Thembisile Shongwe

03/2023 – 31/03/2025

Service Desk Team Manager, Pink Elephant Sandton

Executed team-related Human Resource activities including staff
recruitment, leave management, and performance management.
Oversaw the seamless onboarding and offboarding process of new staff
members, ensuring positive experiences for both clients and employees.
Devised, published, and managed the monthly staff roster, aligning it with
customer needs, peak periods, and South African labour laws.
Motivated Service Desk staff to excel in daily performance against
established targets, ensuring a high level of team engagement and
productivity.
Facilitated the fair application of reward and recognition schemes, as well
as disciplinary processes, to promote a culture of fairness and
accountability.
Identified training and development requirements for team members,
formulating actionable plans to drive skill enhancement and professional
growth.
Cultivated a high-performance team environment through continuous
improvement initiatives and employee support.
Ensured staff had the necessary resources and access to tools and client
systems to perform their roles effectively, maintaining operational
efficiency.
Acted as the primary escalation point for staff, liaising directly with the
Service Delivery Manager to achieve common goals focused on customer
service excellence.
Managed the flow of compliments and complaints from clients, providing
valuable insights to the Service Delivery Manager for customer feedback.
Trained staff on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), ensuring
adherence to processes relevant to Service Desk operations, with signed
confirmations from all team members.
Reviewed and updated Service Desk SOPs to incorporate input from
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) or the Service Delivery Manager, storing
them in designated locations such as the ITSM Tool, SharePoint, or shared
drives.
Operationally managed service delivery concerning Service Desk
objectives, meeting SLAs and KPIs including ASA, Queue Wait Time,
MTTR, and FCR.
Sustained elevated levels of customer satisfaction by optimising the
utilisation of toolsets, adhering to Service Desk standards, and following
client-specific processes.
Identified, escalated, and implemented actions to mitigate operational
risks, constructing daily and weekly client performance dashboards in line
with agreed metrics.
Enhanced the quality of output from the team and individual agents,
collaborating with the Quality Assurance Analyst based on reports
provided.
Ensured team compliance with QA requirements regarding call handling
and ticket management as outlined in the Customer Scorecard.
Partnered with the Quality Assurance Analyst to uphold high-quality service
standards through participation in calibration sessions and scheduling
relevant training for staff.
Provided operational insights to upper management to facilitate informed
decision-making regarding contract renewals.
Facilitated communication between 2nd Line Support and Development
teams within the client environment, assisting in identifying and resolving
known and unknown service desk issues.

09/2020 – 03/2023

Contact Centre Team Lead, 

GPT Linbro Park
Implemented and achieved Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for all
projects, ensuring timely and quality service delivery.
Established control measures to guarantee swift query resolution and
prompt feedback within prescribed SLAs.
Managed the call logging process to maintain accuracy and
responsiveness.
Oversaw data integrity for all customer-related information entered into the
system.
Provided daily visibility on SLAs for major customers, ensuring
transparency and accountability.
Compiled and presented monthly reports on service provision and valueadded metrics to guide clients effectively.
Documented policies and procedures on the intranet for easy staff access
and adherence.
Monitored all customer portals to ensure seamless access and
functionality.
Participated in review meetings to address missed SLAs and their
justifications, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Monitored incoming calls and emails, addressing complaints/escalations,
troubleshooting issues, and offering relevant information.
Managed the departmental mailbox for all client queries, ensuring all calls
were logged by the end of the business day.
Mentored staff, facilitating promotions, and professional advancement.

09/2017 – 08/2020

Service Desk Team Lead
Hemmersbach South Africa
Midrand

Led daily operations within the IT Service Desk Department, driving
efficiency and service excellence.
Ensured SLAs were consistently met across all projects managed by the
team.
Supervised a team of 8 Service Desk Agents, promoting accountability and
proactive problem solving.
Encouraged staff to take ownership of user issues, fostering a proactive
approach to customer service.
Provided regular and constructive feedback to clients based on service
delivery metrics.
Generated daily reports on open tickets, reporting key findings to Service
Delivery Managers in a timely manner.
Evaluated and addressed high-priority calls and requests from the client,
ensuring rapid response times.
Handled escalations from customers, processing them efficiently to
maintain service integrity and customer satisfaction.
Established collaborative relationships with third-party vendors to expedite
the resolution of escalated incidents and queries.
Promoted a customer-first culture within the team through effective
leadership and guidance.
Managed operational aspects of service assignments with the Service
Desk team, ensuring deliverables met client expectations.
Coordinated the planning of new projects, ensuring alignment with
departmental objectives.
Trained new and existing staff on the policies related to new projects,
fostering a knowledgeable and compliant team.
Monitored progress on new initiatives, providing feedback and adjustments
as necessary.
Compiled comprehensive reports for Service Delivery Managers, offering
insights into performance metrics and operational effectiveness.
Oversaw client escalations, organising ticketing and product training
workshops to enhance staff skills.
Developed training materials for educating staff on new projects and
policies

02/2013 – 08/2017

Helpdesk Team Leader, 

Net1 Technologies Rosebank

Managed the resolution of unauthorised deduction reversals, improving
customer trust.
Logged incidents for merchant equipment malfunctions, contributing to a
streamlined troubleshooting process.
Compiled daily, weekly, and monthly reports detailing departmental queries
for management review.
Generated quality assurance reports to assess team performance and
service delivery standards.
Delegated daily tasks effectively while providing support to team members
with their queries.
Escalated customer complaints to higher management as necessary,
ensuring swift resolutions.
Conducted follow-ups with customers via telephone to ensure satisfaction
with resolutions provided.
Captured client personal details accurately into the system to maintain upto-date records.
Monitored technicians’ responses to all queries, ensuring timely service delivery 

IT Support Diploma - Completed 

ITIL Foundation 4 - Completed

ITSM Course - Pending test

COBIT IT Governance - Completed