With over 30 years of experience in the high technology and software development industry, Paul has held numerous positions in customer services, support and marketing. Experience includes front line technical support (levels 1, 2 and 3), support team lead, manager of international support, service business development manager, marketing manager and director of solutions marketing.

Paul’s wide ranging experience includes creation of support center policies and procedures, integration of multiple support centers, selection and development of Knowledge Management Systems, quality assurance processes, implementation of sophisticated Service Management Systems, support marketing strategy and collateral development, new service development and launch, and services marketing.

Before founding Optimal Connections, LLC in 2002, Paul held key service & support positions with Motorola, FileNET, and QAD. In terms of education, Paul hold’s a Bachelors in International Relations and a Masters in Business Administration. As a contributing member of HDI, Paul was a team leader in updating the HDI Support Center Certification (SCC) standards in 2004. In 2005, Paul also led the team to update the HDI Customer Service Specialist (CSS) and Support Center Analyst (SCA) Standards.

Recently published articles or white papers include "How to Market the Value of Your Support", "7 Steps to Exceptional Customer Service", and “ISO 9000 and HDI Support Center Certification: Complimentary Approaches”. Paul is also active in industry organizations, including HDI, itSMF, ITIM, and the ASP. He currently serves as Advisor to the Orange County HDI Chapter (www.ochdi.com).

HDI certifications include Support Center Analyst (SCA), Support Center Team Lead (SCTL), Support Center Manager (SCM), Certified Instructor (CI), and Certified Support Center Auditor. Paul is also ITIL Foundations and Practitioner Certified (Service Desk and Incident Mgt.).