SAIF Combines New Approach with Foundation of Excellent Service


Brand Story – Oregon’s largest workers’ compensation insurer continues to serve workers and employers while advancing technology and remote work

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As businesses evolved over the past two years of the pandemic, so did Oregon’s largest workers’ compensation insurer.

SAIF serves over 50,000 Oregon businesses. Small mom-and-pop businesses and large publicly traded companies alike trust SAIF to help them make their workplaces safer and help employees recover after a workplace injury or illness.

“If an injured worker suddenly has a situation where they’ve got to put food on the table and pay their rent or mortgage, all sorts of pressures come in,” says Chip Terhune, president and CEO of SAIF. “We want to make sure we are positioning ourselves as well as possible to serve them in that moment.”

Chip 4 largeChip Terhune, president and CEO of SAIF

By blending the best of century-old standards with new technology, SAIF is ensuring customers find support when they need it most, and in the way they want it. For example, when customers call SAIF’s 800-number, they can talk to a live person within three telephone rings or 18 seconds of making a call.

“Setting standards for our extraordinary customer service like that are making sure we’re there in that moment,” says Terhune. “It sounds old school but it matters. The immense talent and hard work of SAIF employees is what makes the difference.”

These core standards combined with strategies like upgrading SAIF’s claim system or tapping into data and analytics to improve service help them better connect with an increasingly diverse Oregon workforce.

“The mix of industries in Oregon is changing. It’s vibrant and it’s evolving,” says Terhune. “We understand a Spanish-language preferred business may need different capabilities from us than a LGBTQIA+ business.”

Considering the unique needs, safety challenges, and well-being of a changing workforce is rooted in SAIF’s commitment to their employees. As employers transitioned to more remote work at the beginning of the pandemic, SAIF’s telecommuting policy evolved to allow a truly flexible workforce.

Most SAIF employees have the option of working either at home or in the office. About 65% of employees have chosen to not have an assigned space in the office, but to work in the office when it best suits them.

These strides to care for SAIF customers and employees responsibly are reflected in SAIF’s 2021 net performer score—a customer satisfaction measure.

Net promoter scores above 20 are favorable, above 50 are excellent and the average score for the insurance industry is 35. While scores dropped as the pandemic hit, SAIF scored 59 last year.

This excellent rating is supported by the fact that 99.2% of employers chose to continue coverage with SAIF in 2021.

“We continue to improve every day,” says Terhune. “It all ties back into making sure that we’re there when our customers need us.”

 


Brand stories are paid content articles that allow Oregon Business advertisers to share news about their organizations and engage with readers on business and public policy issues.  The stories are produced in house by the Oregon Business marketing department. For more information, contact associate publisher Courtney Kutzman.