# Stephen Cosgrove, M.A. > Senior Product Manager | Conversation Design, Product Growth, UX Writing, Content Design, Subscription Services Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/stephencosgrovema At Volley, we are pushing the boundaries of user experience (UX) innovation, leading to a 30% boost in conversion and retention rates. Our team's dedication to enhancing digital media access has been pivotal, with a strategy that increased engagement metrics significantly. Leveraging my expertise in product vision and funnel optimization, our efforts have culminated in a 40% rise in content strategy performance for subscription services. The goal is clear: to ensure digital media is as intuitive and engaging as ever, setting new standards in the voice-UI landscape. ## Work Experience ### Principal Conversation Designer @ Salesforce Jan 2025 – Present - Lead conversation design for Salesforce’s website AI agent, improving clarity, tone, and task completion across sales, product exploration, and support-adjacent intents. - Developed escalation flows that increased qualified sales handoffs and reduced support-seeking dead ends by grounding prompts in user intent rather than generic call-to-action triggers. - Created frameworks for intent recognition, routing logic, and moment-level scoring to better distinguish top-of-funnel curiosity from high-intent buying signals. - Partnered with PMs, engineers, and data teams to refine instruction sets, guardrails, and behavior models across releases, driving measurable improvements in relevance and lead capture. - Improved agent handling of ambiguous, conceptual, and comparison queries through updated taxonomy guidance and instruction rewrites. - Designed conversation patterns that strengthened brand trust, reduced confusion, and aligned the agent’s voice with Salesforce’s product positioning. - Introduced qualitative feedback loops and utterance-pattern analysis to identify adoption gaps, friction points, and optimization opportunities. - Helped evolve the agent from a passive support persona to a proactive digital rep that guides users toward solutions, content, and sales pathways. ### Senior Product Manager/Conversation Designer @ Volley Jan 2021 – Jan 2024 | San Francisco Bay Area - Led a high-performing product team comprising product managers, data analysts, and engineers, driving growth and innovation. - Developed and executed comprehensive product roadmaps, achieving a 30% increase in conversion and retention rates through strategic planning and execution. - Created and implemented a content strategy that enhanced daily retention and payment metrics by 40% for audiobook and podcast subscription services. - Adapted and optimized voice-first user experiences for visual user interfaces, ensuring seamless cross-platform usability. - Designed and refined user experience and conversational flows for voice-controlled games and entertainment applications, improving user engagement and satisfaction. - Cultivated a collaborative and dynamic team culture, fostering open communication and creative problem-solving. - Worked closely with the Head of Growth and Marketing to craft an integrated onboarding process, aligning it with multiple marketing campaigns for a cohesive user experience. - Conducted over 50 A/B tests to assess and enhance feature performance, achieving an 81% success rate in optimizing user interactions and product features. - Managed product and feature development using Linear and Jira, ensuring timely and effective delivery of high-quality solutions. ### Conversation Designer @ The Select Group @ Apple Jan 2021 – Jan 2021 -Designed internal HR chatbot ### Conversation Designer @ Viv Labs (via Workdlink) Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco Bay Area - Craft compelling, helpful, natural dialog for Bixby voice assistant - Design user experiences available on over a billion devices around the world - Work with international teams to ensure consistent product style and persona across languages - Develop dialog for smart devices (mobile, refrigerator, TV, smart watches, speaker) and IOT platforms - Create best-use practices and guidelines for independent developers - Integrate third-party platforms into Bixby Marketplace, working with product managers, developers and visual designers ### Lead UX Writer—Bixby Labs @ Samsung Research America (via Nytec) Jan 2017 – Jan 2020 | Mountain View, California - Direct production of interactive stories, jokes, and games for virtual assistant - Develop and create conversation style guides to ensure consistency across different products - Design dialogues and conversations for voice user interfaces on IoT devices, mobile platforms, smart speakers and smartwatches - Work with different stakeholders to create presentations, surveys, and guidelines for internal and external audiences ### Content Analyst @ Yahoo (via Manpower Group) Jan 2016 – Jan 2017 | Sunnyvale, CA - Develop dialogue to teach computers how to have a conversation. - Build databases to facilitate improved search visibility for business services. - Evaluate user intent to judge effectiveness of search and advertising results to improve user experience. - Improve monetization of advertisements related to search queries by identifying and removing irrelevant results. - Judge content test guidelines to improve search evaluation processes for users and communicate findings to production team. - Edit internet databases using CSS. ### Middle School Teacher @ Crescent Montessori Jan 2015 – Jan 2017 - Created curriculum to instruct a class of sixth, seventh, and eighth graders based on principles of the Montessori Method. - Collaborated with school director, fellow teachers, and school board to promote a positive learning environment. - Applied understanding of physical, emotional, and cognitive development for adolescents to create and provide relevant class instruction. - Evaluated students based on scholastic and collegial performance, providing critical feedback and direction. ### Lecturer @ Sonoma State University Jan 2014 – Jan 2015 | Rohnert Park, CA - Composed college-level instruction for undergraduate students. - Coordinated with professor and graduate colleagues to construct college-level composition instruction. - Modeled skills needed for thinking, writing, and presenting in collegiate and business settings. ### Restaurant Supervisor and Server @ Marriott International Jan 2006 – Jan 2015 | Renaissance Lodge at Sonoma -Managed three outlets and a staff of 40 at a luxury resort, adhering to corporate hospitality standards. -Increased department staff service scores by over 150 percent in three months by initiating several programs to remedy negative customer satisfaction scores. -Organized and provided training for staff members. -Maintained schedule, payroll, and inventory for department. -Cultivated effective work environment, emphasizing positive personal relationships. -Fostered brand in the corporation, elevating company status while developing sustaining business relationships in the community. -Delivered outstanding wine-country dining experience at high-volume venue by acquiring comprehensive knowledge of food, wine, and spirits; and coordinating food service with kitchen staff. -Increased revenue by forming positive relationships with guests, thereby creating repeat clientele for restaurant and hotel. -Exceeded standards for service in department ranked #1 in customer service for brand in 2009. ### Writer @ The Sonoma Index-Tribune Jan 2011 – Jan 2012 -Wrote first-person accounts of experience with natural beauty of Northern California in weekly blog. ### Server @ Mary's Pizza Shack Jan 2004 – Jan 2006 -Served high quality, Italian-style comfort food at family restaurant in internationally recognized tourist location. -Exemplified professional workplace demeanor when interacting with customers and coworkers in high-stress, point-of-sale position. -Promoted brand initiatives by becoming familiar with new products and procedures. ### Sports Reporter @ The Daily Republic Jan 2005 – Jan 2006 -Reported on high school and college sports on tight deadlines at daily newspaper. -Communicated comprehensive first-hand accounts of sporting events through interviews with participants, coaches, and spectators. -Adhered to AP style to effectively create clear, concise copy. ### Aerospace Maintenance Technician @ United States Air Force Jan 2000 – Jan 2004 -Maintained multi-million dollar aircraft. -Prepared aircraft for missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. -Trained and supervised apprentice-level technicians. ## Education ### Master’s Degree in English Sonoma State University ### B.A in English, History Sonoma State University ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-cosgrove-m-a-7991a19 --- Source: https://flows.cv/stephencosgrovema JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/stephencosgrovema/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-07