ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 26 - Tammy L. Artusa, a customer service representative with Seely & Durland Inc. in Warwick, N.Y., has been named the 2002 National Accredited Customer Service Representative (ACSR) of the Year by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA).

Artusa has been employed by Seely & Durland for more than 10 years and has worked in the independent agency system for more than 13 years. She was selected as the honoree based on the outstanding individual contributions she has made to her agency, community, and the insurance industry as well as the strength of her recommendations and personal essay on customer service.

The IIABA National ACSR of the Year Award recognizes the value that customer service representatives bring to the independent agency system and the millions of consumers it serves.

“There are more than 200,000 customer service representatives around the country who, day in and day out, are attentively serving consumers who use the independent agency system for their insurance and financial services needs,” says Madelyn Flannagan, IIABA vice president of education & research. “It is quite a tribute to Tammy’s outstanding dedication and work ethic that she has set herself apart from such a large and talented pool of CSRs.”

Artusa receives a cash prize of $1,500, registration for one CPCU or IIA course administered by the American Institute for CPCU/IIA, and a plaque commemorating her achievement.

CSRs often coordinate two roles within an independent agency: assisting agents in researching and providing the best combination of price, coverage and service to their clients; and being the agency “point person” for handling coverage questions, complaints, claims and policy changes. The average independent agency represents eight insurance companies and thousands of clients, so providing these services is no small task.

“Through her commitment to her customers and her continuing-education success, Tammy was promoted to a CSR supervisory position this year as she clearly went above and beyond her regular CSR duties,” Flannagan says. “We are very pleased to have such a knowledgeable and helpful worker as this year’s honoree.”

To be eligible for the ACSR of the Year Award, nominees must hold the ACSR designation from IIABA and uphold the professional standards for which ACSR designees are recognized.

The ACSR accreditation is an international designation program developed and administered by IIABA for the promotion and recognition of customer service expertise throughout the independent agency system. More than 13,000 ACSR designations have been conferred on customer service representatives during the past 11 years, making IIABA’s program the largest CSR training program in the country. In addition, ACSR courses are approved in most states for continuing-education credit toward agent licensing renewal.

Founded in 1896, IIABA is the nation’s oldest and largest national association of independent insurance agents and brokers, representing a network of more than 300,000 agents, brokers and their employees nationally. Its members are businesses that offer customers a choice of policies from a variety of insurance companies. Independent agents and brokers offer all lines of insurance—property, casualty, life and health—as well as employee benefit plans and retirement products. Web address: www.independentagent.com.

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