Helping State Auto to create effective communication plans and strategies

“At the core of our culture is trust and respect. We care about one another. We care about the communities in which we live and work. Our team works very hard in partnership with leaders and teams throughout the company to create effective communication plans and strategies. Happeo drives not only traffic but engagement as well, something we never could have done preciously. That has really brought in some energy to the organization. And that has been very beneficial, especially during these times.”

- Kyle Anderson, AVP Communications and Marketing

Modernized communications for one of the world's biggest industry leaders

State Auto is a nearly 100 year old leading property-and-casualty insurance company. They sell auto, home, and business insurance in 33 states in the US. 

Kyle Anderson leads the communications team at State Auto, and implemented the digital transformation that Happeo brought along with his team.

A tool to scale culture and processes 

“Before implementing Happeo, for over 20 years State Auto was using a ‘one size fits all’ intranet that allowed no flexibility. We were looking for a platform that would permit us to communicate internally and be the tool for Internal Communications.

We have a strong culture we’re very proud of, and we needed a platform that aligned with our culture: one to encourage participation and drive engagement.”

Analytics to study usage and engagement

State Auto was looking for a solution to streamline communications and a database to provide their employees with all the information they needed – they set out the following requirements to find the perfect intranet:

• A database to easily find documents and resources
  
  
• A mobile app for connection on the go
  
  
• A way to democratize content creation
  
  
• A tool to reduce email
  
  
• Analytics to quantify activity and usage
  
  
• A platform to create dialogue

Successful remote work

“We switched to an entirely remote workforce in a matter of hours. Having the ability to reach our associates quickly on any device at any time was really crucial to being able to keep the momentum going for State Auto. Happeo allowed us to provide continual updates and enhancements. And mobile access was critically important to us.

The ability to reach our associates quickly on any device at any time was really imperative to being able to keep the momentum going for State Auto. Being able to get to the content any time, on any device really allowed us to work from anywhere.”

Access to information and advanced analytics 

“Being able to find content more easily than what our associates were used to was a key requirement. And using search analytics to gain insight from how our employees were using Happeo was providing speed. To be able to do something in minutes, literally five or ten minutes, something that would have taken days if not months previously is hugely beneficial and much more consistent with who we are as an organization.

One of the great recent innovations is the Advanced Analytics, and we watch what those search analytics are. An example is, for some reason, one of the top search terms is ‘stateauto.com.’ So we created a launcher icon item that took them to the website. So now when they search ‘stateauto.com’ that launcher item comes up and they go straight to the site.”

Smooth and speedy launch

“We launched in just six weeks. We call Happeo, The Hub. It was a very smooth transition. Throughout the entire process we felt Happeo’s presence and eagerness to help. Happeo’s helped us with any questions, and that has really given me confidence that we have the right partner for us and for our associates. For us, the launcher has been a really key feature that has helped to smooth that transition between our previous intranet and Happeo.”

The features that changed the game for State Auto:

• Advanced Analytics to learn what employees are searching for
  
  
• Channels for senior leaders to gain visibility
  
  
• Social features to drive engagement
  
  
• Launcher (mentioned in the previous quote)
  
  
• Mobile app

How State Auto will measure success:

• A reduction in the number of internal emails sent 
  
  
• Flexibility for remote work 
  
  
• Engagement