Agency Contact: Colleen Conover SGW 973-263-5197 Nancy Sergeant 973-334-6666

Client Contact: Diane Belle Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey 973-285-4058

DELTA DENTAL OF NEW JERSEY EMPLOYEE NAMED 2005 CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE YEAR
-The annual award is presented by the Garden State Chapter of the International Customer Service Association-

PARSIPPANY, NJ (October 17, 2005) – Senior Customer Service agent at Delta Dental of New Jersey, Audra Irwin from Hopatcong, NJ, has been named 2005 Customer Service Representative of the Year by the Garden State Chapter of the International Customer Service Association (GSICSA). Through a nomination process, the GSICSA presents one award annually to a customer service representative who truly goes above and beyond their job description. Nominated by her supervisors, Irwin won the award for her ability to consistently demonstrate skills and professionalism that result in the greatest levels of customer satisfaction.

 "During the past few years, Audra has demonstrated 100% effort in all of her responsibilities," said Michelle Mulhern, director of Customer Service at Delta Dental of New Jersey. "Through her professional manner and ability to resolve the most difficult claims processing issues with a smile, Audra provides exceptional customer service and is a model for all of our customer service agents."

Irwin started at Delta Dental in January 2000 as a Pre-Edit associate, opening mail and preparing documents for the claims imaging system. In April 2001, she became a Customer Service agent where she excelled at all of her responsibilities. She has since worked her way up to Senior Customer Service agent and is currently learning administrative and leadership skills to become a Team Leader.

About Delta Dental of New Jersey, Inc.
Delta Dental 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 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.