• 97% of employees understand the uses and benefits of Gemini for Google Workspace

• 96% of employees surveyed say that Gemini saves time

• Almost 90% of employees surveyed are satisfied with Gemini

Pinnacol Assurance is committed to protecting the people who power Colorado's economy. From small businesses to large corporations to high-risk industries, the company provides comprehensive workers' compensation coverage to ensure that injured workers receive the care they need and businesses can thrive.

"We're not just an insurance provider — we're a partner that's invested in the success and wellbeing of Colorado businesses and their employees," says Heather Hoyer, change manager at Pinnacol Assurance. "This is reflected in our proactive approach to worker safety, our compassionate claims handling, and our commitment to Colorado's communities."

However, operating in a traditional industry, Pinnacol Assurance relied on traditional ways of working that hindered innovation. The company used a hosted exchange system for its email service and software installed locally onto desktop computers, which created limitations in communication and collaboration. Looking for a secure, cost-effective, and cloud-based solution that would foster a culture of innovation, Pinnacol Assurance began to switch to Google Workspace.

While the idea of moving away from legacy systems was initially met with some resistance, it came at precisely the right time. "There was a lot of apprehension at first, but then the pandemic hit right after our migration to Gmail," says Lina Valencia-Ignatius, investigations project lead at Pinnacol Assurance. "The whole work landscape suddenly changed, but with Workspace, we had the tools we needed to stay connected."

To support its 650 employees through the transition to Workspace, Pinnacol Assurance partnered with SADA, An Insight company, a Google Cloud Premier Partner that specializes in implementing cloud solutions, workplace modernization, and change management. The SADA team created a strategic change plan that included a phased rollout, starting with a group of superusers who would act as Workspace champions for the organization.

"Leveraging superusers and our relationships within our teams made the migration very smooth," Valencia-Ignatius, a Workspace superuser, says. "Instead of a third party coming in and telling people how to use these new tools, they could learn about them from colleagues who understand their day-to-day jobs."

SADA also provided multiple avenues for support, including formalized training for superusers, ongoing check-ins, and a clear roadmap for introducing new solutions. "With SADA’s help, our move to Google Workspace was one of the best technology rollouts we’ve ever had," says Brian Lindley, associate vice president of cloud and information technology at Pinnacol Assurance. 

Now, the company embraces Workspace to power collaboration at scale. With Google Chat, team members can connect on projects in real time and asynchronously, while Google Drive keeps files organized and accessible from anywhere. "Google Workspace offers us a mature collaboration suite with more tools under one umbrella than any other platform," Lindley explains. "With Chat and Drive, we instantly had functionality that we never had access to before."

On Valencia-Ignatius’ team, Google Forms and Sheets have been particularly impactful in supporting the claims process. "We can use Forms and Sheets to help identify opportunities and trends, and easily engage with teammates by simply tagging them in documents," she says. "The approachability of the tools has enabled everyone to take action in investigations."

Following the success of its Workspace migration, Pinnacol Assurance turned again to SADA to implement Gemini for Google Workspace. "When it came to choosing a generative AI solution, security was top of mind," Lindley says. "Gemini was an easy decision because we knew it was covered by the same best-in-class security as Workspace."

While the majority of employees already had access to Gemini, they needed guidance on how to unlock its full potential. The SADA change management team engaged another group of superusers, providing weekly tips, videos, and information sessions to teach them how to incorporate Gemini into their daily workflows. As a superuser for both Workspace and Gemini, Valencia-Ignatius says, "The process for our Gemini rollout felt familiar to everyone since we’d worked with SADA before."

Now, her team uses the Gemini app to accelerate repetitive tasks, such as creating questions for client interviews and summarizing transcripts. "Gemini is a thought partner in our investigations, helping us identify contradictions in insurance claims, find opportunities to dig deeper on a specific subject, or fill in knowledge gaps when needed," she explains.

Pinnacol Assurance also administered weekly surveys during the pilot to capture engagement metrics and feedback on use cases across teams. Hoyer’s team is using this information to create a use case library where people can get inspired by how others use Gemini to power productivity and streamline daily work.

"Our president and CEO has been a strong and visible supporter of AI from the beginning, which really positioned our superusers to be strong influencers within their teams," Hoyer says. A recent survey showed that almost 95% of Pinnacol Assurance employees understand how AI can transform the way they work, 97% understand the uses and benefits of Gemini, and 98% feel that their manager supports their use of the tool. "This really speaks to the leadership approach we took to rolling Gemini out."

Additionally, 96% of employees surveyed report time savings as a result of using Gemini, and almost 90% are satisfied with the tool.

"When the technology first came out, people were a bit overwhelmed, but with SADA’s thoughtful change management approach, they’ve gotten more comfortable using it," Valencia-Ignatius says. "Gemini has been a complete game changer so far, and we’re still exploring the plethora of ways we can use it to enhance our work."