Pinnacol Assurance Partners with Clearspeed to Streamline Communication and Recovery Workflows

Business Wire

Voice-based risk assessment will enhance injured worker support processes

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Clearspeed, the global leader in voice-based risk assessment technology, today announced a new partnership with Pinnacol Assurance, Colorado’s leading workers’ compensation insurer, to enhance how Pinnacol supports injured workers on their path to healing and returning to work.

Pinnacol, whose mission is to “put care to work for the injured worker,” is using Clearspeed to strengthen engagement with injured workers and make the recovery process smoother and more responsive. Workers’ compensation insurance is a safety net that supports the livelihood of workers injured on the job. But for those navigating pain, uncertainty, or emotional stress, it can be difficult to engage through traditional channels. By remaining more connected with injured workers, Pinnacol can better understand their current status, confirm readiness to return to work, and ensure timely injured worker recovery. Early work between Pinnacol and Clearspeed has already proven impactful. The technology helped Pinnacol re-engage with injured workers and augmented the traditional paper mail process with Clearspeed’s automated, voice-based questionnaire. With Clearspeed, Pinnacol:

tripled its response rate from customers
freed up claim representative time
gained faster clarity on which cases required continued attention

Clearspeed’s technology, used by insurers globally, fits seamlessly into the existing customer journey. Individuals are invited—via text, email, online portal, or call center—to answer a short set of automated yes/no questions. Clearspeed’s proprietary voice analytics engine analyzes each response, providing real-time insight without needing personal or medical data. This allows Pinnacol to quickly identify which workers may have returned to the job, completed treatment, or require follow-up, streamlining case triage and reducing unnecessary delays.

“Behind every claim is a human with a story,” said Quincy Douglass, vice president of operations. “Bringing Clearspeed’s innovation into the process helps us optimize our resources to make sure more workers’ needs are met with speed and confidence. This work builds on Pinnacol’s broader commitment to innovation in service of people—helping Colorado’s workers recover safely and return to meaningful employment.”

Unlike traditional risk assessment methods that can be intrusive and rely on extensive documentation validation, subjective evaluations, and lengthy processing times, Clearspeed's approach is:

Fast – provides in-the-moment insights to enable quicker payments to the injured
Bias-free – no personal identifiable information (PII)
Frictionless – easier than cumbersome manual steps

“Our partner Pinnacol understands that when people are recovering from an accident, the last thing they need is complexity. Together we’ve created a process that builds trust and helps workers engage throughout their recovery,” said Alex Martin, CEO of Clearspeed. “This partnership also marks a major milestone for Clearspeed in the U.S. insurance market, as we expand beyond our leadership in P&C to support more lines of business and more people in moments that matter.”

With established expertise in property and casualty claims, Clearspeed is rapidly expanding its use cases, including auto and life underwriting and workers’ compensation. Leading global insurers leverage Clearspeed to streamline processes, improve decision accuracy, and enhance the customer experience across the policyholder lifecycle. On average, insurers experience a 50% reduction in average claims handling time and a 40% increase in immediate settlements to claimants, all without compromising customer experience ratings.

With the success of this early phase, Pinnacol plans to expand Clearspeed’s use, including First Notice of Injury and verification in structured settlements.

About Pinnacol

Pinnacol Assurance is a top-performing provider of workers' compensation insurance. We offer top-rated injured worker care, customized safety solutions and a comprehensive return to work program that helps our customers reduce risk and save costs. You can see our investment in the community through our nationally recognized apprenticeship program, Pinnacol Foundation scholarship program and award-winning culture and engagement work. Pinnacol's team members, culture and services have received numerous awards, affirming our commitment to the people and communities we serve. Learn more at Pinnacol.com.

About Clearspeed

Founded in 2016, Clearspeed is the global leader in voice-based risk assessment. Its proprietary voice analytics technology identifies potential risk in speech using vocal characteristics universal to all humans—enabling faster, more confident decisions in high-stakes environments. Initially developed for the U.S. Department of Defense, Clearspeed quickly exposes indicators of risk for government and military agencies. Commercially, it helps insurers, financial institutions, and other enterprises assess risks like fraud and insider threats, unlock operational savings, and elevate the customer experience. With broad applications, Clearspeed delivers bias-free, individual risk assessment wherever achieving trust at scale is essential.

Headquartered in San Diego, Clearspeed is used in 37 countries and supports over 60 languages. The company has earned more than 25 industry awards, including CNBC’s World’s Top InsurTech Companies. Learn more at www.clearspeed.com.