ABC Corporate Services and agent24 Ink Deal

ROSEMONT, Ill.., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosemont, IL-based ABC Corporate Services and agent24  announce today the sale of ABC's Travelers Emergency Service System (TESS) to agent24. TESS will be part of agent24, a subsidiary of American Marketing Group, parent company of 17 travel brands including TRAVELSAVERS and headquartered in Oyster Bay, New York.

"The decision to sell TESS follows months of due diligence by both companies including a thorough and measured review of customer needs, consideration of the dynamic travel marketplace, and our long-term strategies," said Beverlee Patterson, president & COO, ABC Corporate Services. "It was very important for ABC that our TESS customers continue to receive high service levels and support, and we strongly believe agent24 will be able to meet that need.  Through agent24s' sophisticated technology, they have the resources to effectively manage and support these customers as their needs grow and develop," Patterson added.

As part of the agreement, ABC Corporate Services' TESS staff will transition to agent24. The change for TESS subscribers will be transparent, with no service disruption or downtime.  

Jim Mazza, COO for agent24, commented on the acquisition: "ABC is a long-standing player in the travel industry and we're so pleased to welcome this group of world-class travel professionals to our operation. We've been in the after-hours business for nearly 20 years starting with TRAVEL HELPLINE and then acquiring the THOR24 after-hours call center in 2006. Now with the addition of ABC's TESS to our ranks, we're the undisputed leader with the majority of the market share in travel contact centers. As we move into 2011 and beyond, we'll continue to take advantage of economies of scale and invest heavily in technology. Because of our ongoing R&D, we'll always be out in front providing superior global emergency travel assistance services that give independent travel agencies the power to compete head-to-head with the large multi-nationals in servicing both business clientele and international travelers."

Patterson concluded: "ABC Corporate Services' commitment remains: to provide premier value, benefits and service excellence to its travel professional customers and their clients, while remaining a fundamental distribution channel for a comprehensive network of worldwide hotels and select suppliers."

About ABC Corporate Services

ABC Corporate Services, headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois is a leading provider of services to the global travel agency and corporate communities. Providing progressive solutions, exclusive offerings and innovative value-added programs for the business of travel, ABC helps its customers succeed within an ever-changing marketplace.  

About agent24

agent24 is owned by American Marketing Group, Inc. which is the parent company of 17 leading travel brands including: TRAVELSAVERS, The Network of Entrepreneurs Selling Travel (NEST), The Affluent Traveler Collection, Well-Being Travel, Acclaim Meetings, TWIN (TRAVELSAVERS Worldwide Independent Network), Forte Business Travel Solutions, travel tix, Travstar Technologies, cruiseexpress, TRAVEL HELPLINE, agent24 and TravelMarketReport.com.

SOURCE ABC Corporate Services