Ben Godsey on providing your employees

ProService Hawaii was bought in 2005 by Ben Godsey, its current president and CEO, and his partner Dustin Sellers, who is no longer with the company. Since then, ProService has grown to 1,300 client companies and 22,000 worksite employees. Godsey sees a huge future for ProService and its ability to make it easier, better and more profitable to do business in Hawaii. He spoke to PBN about his experiences and the industry.

Q&A by Kathleen Gallagher

What was your main goal for ProService since you’ve been there?

Consistent growth and getting better for our clients every year. After 11 years at the helm of ProService, I can attest it’s easier said than done. Hawaii is a particularly tough place to be an employer, but we’ve consistently improved our service, and with it our customer satisfaction, customer retention and customer referrals. We’ve grown steadily every year. I’m proud of our results and how we achieve them. Our people are passionate about providing great service and innovative, cost-saving products, and our client referrals and growth have validated this.

How has the industry changed since you’ve been a part of it?

It’s grown a lot. When we bought ProService in 2005, only 3 percent of employers with more than one employee used a service like ours. Now we estimate that 12 percent do. We’ve gone from being a clear No. 2 to being Hawaii’s preferred provider with the largest market share. While the industry has traditionally served small employers, now we find many larger companies using our services — we now serve employers as small as two or three employees and as large as 1,000. They’ve moved away from self service and Mainland services because they value our depth of service and the integration we offer. In the past, there were concerns that HR outsourcing could distance employers from their employees, but those concerns have been put to rest. In fact, our service has become the best practice for employers that want to take care of their employees. Our employers are able to focus on their growth and success, and on their strategic HR, which is how they attract and grow the right talent for their organization.

What’s next for the industry in Hawaii?

Continued growth. This is partly because employers today are savvier about what a full-service HR partner can do for them and are more willing to embrace it as a best practice. Increasing complexity and cost for employers will also drive greater need for our service. Rising health care costs, [Affordable Care Act] compliance and [Wages and Fair Labor Standards Act] changes are a major focus. This past year was challenging for many employers as new ACA reporting went into effect, and we had a lot of employers come to us for help. Now they are challenged by really big changes in FLSA, which we estimate is impacting 60 percent of employers in Hawaii; that complexity is driving another wave of employers seeking our help. Rising health care costs are requiring HR companies to spearhead greater innovation. At ProService, we are doing new things like predicting employer renewals to help employers budget and testing concierge services to help people be healthier. Within our industry, there will continue to be greater separation and differentiation between providers, and it will be challenging for smaller providers to keep pace. The IRS is requiring a surety bond for its Certified PEO status, which starts next year. The state has similar requirements. This will pose a challenge for smaller or less established HR companies.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

I am proud that we focus on Hawaii employers. This focus has allowed us to invest 100 percent becoming the best we can here. The result is we have the highest customer retention and satisfaction levels in the HR industry, nationwide. We’ve built a business that’s the best in the country by focusing on being our best for Hawaii.

What does the future look like for ProService?

Our reason for existence is to make it easier to be an employer in Hawaii. Day to day, we achieve this by having great people, right here in Hawaii, who are passionate about this mission and strive every day to provide great service to our clients. We will be launching new services in the next one to two years that will continue to make it easier to employ people in Hawaii and keep our economy running. It’s a great reason to come to work each day.

See the original article from Biz Journals here.

ProService is the state’s leader in HR Management. The company provides a comprehensive suite of HR solutions including strategic HR, payroll, human resource services, health benefits management, workers’ compensation and 401(k) management, as well as risk management and regulatory compliance, for 1,250 local businesses representing over 20,000 employees statewide. It is accredited by the Employer Services Assurance Corporation (ESAC).

ProService is headquartered on Oahu at 6600 Kalanianaole Hwy, Suite 200, Honolulu, HI 96825. Additional offices are located in Kona, Kahului and Kapaa.

Telephone: (808) 394-3100. Visit the website at www.proservice.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/proservicehawaii.