“Celebrate the milestones but don't forget to celebrate the smaller steps that led you there."
– Katja Michael
This past year has been a testament to our collective dedication to serving you, our valued Subscribers, and your customers. Our achievements on your behalf throughout 2023 demonstrate our steadfast commitment to innovation and service excellence.
Innovation
The Innovation team added several new book review tools and data sets to our BuildingMetrix suite of risk assessment tools, available to all Subscribers free of charge:
- Historic Buildings Check
- Unreinforced Masonry Check
- Home Daycare Check
- Underground Storage Tank Check
Completed book review results are now presented to you on fully customized, password protected landing pages, highlighting insights in a secure and easy to understand format. These new landing pages are a big upgrade from the Excel spreadsheets we initially delivered to early adopters as a minimum viable product.
To supplement our growing suite of risk assessment tools, we’ve launched an educational video series highlighting hidden risks that can lead to unexpected large claims and showing the value of doing a book review with us. Check out our first episode covering earthquake risk:
Inspection Services
Our Inspection Services team is growing! We hired three new Commercial Property Analysts, empowering us to more efficiently manage the high volume of inspection requests we receive. This year alone, we received nearly 3,500 requests from Subscribers and their agents.
Throughout 2023, we fulfilled roughly 300 inspection requests from the Washington Fair Plan. This work allowed property owners to obtain fire insurance when their risk characteristics made them otherwise uninsurable.
Public Protection
The Public Protection team conducts protection class and BCEGS© gradings on behalf of our Subscribers. This year, we’ve been lucky to welcome two fresh faces to the team, further aiding us in our mission to accurately rate fire districts across Washington state.
Speaking of growth, we’ve worked hard to expand our Fire Service Scholarship Program. Our newest scholarship, in collaboration with the Washington State Fire Fighter’s Association (WSFFA), helps further our goal of fostering expertise and the exchange of knowledge. Learn more about our Fire Service Scholarship Program.
Technology Solutions
It’s been a big year for the Tech Solutions team.
First and foremost, we transitioned our entire production environment to the Cloud. This was a huge undertaking, but an important one that reinforces our ability to deliver robust and reliable services to you - both for day-to-day operations and for disaster recovery.
Continuing the theme of “out with the old, in with the new”, we spent much of the year streamlining internal processes, retiring outdated technology to enhance our agility and efficiency, as we continue to deliver accurate, reliable data and information to you. Furthermore, we improved our monitoring and alerting capabilities, enabling us to get ahead of issues affecting both internal and external customers.
Information Security
InfoSec made significant strides, including elevating company awareness and implementing robust password protection measures. We also implemented tailored information security training for high-risk job roles, ensuring a heightened understanding of security protocols. Also, our security team earned a number of additional certifications, bringing enhanced skills to fortify WSRB’s security processes and architecture.
These achievements represent the teamwork, dedication, and striving for excellence that define WSRB, and they set the stage for even greater accomplishments in the year ahead. We look forward to becoming better, stronger, and faster to serve you even better in 2024.
