State Farm
Overview
State Farm is an insurance agency that offers coverage from vehicle to business products. Their goal is to help customers manage risk and recover from damages.
An agent of State Farm in Indiana needed to incentivize their employees to educate themselves and others on the product line without overwhelm. We found that a fun, playful program of earning badges based on State Farm’s subject matter areas was the proper incentive.
Discovery
Although I was working with one agent, State farm is one of the largest insurance agencies in the United States. We wanted to be sure that all aspects of the project were defined in an objective manner, so we conducted a Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed stakeholder matrix.
The matrix allowed the agent and our team to clarify with State Farm who would be involved in the project from start to finish. We listed each primary stakeholder, identified by State Farm, and listed their involvement in each step of the project.
We wanted to gain a baseline understanding of what the agent's employees want to know and what they think they know to be true. We completed a guided, collaborative exercise to list our questions and assumptions in the workplace. Then, we placed each insight on a grid of certainty and risk level.
The agent felt that the certain, high risk quadrant was the relevant area to address.
I was not as familiar with the insurance industry before this project, so we conducted quite a bit of secondary research. We compiled a wide variety of resources, like Indeed, Reddit, and Insurance Business Magazine. We coded the information based on type, date, and relevance.
Although we were focusing internally, we felt that it was pertinent to conduct an analysis on the competitive landscape, via a Multi-Attribute Utility (MAU) Model. We had hoped to find inconsistencies compared to the internal processes of State Farm. The results were as expected and did not reveal any significant information.
Our team needed to understand team dynamics and interpersonal relationships, and we thought the best way to do so was an ethnographic study.
We uncovered multiple insights that guided us the rest of the project. For example, we learned that training was difficult with the amount of turnover and vast range of knowledge that employees must have.
With so much research, it was important for us synthesize the information in a digestible manner. We created an affinity map with the relevant insights and found overarching themes, like community and opportunities.
Delivery
We looked at three possible solutions, which were 1) employee engagement action plan, 2) badge incentive program, and 3) education and training sessions. We spoke with the agent and employees about the efficacy of each possible solution. We came to the conclusion that an incentivized badge program was the way to go.
The badge program was designed to ensure that employees feel recognized. Inherently, with the gamification aspect, employees should be invigorated and excited to grow and build their skillset at State Farm by collecting badges.
We thought it would negate the purpose of the program for the agent to participate because they are the expert in all domains. They award the badges to the employees as their time progresses in the company.
Results
After implementing the program, the agent began attaching literal incentives to the type and level of badge, so that employees were encouraged to participate.
We found that this incentive program ensured adherence to State Farm procedures, focused on growth and guidance alongside learn by doing, and leveraged peer validation and mentorship.
