DELTA DENTAL PLAN OF NEW JERSEY NAMED "INTERNAL CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATION OF THE YEAR - 2004"

PARSIPPANY, NJ (January 21, 2005) – Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey was named "Internal Customer Service Operation of the Year - 2004" by the Garden State Chapter of the International Customer Service Association (GSICSA). The award, recognizing excellence in quality and service, was announced at the GSICSA Rep Appreciation and Holiday Dinner held in December.

Each year, the GSICSA recognizes individuals for their commitment to customer service, but this is the first year that an entire call center was honored. Organizations considered were those with in-house call centers and an ability to show devotion to quality and commitment to service. In addition to Delta Dental, other Garden State organizations nominated for the award included Phillips Lighting and Aventis. The nominees and the winning organization were chosen by the GSICSA Board of Directors.

"Those on the forefront of customer service at Delta Dental are those associates in our Customer Service, Premium Billing and Flagship Departments," said Lori Acker, assistant vice president of Customer Service. "I am so proud of our team. There were 24 Delta Dental customer service associates in attendance at the GSICSA dinner and they all went up to accept the award."

The GSICSA is a group of dedicated professionals striving to improve and celebrate customer service. The Garden State Chapter was formed in 1987 to provide networking opportunities for customer service professionals in New Jersey. Meetings are held on a regular basis to provide relevant information regarding the customer service profession.

"Understanding how to motivate and manage customer service employees can be critical to a company's success," said Bill Gessert, president, GSICSA. "The GSICSA meetings provide an excellent opportunity for professionals to share their challenges, solutions and experiences."

Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey has been actively involved with the GSICSA for many years. Employees Lisa Tracy, Tracey Bucher and Bernadette Gallo were each named Customer Service Representative of the Year in 2000, 2002 and 2003, respectively.

"We are fortunate that Delta Dental supports our participation in this organization," said Acker. "It's so valuable to be able to interact with others in your field who understand the daily challenges that you face. By sharing thoughts and suggestions, we can offer each other new perspectives which can make a difference in what we do."

About Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey, Inc.
Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey, Inc., is New Jersey’s and Connecticut's leading dental benefits carrier, providing coverage to more than one million people through contracts with employers in New Jersey and Connecticut. The Delta Dental Plan system offers seamless dental benefits administration for employer groups throughout the country and the largest network of credentialed dentists in the nation. For more information visit us on the Web at www.deltadentalnj.com.

Fact Sheet: Customer Service Facts & Figures

• It costs five times as much to bring in a new customer as it does to keep an existing one.
• Satisfied customers tell three to five people about their experience in contrast to 10 to 12 who will be told about poor service.
• An average of 60% of mistakes are due to poor listening skills.
• Four of every 100 dissatisfied customers will tell you about it, but 90 of those same 100 will never do business with you again.
• A consumer will spend up to ten percent more for the same product with better service.
• More than 80 percent of consumers polled say they would rather visit the dentist, pay their taxes, or sit in a traffic jam than deal with an unhelpful customer service representative. And more than 75 percent say they would hang up on a call after waiting on hold for longer than five minutes.

Debra Schmidt, a.k.a. The Loyalty Leader (www.theloyaltyleader.com), recommends the L.E.A.R.N. method for dealing with angry customers:

Listen carefully to the person who is angry. Stop everything you are doing and give your customer 100 percent of your attention.

Empathize with the other person's concerns. One way to show you care is to thank that person for bringing the problem to your attention.

Apologize even if you are not the cause of the problem. When said sincerely, the words "I'm sorry" can remove as much as 95 percent of most people's anger.

Resolve the problem. Show your customer that you are on his side and will do everything you can to help him get his problem resolved.

Now is the time to address the problem. When a problem is addressed quickly and with care, loyalty actually increases.

NOTE: Lori Acker, assistant vice president of Customer Service, Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey and Bill Gessert, president, International Customer Service Association (Garden State Chapter) and president, TeleSolutions Consulting, LLC are available for interview.