LES BAER

9112 Potomac Ridge Road,Great Falls, VA 22066

703.759.0609 703.728.5684 (m)
email: lb620e78@westpost.net
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Senior Customer Service, Program Management & Operations Executive
Respected senior manager with distinguished career in high-level Customer Servic
e, Program Management and Operations positions. Proven leader with ability to pl
an and achieve results, and develop and mentor teams in multiple groups concurre
ntly. Extensive experience launching and supporting new products and services in
diverse consumer, business and technology environments. Skilled in improving u
ser experience and customer service quality, and in directing contact center, in
ternet and field operations. Recent entrepreneur in global sourcing of customer
care, technology and business services, with focus on business development, acco
unt management, project performance and customer experience.
Core competencies include:
Customer Service & Program Management
Contract Center & Outsourcing Management
Account & Partner Management
Planning & Staff Development
Budgeting & Financial Management
Logistics & Global Sourcing
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
gShare, LLC, McLean, VA, 2006-2010
CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR
Co-managed and led business development efforts for this global sourcing company
in all phases since inception. gShare provided customized solutions to growth c
ompanies in resource evaluations, sourcing options, and outsourcing migration an
d implementation. gShare assisted its clients to outsource Information Technolog
y, customer care and other business services with local and off shore partners.
gShare management responsibilities included account and contract management, f
inance and service provider selection, quality and performance. For portfolio of
services, see www.gsharenet.com.
America Online, Inc., Dulles, VA, 1995-2005
DIRECTOR, MEMBER RETENTION (2002 2005)
DIRECTOR, MEMBER SERVICES (2000 2002)
GENERAL MANAGER, COMPUSERVE MEMBER SERVICES (1998 1999)
DIRECTOR, STUDIO OPERATIONS, AOL PRODUCTIONS (1995 1998)
Progressed through multiple senior-level roles during ten+ year career at AOL. A
s Director, Member Retention, deployed key member retention initiatives through
3000 customer care representatives in 14 owned and outsourced U.S. and off sho
re contact centers. Program managed product and price field tests, and enterpris
e wide roll outs. Successful implementations required integrating CRM, billing s
ystems, incentives and compensation, developing and delivering phone support tra
ining, and communications for partner and owned centers. Implemented new Sales S
upport organization to improve retention queue customer service and sales perfor
mance. Developed acquisition and retention direct mail, online and contact cente
r campaigns for CompuServe and Netscape brands as well.
As Director, Member Services, responsible for critical AOL Member Services funct
ions concurrently. Managed technical team responsible for telephony vendors and
infrastructure for 100 million inbound calls per year, including hardware instal
lation and maintenance support in U.S. and offshore facilities. Managed remote C
RM software development team of 16 creating phone support workflows for 10,000 U
.S. and international users. Managed 24 x 7 NOC Help Desk team. Developed suppor
t structure for new-to-market DSL, cable and satellite high-speed services, and
served as liaison with Time Warner Cable following AOL Time Warner merger.
First General Manager of CompuServe Member Services following AOL acquisition in
1998; planned and directed all customer support operations for two million+ Com
puServe members. Responsible for all customer care metrics and performance impro
vement, service delivery in owned and outsourced contact centers, member retenti
on, agent training, and technical and billing support queues. Primary customer s
ervice interface with AOL and CompuServe senior staff. Developed and managed $50
million+ budget. Began AOL career as Director of Studio Operations for newly cr
eated AOL Productions group; directed operations, finance and traffic for centra
lized AOL service content production staff of 150.
Selected AOL accomplishments:
Conceptualized, launched and directed AOL In Home Support on a full national bas
is; trained and managed third-party service company to install and troubleshoot
DSL and home networking connections for over 100,000 AOL member home visits in 2
000-2003.
As part of overall member retention strategy, introduced multiple product and pr
ice initiatives, including: low-cost PCs designed specifically for AOL members,
reduced price commitment plans, lower cost ISP alternatives, outbound telemarket
ing programs, and free modems for members with connectivity problems.
Tested and launched price plans and contact center incentives that increased pai
d membership by 400,000 in 2004, improved company OIBDA by $50 million, and migr
ated one million members to churn reducing commitment plans while improving cust
omer satisfaction with keep it real campaign.

Prior background includes Vice President, Operations, Redgate Communications, Ve

ro Beach, FL, 1992-1995, a New Media Marketing company acquired by AOL in 1994.
Produced and distributed live interactive television programming via satellite t
o high-profile technology press, analysts and broadcasters. Recruited, installed
and maintained over 150 VIP audience locations for the IIN network. Directed Re
dgate creative agency traffic and external print production activities.
Created customer service, installation and logistics organizations as Director,
Program Management, Private Satellite Network, Inc., NY, NY, providing business
television, distance learning and data services to large corporations and govern
ment agencies, and Director, Field Services, United Satellite Communications, I
nc., NY, NY, the first large scale consumer based direct broadcast satellite (
DBS) service. Held marketing and operations positions with the General Cinema Co
rporation Beverage Division, MA & FL, nations largest independent Pepsi Cola bot
tler, following MBA program.
EDUCATION
MBA, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA
MA, Near Eastern Languages and Literatures, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, M
I
BA, Economics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI