NCSA Web-Ed Series
Monthly webinars enriching customer service professionals worldwide
Each month, NCSA hosts expert-led webinars on critical topics shaping customer service excellence. Every session includes a live Q&A, giving participants the chance to engage directly with industry leaders. Have a topic suggestion? Email us at info@nationalcsa.com.
These live webinars are free and open to all. For exclusive access to our library of past webinar recordings join NCSA today!
What does employee engagement have to do with exceptional customer service? Quite a lot. Contact centers cannot consistently deliver outstanding experiences when their workforce is disengaged, undertrained, or constantly changing. This session explores how organizations can strengthen employee engagement and retention—and, in turn, build more capable and committed teams that deliver better service to customers
Guillermo Baena and Mark Schlesinger of Lighthouse Works will examine the difference between employee engagement and motivation and explore practical strategies for strengthening commitment and retention. Topics will include equity versus equality, training and recognition, belonging, accessible technology, and opportunities for career growth and advancement.
Using Lighthouse Works as a real-world example, Guillermo and Mark will also explore how quality assurance can be transformed from a tool for evaluating employees into an opportunity for coaching and professional development, and how technology and effective workforce management can support both employees and operational performance. Attendees will leave with practical ideas for creating a more engaged, stable, and customer-focused workforce.
About the Speakers
Guillermo Baena
Guillermo Baena is an Account Executive at Lighthouse Works, a mission-driven social enterprise in Orlando that provides business solutions while creating meaningful employment opportunities for professionals who are blind or visually impaired. In his role, he develops relationships with businesses, government agencies, and community organizations, helping them identify contact center, technology, supply chain, and digital accessibility solutions that improve operational performance and customer service.
An economist by training, Guillermo brings more than 12 years of experience spanning business development, project management, fundraising, executive recruitment, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement in the United States and Venezuela. His multidisciplinary career has given him a distinctive perspective on business strategy, workforce development, customer experience, inclusion, and community impact.
Blind and having lived with significant vision loss since birth, Guillermo is also a passionate advocate for accessibility, equity, and meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities. He is an elected member of the Accreditation Committee of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired and has served on the boards of Vision Forward and the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra. A bilingual speaker, Guillermo holds a degree in Economics from Universidad Central de Venezuela, along with certifications in project management, nonprofit fundraising and grant writing, and life coaching.
Mark Schlesinger
Mark Schlesinger is Vice President of Contact Center Solutions at Lighthouse Works and brings more than 25 years of executive and operational leadership experience across first-party and BPO contact center environments. His career spans financial services, healthcare, travel, hospitality, entertainment, and other customer-focused industries, including work supporting leading brands such as Disney, Universal Destinations, United Airlines, IHG Hotels, Fiserv, JPMorgan Chase, and GE Capital/Synchrony Bank.
