SARA GARDINIER
EXPERIENCE
PRODUCT MANAGER
W.W. Norton, November 2022 - June 2024
Drove the vision and strategy for proprietary eCommerce tools; oversaw the completion of a years long effort to reduce manual metadata entry and solidify a “single source of truth” strategy
Oversaw the research and development of two new API-based services used to power eCommerce functionality
Used customer surveys, Jobs to be Done interviews, and Google Analytics data to discover a new strategy and develop a tool for publishing Instructor Resources products
Led a cross-functional team through the development life-cycle for both eCommerce and Instructor Resources products
Worked closely with the UX Director and Customer Experience Leaders to identify customer concerns, pain points, and areas of opportunity via data analysis, feedback sessions, and service records
Worked with partners in DevOps to guide my team through a transition from a manual deployment process to CI/CD processes
Developed 6-month, 12-month, and 5 year roadmaps for each of my products, updating them quarterly based on new learnings and business developments
Attended daily standups, facilitated cross-functional team meetings, and led projects tied to my product areas
PRODUCT MANAGER
Research Square Company, December 2021- November 2022
Drove the vision and strategy for aje.com, which is responsible for 90% of all company revenue; Lead discovery and implementation for a large-scale redesign to increase customer conversion
Created and managed the vision and strategy for a new unified rewards program; bringing the referral and loyalty programs under one system, making them easier to use, creating affordability opportunities for low-funding researchers, and driving increased customer lifetime value
Used Agile methodologies to oversee process improvement work for the Peer Review Service; reducing manual task costs by almost 50%
Managed multiple professional and digital products & programs through the development lifecycle
Collaborated cross-functionally to discover opportunities, validate assumptions, and test solutions with customers
Worked closely with the Head of VoC and UX team to identify user concerns, pain points, and areas of opportunity
Developed 6 and 12-month roadmaps for each of my products, updating them quarterly based on new learnings and business developments
Attended daily standups, facilitated cross-functional team meetings, and led projects tied to my product areas
CUSTOMER SUPPORT TEAM MANAGER, II
Research Square Company, April 2019- December 2021
Led a team of multi-lingual agents providing first-in-class technical support to academic researchers around the globe
Coached and motivated our team to exceed our KPIs (98% CSAT, 99% FRT) through varied strategies, including: process efficiencies, improved tooling, and additional training
Led a year-long project to research, develop, and launch a Customer Success business function
Coordinated across the company on new professional product roll-outs such as our Standard Translation and Grant Services products
Hired, onboarded, and trained new customer support agents; provided weekly 1:1 coaching sessions for each employee so they could further their development
Served in a leadership role on our DEI committee
CUSTOMER SERVICE LEAD
Cotton Bureau, Sept 2013-Jan 2019
Oversaw all aspects of the customer experience, including advocating for customers with regard to user experience and accessibility of our website and physical products
Developed business policies related to customer issues and wrote and maintained our help documents
Responded to all customer requests via email, social media, or phone within one business day (averaging one customer request per every five orders)
Assisted with the research, development, and launch of a brand new apparel line, Blank
Hired, onboarded, and trained new customer service agents while providing weekly coaching sessions
EDUCATION
OHIO UNIVERSITY
Bachelor of Science, Retail Merchandising
CERTIFICATIONS
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt - 2022
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) - 2023