Championing Local Customer Service and Healthy Smiles in Hawai‘i Communities

In the ever-changing landscape of employer services, understanding the nuances of your clients’ industry can help you better tailor your services. Joey Lee, Director of Sales at Hawaii Dental Service (HDS), recognized this opportunity and implemented a subtle, yet effective change. 

At HDS, Hawai‘i’s leading dental benefits provider, Joey’s team of account managers offer dental benefits packages to meet the specific needs of the employer groups they serve.  

“Our sales team operates as the eyes and ears of HDS,” Joey explains. “They maintain close relationships with our clients, so we can stay attuned to their evolving needs.” 

When Joey noticed her account managers getting bogged down with industry-specific terminology and practices, she realigned the team, assigning her account managers to specific industries. This move towards specialization positioned her team to better understand their clients’ staffing structures and health needs. For instance, when a hotel undergoes a change in ownership, having a constant account manager versed in hospitality helps to ease the transition. 

HDS values maintaining operations locally with a Hawai‘i-based workforce. Local service representatives are familiar with the unique dynamics of living in Hawai‘i—from understanding the differences in infrastructure across various communities to recognizing the significant burden of Hawai‘i’s inflated cost of living. 

Community engagement is another pillar of HDS’s philosophy. The company maintains its commitment to improving oral health in Hawai‘i through grants, scholarships, and community programs aimed at reducing barriers to care and supporting the local dental industry. 

Although community service is already fundamental to HDS’s culture, Joey encourages her team members to personally make an impact. As a team, they participate in community service projects, and individually, many team members actively serve on nonprofit boards. While the sole intent of these efforts is to promote social welfare, they can also lead to opportunities to further HDS’s mission of improving oral health across Hawai‘i. 

“We strive to serve everyone, promoting oral health and wellness in every community,” Joey emphasizes. “When HDS promotes a new oral health initiative, our team is on the frontline to champion that message.”