happens there, and some of the really, behind the scenes, look and information that our expert Chris here is going to chat about with us. So, let’s get started.
Chris, why don’t you just introduce yourself to our listeners?
Chris: Sure. Thank you very much and thanks for the opportunity to be here today. Yeah, my name is Chris Day. I currently am the Assistant Vice President for Catastrophe Response. And I work at Claim University.
Kim: Awesome.
Chris: I’ve been with Travelers since 1999. I spent all of my time in claim, most of it in catastrophe. I’ve had a chance to go to a lot of different places around the country for catastrophe response and do a lot of different roles. Before I was with Travelers, I was, I spent ten years in the military.
Kim: Thank you so much for your service.
Chris: Thank you. But I had a great opportunity to learn a lot after college. I went into the service after college. And, maybe a little bit more about myself. Away from work I enjoy spending time with my family. My wife and I have a very active seven-year-old…
Kim: Alright.
Chris: …and when I’m not, sort of, chasing her around, I stay busy with a lot of activity in sports. I swim for the Connecticut Masters Swim Program, represent Connecticut at the Masters swimming level. I swam in college and have continued that on through, throughout the time since I was in college.
Kim: Awesome. So, you’re reveling in the chaos at home, at work…
Chris: Always.
Kim: Alright, awesome. Alright. So, let’s talk about Claim U and why we’re here today. Can you tell our listeners, you know, what is Claim University? What happens there? Who works there? Just give us that inside look.
Chris: Sure. Claim University is a 200,000 square foot multi-use facility. It’s out in Windsor, so, a little bit north of Hartford.
Kim: Okay.
Chris: It houses both our flagship training facility…
Kim: Yup.
Chris: …for Claim University, where we train our claim handlers, our claim team. It also, it has a world-class conference center. It houses one of four Customer Service Centers, where we, you know, take first notice of loss calls from the customers. It houses our Catastrophe Management Center and also houses our brand-new Risk Control Lab.
Kim: Okay, so a couple of things going on there.
Chris: Lots of activity, always, with a bunch of different people from a lot of different disciplines.
Kim: Yeah. And I know my first time over at Claim U, I was, shocked, amazed, right, because the facility is so… Can you talk about, like, the Auto Lab, Property Lab, even the Workers’ Compensation Lab there?
Chris: Yeah. So, yeah, starting with Claim University. First, a couple of really cool statistics. So, Claim University hosts more than 250,000 hours of training…
Kim: Wow.
Chris: …in a year, 7,500 annual onsite learners, so, people traveling in to take classes. So, a lot of classes online, but a lot there. And more than 80,000 total enrollees into Claim University-lead classes, both virtual and live. I talked about… Maybe I’ll start with the Risk Control Lab, too.
Kim: Yeah. Sounds great.
Chris: That’s the newest facility right there.
Kim: Yup.
Chris: So, industry-leading space, really a world-class bench-top laboratory space. They do claim investigations and risk control. So, they’re helping out our customers keep their employees safe…
Kim: Yup.
Chris: …and also investigating claims, you know, cause and origin, fraud investigations with just an array of scientific and technical expertise. Then, the laboratory spaces. So, you’ve got an auto lab with dozens of cars and heavy equipment that have been in actual accidents that are used as learning resources for the auto trainees that move through and claim handlers who are advancing their career as they move up. And then the same thing for property, not only full-scale, live mock-ups of equipment, but building components that they can train on, but three full-scale buildings that are fully functional. So, two houses and a commercial space. And all of those have full electrical and mechanical services. And they have a bunch of different types of damages and different finishes displayed and the claim handlers are able to train on actual hands-on, live equipment.
Kim: Yeah. It’s on-the-job training at school. Yeah. That’s excellent. And, as far as, you know, you mentioned digital forensics. For folks who might not know what that is, you know, what are they working on in there? What is digital forensics?
Chris: This is the space in which they’re investigating all aspects of digital risk management and digital claim handling, or claim responses. So, increasingly, our customers’ risks are virtual and they’re digital and they’re computer driven. And so, they have the ability to take computers, compromised computers, or do investigations where they’re, they can, what’s called, air gap the computer from any of our networks and they can investigate any malware that might be on there, or they can find damaged computer files and restore computer files for an investigation, a whole bunch of different, sort of, technical or computer investigative techniques.
Kim: Yeah. They’re digital detectives.
Chris: They really are.
Kim: That’s amazing. Okay. And I know there’s also a lot of chemists over there, right? There’s a whole, kind of, chemistry lab? You know, what would I call that?
Chris: Well really, I mean, there’s, so, there’s a couple of different spaces. I talked about the bench-top laboratory space. So, that’s, yeah, your traditional, if you think about like the world’s best college chemistry class, right? I mean, this is. You’re talking, so, gas chromatographs, scanning electron microscopes, you know, really, sort of, world-class chemical analysis that they’re doing for multiple different things. Plus, there’s rooms where they can do, sort of, live event reconstruction. So, they can do fire investigations where they, where they’re actually looking for cause and origin and actually causing or trying to reproduce fires live on site. And they can do, they have a wet room where they can investigate water damage and valve failures and a bunch of different stuff as part of the claim investigation process.
Kim: And are these labs used for training as well?
Chris: Yeah, for our risk control folks, too. So, keeping in mind, so, there’s claim handling training and then there’s the risk control professionals who are out there learning all of those techniques, you know, for risk control training as well.
Kim: Okay.
Chris: But that lab is probably more focused on the actual work that we’re doing for customers and for the claim investigations.
Kim: Okay. So, if I’m coming in as a new hire, as a claim trainee, right? I’m entering into this program. What can I, kind of, expect? What does the layout of the training program look like?
Chris: So, I think coming in, as you mentioned, I think most people would be blown away with the hands-on technical. The layout, the spaces are enormous. There’s, I think, nine large classrooms. We’ve got multiple breakout rooms. So, there’s a lot of really one-on-one or small group training. You see these classes going through. They’re working, you know, in the lab and then back in the classroom, really advancing their careers, you know, starting from the very beginning, learning the basics of insurance and insurance damage investigation and, you know, estimate writing for auto and property and, you know, medical management training through the workers’ comp labs. But then as their, as folks’ careers advance, they’re working on more technical. They’re working into more commercial buildings or heavy equipment, larger heavy equipment in the auto space and more complicated losses and, you know, income losses. Things that evolve through the higher complexity claims that our claim handlers take on as they advance their careers.
Kim: Okay. And you’re a perfect example, right? You started as a claim rep at Travelers, correct?
Chris: As a front-line auto and property claim rep in the Denver office. Yeah, that was where I got hired. I moved over to the catastrophe team about a year later and was a claim handler and unit manager on the CAT team for about six years and then, spent some time in the Midwest region as a regional manager before coming out to Connecticut in 2006. And I’ve been at the Claim U facility Or, at the CAT Center facility since then.
Kim: Okay, so let’s dig into catastrophe because I know that’s your whole world. So, how does it work? You hear of an incoming disaster and then you sound the alarms and we go from there? Or…?
Chris: It’s a lot like that. So, CAT response is the most important thing that insurance companies do.
Kim: Okay.
Chris: Well, kidding aside, it’s certainly one of the most important. And it’s one of the most complicated. So, if property insurance, and auto insurance to a lesser extent, were a little more, like, more predictable, like some of the other lines of business are, it would be easier to manage the response. So, you know, for most lines of business, you write a certain number of policies and you can expect a certain number of claims, you can work the staffing model. And if we only had to insure for washing machine hoses and kitchen fires in property, we could do the same thing. But we’re in the weather business. And so, we have to be able to manage all of those day-to-day claims and also, be able to shift gears for the entire claim department in order to handle events that might produce a year’s worth of claims or two years’ worth of claims in just one or two days. Traditionally, the way the industry has always done that is that they have outsourced that to independent adjusting firms. And we don’t do that and we think we’re unique in the industry in doing that. We handle all of our catastrophe claims with our own staff. We don’t contract for any independent adjusters and it’s really for that reason that we actually locate our CAT Center at Claim University, because the first step is to make sure that our people have the right expertise and specialization to handle every claim. But we also build, and this is what we do on a day-in and day-out basis, is we build and manage a scalable model that allows us to respond to any size of event. So, we have our CAT team, so about 400 people total. About 250 of those are the field CAT team and they go to all events. They’re, sort of, the front line, the tip of the spear. They’re deployed up to 220, 225 nights a year away from home. And they’re going to every office maybe five or six people at a time, or three or four, or 200 or 220 at a time for a large event like we’ve had this year with Hurricane Helene. And then, as events get a little bit larger, our Workforce Management team, that’s co-located with the CAT Center, calibrates the capacity of every one of our offices all the way down to the individual claim handler level every day. So, we always know exactly when an office is going to need help, but also, at any point in time, which office might be able to assist the CAT team if we reach their capacity to handle larger events. And then, what really makes us different is our enterprise response strategy. And that’s where we’ve cross-trained literally thousands of claim professionals from other lines of business…
Kim: Okay.
Chris: …to handle lower severity personal insurance property claims and that frees up our property staff to handle the more severe losses and the business insurance claims. And that scalability is what allows us to handle every event.
Kim: Yup.
Chris: And then the way we execute the strategy is, we monitor the weather out to as far as 16 days in advance.
Kim: Okay.
Chris: We look for potential future events. We track those over multiple days up to the event and we start to game plan three or four or even seven days ahead of time. And then the event, if the event happens, then we aggregate just literally millions of data points from across the footprint of the event to, sort of, diagnose what happened, figure out how many claims are going to come in, and then we build a claim response package of claim handlers to meet the needs of the customers, and then we issue deployment instructions, and then within 24 hours, those claim handlers are on the ground helping the customers. And we do that process for every single storm that comes up. Most of the time they actually don’t happen, like, we do all the planning and then the storm misses. But if it does, we have all of that pre-planning under our belts and we execute that multiple times a year, as many as 80 or 100 times for different storms.
Kim: So, you’re always ready. Whether it happens or not.
Chris: I would say, always ready and always responding. So, we’re always responding to the prior events, we’re prepping for the next events and we’re off and handling, you know, five or six or even ten events simultaneously.
Kim: Yup. And I know from my side of the house, right, working in social media, a lot of the times the disasters hit, you know, we’ve posted online before saying, ‘Hey, our CAT van is located, you know, at X parking lot, you know, if you need service, if you have a claim.’ Can you talk about the CAT vans and and what happens there, for folks who are unfamiliar?
Chris: Sure, and about our shared services more broadly, too, there are dozens of groups across the enterprise. There’s your social media group, you know, teams from subrogation, corporate security, corporate real estate, other communications teams that all have responsibilities within our CAT response. We have a playbook and we have hundreds of tasks, about 250 tasks for a large hurricane, where different groups and all of our leadership team are executing all of these plays that we’re running. One of those, you might take it as a good example, is the CAT van. So, we identify a need, an operational need for a CAT van, or maybe an insurance department is setting up a place where customers can meet. We can deploy one of our eight different CAT van units to that. We have four large mobile claim office units. They’re big RVs, RV-based units, and we have four quick response vehicles that we can use on smaller events, or smaller venues, or we can get really close to claims and we’ll deploy those out, with claim handlers or unit managers, and we can be right there, where our customers need us. Maybe there’s a big disruption to the cell phone infrastructure or power. They can turn in a claim, they can meet with their claim handler, we can use it as a platform to, you know, do something as simple as get out of the rain and do inspections over multiple days at, like, a large claim event. We’ve used the small CAT van for that. But it’s a great resource tool. It really gives customers access into the response and that’s one of the critical things, whether it’s giving our agents access in, or customers access into the response so that they can get the information they need from us.
Kim: Right. And immediately.
Chris: Immediately.
Kim: Yeah, yeah. Amazing. And I know, right, with a lot of catastrophes and it is the property claim, kind of, damages, you know, responses that we’re doing here, I have heard at Claim U there’s drone school, correct? Is that… That’s a skill that our property reps have.
Chris: It is.
Kim: Yeah. Can you talk about that? Are they becoming drone certified pilots?
Chris: It is. So, you have to be certified by the FAA to fly a drone commercially.
Kim: Yup. Okay.
Chris: And so, we have a training curriculum, a program, by which our claim handlers and risk control professionals can go through and become certified to fly drones commercially and then they’ll take the test. They get licensed by the FAA, or certified by the FAA, and then they follow, they have to file flight plans and they, when they’re using drones in the field. We do hear about some of our competitor drone programs. You know, I think, probably, our thought is, they may be more like a drone team or a drone vendor. I don’t think anyone is doing what we’re doing, which is really replacing, or augmenting, the ladder in the trunk of the car with a drone for individual claim handlers and risk control professionals to use on claims. We don’t think anyone is in large-scale doing that. And we think it, quite frankly, makes us the leader in that space.
Kim: So, if somebody is interested in working in claim at Travelers, right, they’re thinking about becoming an auto rep, a property rep, you know, what would you tell them? You know, what advice would you give to somebody who might start at Claim U?
Chris: Yeah. I think it’s interesting. So, you know, I think, I think our investments in facilities like Claim U, the Risk Control Lab, our CAT response, are really tangible examples of our commitment to the Travelers Promise, right? To be there for our customers, for our communities and for each other. Right? It’s a, you know, when we respond to catastrophe events, it’s really, we’re supporting the offices, we’re supporting our customers and the communities impacted. And because that promise is woven into the entire enterprise, our claim handlers that have gone through the classes at Claim University, you know, hundreds, maybe thousands, of them have moved up through the ranks of the teams in the field, the claim teams in the field, and at home office and really to all corners of the enterprise. And so, I’d say that it really is the doorway to any career that you would want at Travelers. So, you know, handling, you know, front line, customer-facing interactions, learning to deliver on that promise in face-to-face or over the phone with the customer, and that’s what you learn at Claim University, I think is the foundation for really any career that you would want at Travelers.
Kim: Yeah, yeah, a lot of space to go from there. Yeah. Now, personal question for you, Chris. I know we were talking before this episode, and you had mentioned our Military/Veteran & Allies Diversity Network (MVADN). I know you used to be Chair, correct? And you have that past military experience. Can you talk about the MVADN and, kind of, your involvement there and, kind of a follow-up for how military might fit into the catastrophe world. I have an idea.
Chris: Okay. Yeah. Thank you for bringing that up. I was honored to serve multiple years in the leadership team of the Military/Veterans & Allies Diversity Network and was the immediate past Chair, Co-Chair, or Chair for the organization. The MVADN is, it’s a big organization. It really does help a lot of people. We have 82 leaders, more than 3,000 members in 43 locations across the country. And I’m going off statistics that are probably a year old at this point. So, I’m sure it’s bigger than that, right? As you see that. And we have found that there is a real ability to translate the skill set, the professionalism, the empathy that we see in a lot of retiring or transitioning service members who are coming into the private sector and identifying really terrific career and job opportunities for them as claim handlers and as investigators and, you know, across the board, risk control engineers, you know, as they develop and develop new skill sets or build on the skill sets that they learned and the leadership skills that they had in the, that they learned in the military. I feel, you know, personally, for me, that a lot of the, you know, sort of, self-discipline and the leadership skills I had, you know, Were, they’re really, you know…
Kim: Transferable.
Chris: I built a foundation on that in the military and have been able to build on that you know, in the private sector. It’s different. You know, managing people is different in the military than it is in the private sector. But there’s this, sort of, core that you can build on and I think that we see that in a lot of the leaders who have prior military experience. You see that sort of foundation.
Kim: Yeah. So, claim provides a lot of those, kind of, opportunities to transfer skills from the military over.
Chris: We definitely have seen a lot of that. Yeah. And had a lot of success.
Kim: Yeah. Amazing. I mean, you’re a prime example. You’ve been at Travelers a little while. I think you might like it. Excellent. Chris, we talked about a lot today. Is there anything that we didn’t talk about that you think is important to mention? Whether that be about, you know, military background, Claim U, anything else that we didn’t touch on?
Chris: You know, I think you hit on it a little bit in the last question, too. And that’s really how truly fortunate, you know, I think I have been, you know, to have had a career. You know, I found it rewarding, challenging every day. I think one of the great things about our industry, and maybe about claim in particular as well, is that because we insure every part of the economy there is a never-ending need to learn and grow and develop and learn more and be curious and challenge yourself to learn more. I find that I like to think that I challenge myself to learn something new every single day. I think it makes it interesting. It, you know, it keeps you coming back, you know, every day, even on the days that are difficult. But that real reward, I really do feel honored to have been able to, you know, develop and have such a, you know, such a broad, you know, career and been able to help so many customers or help people develop, really, really feel honored.
Kim: That’s awesome. And I’m honored to have you on the show. So, thank you for being here. You know, when I think of Claim U, Chris, I’m like, if Claim University had a sports team, Chris Day would be the coach, the GM and maybe the mascot. I’m like, you are the guy.
Chris: Well, I’ll definitely volunteer to be the mascot, to do that. No, thank you.
Kim: Well, thank you for being here. You know, if, if listeners are interested in learning more about Claim University, our claim roles, visit us at travelers.com/careers. Chris, if we tag you on the social post on LinkedIn, can folks connect with you?
Chris: Oh, they definitely can. Yeah, I’m on it.
Kim: Okay. We’re going to make you an influencer out there.
Chris: Excellent.
Kim: We’ll tag you. Well thanks, Chris. Thanks for being here. And thanks to our listeners for tuning in and we’ll be back soon with another episode for you. Take care.
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