Open to opportunities

Zanele Banda

@zanelebanda

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Customer Support Team Leader specializing in CRM escalations, SLAs, and multilingual service.

Zimbabwe

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What I'm looking for

I’m looking for a role where I can lead customer support with strong ownership of SLA-driven escalations, use Zendesk/CRM tools to improve resolution quality, and coach a distributed team to deliver multilingual, high-volume excellence.

I’m a customer support professional with 8+ years of experience delivering high-quality service in fast-paced, high-volume environments. I resolve complex escalations, manage SLAs, and drive process improvements through digital tools and distributed-team workflows—especially in Zendesk and CRM platforms. Fluent in English with professional proficiency in Zulu, Sotho, and Sepedi, I connect effectively with diverse international customer bases.

As a Team Leader — Customer Support at Shop2Shop, I oversee Zendesk queue monitoring, ticket triage, and SLA adherence across a distributed team. I lead quality assurance assessments and coaching to improve first-contact resolution, coordinate cross-department escalations as the primary bridge to internal operations, and ensure zero downtime through pre-shift testing of support lines and internal tools. Previously, I handled high-volume customer queries in defined SLA windows, and I also bring end-to-end customer service depth from my work as a Travel Specialist and Reservations Administrator.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Team Leader — Customer Support

Current

Shop2Shop

Aug 2023 - Present (2 years 10 months)

Led Zendesk queue monitoring and ticket triage across a distributed support team, ensuring timely resolutions and SLA adherence. Managed QA coaching, cross-department escalations, and shift scheduling to balance workload during peak periods.

Zendesk SLA Management Escalation Management Quality Assurance Coaching Queue Management Shift Scheduling Customer Support Operations

Escalations Support Specialist

Shop2Shop

Jan 2023 - Jul 2023 (6 months)

Resolved high volumes of customer queries via Zendesk and phone within defined SLA windows, achieving top-tier satisfaction scores. Delivered multilingual support (Zulu, Sotho, Sepedi) and escalated recurring issue patterns to leadership for process improvements.

Zendesk Customer Support SLA Phone Support Escalation Management Multilingual Support Customer Satisfaction Process Improvement CRM

Travel Specialist

andBeyond

Jan 2021 - Dec 2022 (1 year 11 months)

Created bespoke travel itineraries for international individual and group clients, managing end-to-end bookings including reservations, invoicing, confirmations, and post-booking support. Upsold premium travel packages and handled special requirements to maintain high client satisfaction.

Travel Booking itinerary planning Reservations Management Invoicing Customer Support Upselling Email Support Phone Support Client Relationship Management Multi Leg Coordination

Reservations Administrator

andBeyond

Jul 2018 - Dec 2020 (2 years 5 months)

Managed a high-volume central reservations inbox, triaging requests and delegating them to travel specialists. Served as a first point of contact for stakeholders while maintaining confidentiality and supporting weekly and monthly performance reporting.

Confidentiality Reporting Customer Service Delegators Email Support Operations & Support

Risk Operations Administrator

PriKud Technologies

Jul 2014 - Jun 2018 (3 years 11 months)

Managed inventory and produced operational reports for internal and external stakeholders. Developed operational manuals and supported process improvement initiatives to streamline workflows and reduce operational inefficiencies.

Inventory Management Operational Reporting Process documentation SOP Development Workflow Optimization Risk Operations Operations & Support