Open To Work
Hi, I’m
Mashudu Farisani
Strategic Customer Experience Manager
Midrand,Gauteng
Summary
Results-driven Strategic Customer Experience Manager with 6 years of experience leading high-performance CX teams and developing effective customer service strategies. Expertise in CX governance and customer journey optimization, fostering stakeholder relationships, and implementing service innovations that enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Overview
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Absa Group Limited
Senior Manager: Customer Experience
11.2020 - Current
Job overview
- Providing strategic leadership to ARO markets in the design and development of customer satisfaction measures aligned with the overall customer strategy across all countries. Drive the delivery of customer experience frameworks, measurement, and improvement initiatives through research, insight generation, and stakeholder engagement. Lead execution, monitoring, and progress tracking of research processes in collaboration with survey providers.
- Lead the customer insight and feedback measurement strategy, including metrics, measurement frameworks, and ROI across Voice of Customer, processes, and employee experience
- Drove cross-country insight generation, translating measurement data into actionable strategies and CX improvements aligned with ARO strategy
- Developed customer complaints reporting dashboard, enhancing visibility, tracking, and decision-making across markets
- Manage vendor relationships (Ipsos /Kantar) end-to-end, including onboarding, contracting through forms of order, and purchase order (PO) management processes to ensure effective delivery of CX measurement programs
- Analyze external trends, research insights, and market benchmarks to drive continuous improvement in customer satisfaction and experience design
- Presented insights and recommendations to senior stakeholders, facilitating data-driven decision-making and prioritization of CX initiatives
- Track and monitor country-level action plans, ensuring execution, governance, and escalation where required across quarterly, half-year, and annual cycles
- Collaborate with internal teams and vendors to ensure effective delivery of customer surveys and feedback mechanisms across multiple markets
Vodacom (Pty) Ltd
Senior Specialist: Customer Experience Design, Analytics and Continuous Improvement CBU and EBU
08.2015 - 01.2019
Job overview
- Customer Insight & Experience Design
- Drove customer insight and measurement strategies using multiple data sources, including customer complaints analytics, Voice of Customer (VoC), online verbatim, business intelligence tools, and frontline experience testing, enhancing understanding of customer needs and informing strategic decisions
- Translated customer data into clear problem statements, enabling the definition of customer personas and supporting end-to-end journey mapping initiatives
- Conducted store and call center observations and leveraged independent research partners to validate findings and identify experience gaps
- Strategy Development & Business Alignment
- Developed customer-led business strategies addressing key pain points and top customer themes
- Collaborated with Customer Lifecycle Management (CLM) teams to influence value proposition design and improvements
- Facilitated cross-functional alignment between customer needs and business objectives, fostering continuous communication and iterative delivery to enhance customer experience initiatives
- Transformation Delivery (People, Process, Products & Practices)
- Led the end-to-end implementation of a digital marketing automation platform, from proof of concept to full commercialization across the Vodacom online channel.
- Products: Enhancing digital and customer-facing solutions
- Practices: Embedding design thinking and customer-centric culture
- Digital Journey Optimization
- Led a comprehensive Online Buy Journey review, focused on streamlining and optimizing the digital customer experience across multiple channels
- Redesigned and implemented the target operating model for lead management, improving efficiency and conversion rates
- Drove change management initiatives, including stakeholder engagement, training, and adoption across multiple teams and markets
- Stakeholder & Change Leadership
- Built and maintained strong relationships with cross-functional and external stakeholders, ensuring successful program delivery
- Led workshops and transformation sessions to drive alignment, adoption, and continuous improvement across the organization
- Identified areas in need of critical improvement and implemented strategies to achieve targets.
- Drove change through quality-oriented strategies to help operations accomplish ambitious short- and long-term goals.
Vodacom (Pty) Ltd
Specialist: Enterprise Technology (OSS/BSS)
08.2011 - 07.2015
Job overview
- Acted as single point of contact (SPOC) for Siebel SRM system within the Customer Service Operating Center (CSOC) and managed the implementation of work practices, processes, procedures, and user problem management for service/account management systems (primarily Siebel CRM).
- SPOC for the Enterprise Business customers (EBU) Portal: online sales self-service offering to VB customers - Activation of inexperienced users and management general portal Support Management queries. Insuring proper Integration, Performance and Data credibility between the EBU portal and Siebel CRM.
- Identified areas for system improvement and submitted requests to the system development team.
- Find areas of system improvements and log a request with the system development team.
- Evaluation/Testing of system functionality after development
- Coordinated with supplier, development, and support teams to address and clarify system aspects.
- Trained end-users and customers on all aspects of the system to support productive relationships with suppliers and other groups in the company as necessary.
- SPOC for the Enterprise Business customers (EBU) Portal: online sales self-service offering to VB customers - Activation of inexperienced users and management general portal Support Management queries. Ensuring proper Integration, Performance and Data credibility between the EBU portal and Siebel CRM.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to achieve project goals on time and within budget.
- Improved customer satisfaction rates through proactive problem-solving and efficient complaint resolution.
Telkom (Pty) Ltd
Specialist: Information Operations
07.2009 - 07.2011
Job overview
- First line support for the Customer Management Selected Segment (CMSS) and Customer Business System (CBS)
- Configured and supported business systems, managing incidents, problems, and change requests logged by end-users.
- Performed functional acceptance testing after a system improvement has been deployed for testing.
- Executed before and after sanity checks with screen prints during release implementations; initiated and managed changes to resolve application issues according to process and quality standards.
- Handled software changes through CR service requests for new data needs and BPT for data update requirements; coordinated release activities, including post-implementation sanity checks.
- Followed all company policies and procedures to deliver quality work.
- Championed the adoption of new software tools that streamlined workflows across multiple departments.
Telkom (Pty) Ltd
Specialist, Information Operations
08.2005 - 07.2009
Job overview
- Successfully Implemented Customer Management on Selected Segment (CMSS): CMSS is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) business solution, designed to provide business with a “single view” of the customer, enabling customer facing employees to interact with and manage the customer (voice and non-voice) from a single system. Interact, manage customers and their requirements including information dissemination, leads, opportunities, quotes, orders, installed products, account & billing information, and service assurance from within the CRM system. Collaborated with departments to respond to questions and concerns about project details.
- Provided first line and onsite support during and after system implementation for end-users.
- Reported system instability issues to the second line support team to ensure timely resolution.
- Resolved issues and provided feedback to incident owners before closing service requests, enhancing incident management process.
- Implemented new training programs for staff, leading to higher employee retention rates and better overall performance.
- Conducted in-depth market research for identifying new business opportunities.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to achieve project goals on time and within budget.
- Improved customer satisfaction rates through proactive problem-solving and efficient complaint resolution.
Telkom (Pty) Ltd
Technical Network Support, Regional Network Management (RNM)
12.1999 - 06.2005
Job overview
- Managed routine system preventative and corrective maintenance on 2Mb/s circuits via SDH/PDH/MARTIS/DIGINET/ISDN for clients including Vodacom, MNT, and Cell-C TXM lines.
- Perform site acceptance/ Commissioning/ Repairs/ Installation and Maintenance Activities on the local and international transmission networks/ switching and power networks to provide uninterrupted service to customers.
- Provide Microwave Support, providing maintenance on the Indoor and outdoor units that provide service to long and short haul M/W systems: on Plessey, Alcatel, and Ericson Systems.
- Provide Microwave Support, providing maintenance on the Indoor and out-door units that provide service to long and short haul M/W systems: on Plessey, Alcatel, and Ericson Systems.
Education
IQ BusinessRandburg, South Africa
Certified Process Professional (CPP) from Customer Experience
04.2001
Tshwane University of TechnologyPretoria, South Africa
Advanced Business Program (ABP) Certificate from MBA Foundation
01-2009
Vaal University of TechnologyJohannesburg, South Africa
Baccalaureus Technologiae (BTech) from Electrical Engineering in Electronic Communication
01-2002
Skills
Customer Engagement
Omni-channel support
Service quality improvement
Strategic planning
Talent development
Operations management
Data Analysis
CRM & Ticketing Systems
Relationship management
Work Preference
Job Search Status
Open to workWork Type
Full TimeLocation Preference
HybridSalary Range
R1000000/yr - R1200000/yrTimeline
Senior Manager: Customer Experience
Absa Group Limited
11.2020 - Current
Senior Specialist: Customer Experience Design, Analytics and Continuous Improvement CBU and EBU
Vodacom (Pty) Ltd
08.2015 - 01.2019
Specialist: Enterprise Technology (OSS/BSS)
Vodacom (Pty) Ltd
08.2011 - 07.2015
Specialist: Information Operations
Telkom (Pty) Ltd
07.2009 - 07.2011
Specialist, Information Operations
Telkom (Pty) Ltd
08.2005 - 07.2009
IQ Business
Certified Process Professional (CPP) from Customer Experience
04.2001
Technical Network Support, Regional Network Management (RNM)
Telkom (Pty) Ltd
12.1999 - 06.2005
Tshwane University of Technology
Advanced Business Program (ABP) Certificate from MBA Foundation
Vaal University of Technology
Baccalaureus Technologiae (BTech) from Electrical Engineering in Electronic Communication