Outreach Telecom & Energy LLC has purchased master agency KeaneTel and, together, the companies say they aim to heighten the level of service given to agents and suppliers.
Terms of the acquisition, announced on Wednesday, were not disclosed. KeaneTel now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Outreach T&E but that’s all that changes, said Peter Keane, former majority owner, founder and president of KeaneTel. Keane also owns Outreach T&E. He'll be joined in the new venture by Joel Allinson, who's coming from the management department of XO Communications’ channel program. Allinson and Keane have known one another for several years; combined, they boast more than 30 years’ telecom experience.
All of KeaneTel’s contracts with agents, vendors and customers remain “in full force,” Keane said, while Outreach T&E will take on KeaneTel’s obligations. That means KeaneTel agents will continue to sell VoIP, voice, data and Internet services, as well as IP PBX gear and deregulated electricity and natural gas, to business customers for Outreach T&E.
When it comes to commissions, Keane said Outreach T&E shares in agents’ sales.
“As the agent sells the business end user, they earn commissions,” he explained. “They and Outreach split the commissions. Outreach provides them the supplier contracts, back-office services and support such as price quotes, order processing and commission reporting and payments, by way of our portion of the commission split. While no payment is actually made by the agent to Outreach, we do benefit from the split, which we think of as being equivalent to a ‘payment’.”
Keane added that Outreach T&E also intends to strengthen ties with suppliers and carriers, perhaps a novel move at a time when many agents are unhappy with some service providers’ channel contracts.
"Suppliers ‘buy’ our ability to sell, support and maintain customers for them,” Keane said. "They are truly our customer, as they pay us to provide this service. We are determined to change the dynamics between suppliers and business services master agencies."
Outreach T&E is based in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., with KeaneTel headquartered in Atco, N.J.
