Ngage Live Chat was founded in 2008. We initially launched Ngage on a single client website, knowing very little at the time about how live chat might work. Our goal was simply to help increase conversion rates and generate more leads … and, of course, to refine our product.
Since those early days, we have handled more than 6 million chats and have learned what works and what doesn’t. As a result of continuous improvements, our clients have received more leads from their websites and Ngage has experienced tremendous growth. The feedback we receive from clients confirms that Ngage Live Chat delivers results.
If you are looking for an edge in your digital marketing, and a way to increase conversion rates on your website, test out Ngage Live Chat today.
Our Management Team
Mark Shepherd
President
Mark Shepherd is the President of Ngage and is responsible for the growth of new business,
as well as making sure all of our clients get the most out of their live chat service. Mark has helped
thousands of law firms and businesses convert more of their web visitors into potential clients. Mark
received his undergraduate degree from Baylor University, where he majored in business management.
Immediately after, he received an MBA with an emphasis in marketing. While in school, Mark competed on
the men’s basketball team. He walked on as a freshman, earned a scholarship as a sophomore, and was team
captain as a senior. Mark led the Bears from one of the worst scandals in NCAA history to Baylor’s first
NCAA tournament appearance in 20 years.
“I encourage everyone around me, coworkers and business partners, to compete every single
day.”
When not at work, Mark spends his free time enjoying the city of Austin. He likes spending
time on the lake, seeing live music, and eating Tex-Mex. He also loves fishing and playing sports.
Alex Hambrick
Vice President
As Vice President of Ngage Legal, Alex trains, manages and oversees the team of Account
Managers for our numerous law firm clients. One of his main goals is to ensure that the account managers
uphold key values of our company: respect, honesty and transparency. He firmly believes in the value of
setting proper expectations and never promising more than what can be delivered. Additionally, he is
responsible for developing and managing mutually beneficial strategic partnerships with other companies
whose clients might find Ngage to be a welcome addition. “I think that the simple act of being honest
and realistic with our clients can work wonders to set us apart from the pack. Being upfront about the
risks and limitations creates an environment of trust and respect, which is much more effective and
rewarding than simply saying whatever it takes to get the next client in the door.”
Previously, Alex has a diverse background that has covered many industries. At various
points in his career, Alex has been a pharmacy technician, a carpenter, and even an assistant at a
professional time management and organization company.
Outside of the office, Alex is an avid barbecuer and will generally tell anyone who
listens that his brisket is now officially “award winning” (at least according to the International
Barbecue Cookers Association.) Additionally, he has an unnatural fondness for baseball statistics (and
baseball in general). When he is not watching the Red Sox spend millions of dollars on underperforming
pitchers, he can usually be found arms deep in Excel spreadsheets filled with funny-sounding numbers
such as wOBA and BABIP.
Aaron Dillon
Vice President of Operations
As the Vice President of Operations for Ngage Live Chat, Aaron oversees a team in charge
of the technical back-end setup and maintenance of Ngage functionality on our clients’ sites. Aaron
personally handles split testing and product development and acts as interdivisional liaison between
operations, accounting, and sales. He holds a B.S. in Aviation Sciences with a minor in Business
Administration and is a commercially licensed helicopter pilot. When not at work, Aaron spends the
majority of his time with his wonderful wife, Joni, and their two young sons. He enjoys cooking and jazz
music, is obsessed with University of Texas football, and has competed in national pool tournaments.
Erik Pyykonen
Director of Ngage
As Director of Ngage Medical, Erik oversees the Ngage Medical team and is responsible for
developing and managing strategic partnerships with businesses in the medical industry that benefit from
the Ngage system. Erik joined Ngage Medical in its infancy and has played an essential role growing the
division to over 300 installations on medical websites. Prior to working at Ngage, Erik had a diverse
career. He has worked as a grocery store clerk in Wisconsin, as a bartender in Japan, and most recently
as a web manager for the Chicago Bears.
In his free time, Erik enjoys exploring the nightlife of Austin, TX. He is a lover of the
arts and great food. When not attending a concert or film retrospective, Erik likes watching football,
always rooting for his favorite team – The Green Bay Packers.
Tom Paci
Director of Ngage
Tom Paci moved to Austin, Texas after studying Advertising and Public Relations at
Michigan
State University. In 2012, Tom joined Ngage Live Chat, and many of his original clients are still with
him
today. Tom helps hundreds of law firms, doctors, and other businesses convert their website traffic into
new
clients.
“Honesty and building lasting client relationships has always been my primary focus.
Long-time
clients have told me, ‘I’ve never felt burned by Ngage. You’ve always been straight with me, easy to get
a
hold of, and fair.'”
He is passionate about food and live music, so the move to Austin was a natural fit. In
his
free time, Tom loves to cook, especially homemade pasta dishes, and discover up-and-coming music acts
with
his wife, Amy. On Sundays, Tom can be found barbecuing ribs and cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers with
family.
Roberto Berni
Director of International Operations
As operations manager, Roberto oversees the team of Ngage operators who make the 24 hour
operation go, and is responsible for improving and refining the product to meet the needs of our
clients. In addition to overseeing the operations, Roberto has the tough job of mitigating all the
“ideas” (from internal and external sources) to improve the live chat experience, and then testing the
good ideas and measuring whether the improvements actually improve conversion/customer experience.
Roberto graduated from St. Edwards University with a BA in Political Science and a focus
on public policy.
Despite living in the wonderful city that is Austin TX, Roberto loves to travel and is
always in search of great food and great stories. He is also not shy about proclaiming his love for his
favorite joke of a football team, the Dallas Cowboys.
Amie Portis
Director of Business Development
Amie Portis and her team work with hundreds of law firms throughout North America. She
also works closely with marketing firms that serve the legal community. Converting traffic to inquiries,
and inquiries into clients is the goal that Amie helps all our clients achieve; and while Ngagelive is
central to this process Amie’s expertise extends beyond live chat into many other facets of the
conversion process. “I try to approach each of my clients in a way that acts in their best interest —
by placing myself in their shoes.”
Amie graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BA in Sociology and studied
abroad in Costa Rica. She is also a licensed Texas Real Estate Agent. Amie spends most of her time with
her two daughters, ages 9 and 11. They constantly keep her on her toes, and Amie always has the funniest
stories to share. Besides her children, some of her most favorite things are investment real estate,
college football, the stock market, fast cars and collecting high heels.
