ACCENT Marketing Services Acquires Licensed Agent Line of Business

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind., Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ACCENT Marketing Services, LLC, a member of the MDC Partners Network and provider of customer engagement solutions, today announced it has acquired the Licensed Agent line of business from a leading insurance solutions provider. 

Under the agreement, ACCENT will retain the provider's employees and management as well as assume its client contracts specifically related to the company's Licensed Agent line of business.  Additionally, ACCENT will lease space in an existing call center facility located in Harlan, Iowa, expanding its footprint to eleven locations across North America, the Caribbean and the Philippines.  ACCENT's new facility will accommodate up to 70 seats and will serve as a dedicated insurance customer engagement center to serve the needs of existing and future clients.

"Due to evolving regulation, we've seen a growing demand for licensed agents that can go beyond the traditional two-tier model of verifying the purchase of health and insurance products to perform the field agent role of selling policies, additional coverage and add-on protection across all stages of the customer lifecycle," said Tim Searcy, ACCENT's CEO.  "With the addition of this new line of business, we can now leverage the specialized skills of licensed agents to expand our customer engagement capabilities within the insurance and financial services industries."

ACCENT is assuming more than 25 individuals that are licensed to provide inbound and outbound sales and customer support in both Life and Health and Property and Casualty insurance across all 50 states.  On average, the team has more than five years of experience selling and supporting a variety of insurance programs, including term life sales, tele-interview underwriter support, customer retention, premium reminder notices and first notice of loss.

Leading the Harlan team as engagement center director will be industry veteran, Gene Gettys.  Gene brings more than 20 years of operations management and leadership experience to ACCENT.  He has spent the last thirteen years managing licensed and non-licensed call center operations on behalf of a leading insurance solutions provider where he was responsible for site operations, including production, learning and development, operations support and licensing.  During his tenure, Gene managed the expansion and operations of call centers in three regions, diversified revenue streams from a fee-for-service to performance-based structure and managed a budget of $7 million annually.  His career background includes a variety of sales and operational roles of increasing responsibility for Jacobs Corporation, Premier Business Solutions, Inc., and The Principal Financial Group.

"ACCENT is a forward-thinking and fast-growing company with a near obsession for delivering outstanding customer and employee engagement," commented Gene Gettys, ACCENT's Harlan engagement center director.  "I couldn't be more excited to join such an outstanding organization, which is well-known throughout the industry as a symbol of excellence and success."

About ACCENT Marketing Services, LLC
ACCENT, a member of the MDC Partners Network, is the performance marketing company for brands that need to maximize their ability to engage with consumers and influence behavior, while generating a better return on their investment.  The company's data-driven approach transforms customer service touchpoints across voice, online and social media channels into powerful relationship and brand-building tools.   Founded in 1993, ACCENT employs more than 2,500 people across the United States, Jamaica and the Philippines.  For more information, visit www.accentonline.com.

SOURCE ACCENT Marketing Services, LLC