CANDACE TIBBETTS FROST
Upland,USA
Summary
Dynamic Director of Customer Support Operations and Automation with over 14 years of experience transforming customer service into a strategic growth engine. Proven expertise in Zendesk administration, AI-driven automation, SaaS support strategy, and KPI optimization that drives exceptional results. Renowned for balancing executive vision with hands-on management, successfully building high-performing teams, designing innovative automation ecosystems, and delivering measurable improvements in retention, customer satisfaction (CSAT), and operational efficiency. A commitment to fostering a customer-centric culture ensures sustainable growth and enhanced service delivery.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Customer Support Operations Consultant (Contract)
Youth Esteem Corp
10.2024 - 09.2025
- Designed the full framework for a new Customer Support department, including structure, workflows, staffing models, and service level objectives to support a seamless rollout.
- Implemented Zendesk configuration and workflow automations to prepare ticket routing, reporting, and escalation processes for launch.
- Authored a comprehensive Knowledge Base to serve as both a customer self-service platform and internal training resource, ensuring operational consistency from day one.
- Assisted with interviewing, evaluating, and onboarding new team members in preparation for department launch.
- Delivered training programs to prepare new hires for full operational readiness and alignment with organizational service standards.
- Collaborated with executive leadership to align the customer experience strategy with Youth Esteem Corp's youth engagement and community mission.
Director of Customer Operations and Automation
SEE TICKETS
01.2021 - 12.2024
- Designed and launched a Zendesk automation ecosystem that streamlined ticket routing, cut handling time by 150%, and drove CSAT above 95%.
- Spearheaded AI and machine learning initiatives, boosting efficiency by 45% and reducing personnel costs by 84%, saving millions annually.
- Inherited a 30-person CS team and restructured it into a lean, high-performing group of 11, sustaining SLA compliance and CSAT while significantly lowering overhead.
- Designed and built a scalable Knowledge Base from the ground up, enabling customer self-service, reducing ticket volume, and improving FCR while providing agents a single source of truth.
- Partnered with Product and Engineering teams to embed customer support insights into roadmap development, aligning product strategy with real customer needs.
- Created and delivered new-hire training modules that standardized onboarding, accelerated ramp-up time, and improved retention.
- Established a grievance and escalation system that improved resolution speed and raised CSAT by 30% within two months.
Customer Service Manager & Implementation
(Contract) M & G Jewelers
04.2024 - 09.2024
- Built the customer service function from the ground up, implementing scalable processes and best practices to support growth and consistency.
- Supervised employees and assessed performances to determine training needs and define accurate plans for decreasing process lags.
- Led the full transition of internal support operations to Zendesk, including migrating all company data, workflows, and knowledge from legacy systems.
- Created and documented help center articles and internal procedures to centralize department inquiries and reduce resolution time across teams.
- Designed and launched ticketing structures, triggers, SLAs, and reporting dashboards in Zendesk, creating a unified platform for streamlined support.
- Developed training guides, onboarding materials, and knowledge-sharing tools to equip the newly formed team for success.
Director of Customer Operations
YOUMAIL
01.2019 - 12.2021
- Standardized CS policies and workflows that improved operational efficiency by 52%.
- Increased first-call resolution (FCR) by 36% through Knowledge Base redesign and training.
- Designed and implemented a Customer Success Model, boosting retention by 20% in one quarter.
- Reduced turnover by 30% through structured onboarding and career-development programs.
- Managed daily operations including queue monitoring, scheduling, developing and mentoring a 10 person team and escalations.
Quality Assurance Director
SQA²
01.2018 - 12.2019
- Developed and deployed training modules that improved employee performance by 30%.
- Created a Quality Assurance Knowledge Base that standardized documentation, streamlined training, and improved consistency.
- Enhanced ticket response times and interdepartmental collaboration.
- Introduced agile and stress-management practices that improved adaptability and resilience.
IT Helpdesk Manager
ABI DOCUMENT SUPPORT SERVICES
01.2016 - 12.2018
- Restructured company's Active Directory, eliminating redundant accounts and enhancing system performance.
- Developed and presented reports on system availability, trend analysis, and budget management, resulting in 47% improvement in operational efficiency.
- Coordinated recruitment and onboarding process for IT staff, contributing to improved team communication and increased employee satisfaction.
Support Manager
LUBRIZOL
01.2015 - 12.2016
- Enhanced Support Center operations by streamlining IT processes with management software, resulting in improved effectiveness.
- Collaborated with IT teams to maintain network and hardware functionality, ensuring system reliability and client satisfaction.
- Implemented SCCM best practices to optimize system performance and reduce downtime while also executing Citrix resets to swiftly resolve login issues.
Service Desk and Mobile Support Supervisor
FOREST CITY ENTERPRISES
01.2010 - 12.2014
- Enhanced incident resolution by 20% through effective management of User Provisioning, Mobile Support, and Break-Fix Support.
- Boosted first-call resolution rates by 65% by implementing standardized troubleshooting procedures.
- Improved support task responsiveness by 33%, achieving top two ranking within team for support tasks within first month.
Education
Associate of Arts - Speech Communications
MT. SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE
Walnut, CABachelor of Science - Mass Communications
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY
Jackson, MSAssociate of Arts - Information Technology
CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Cleveland, OHSkills
- Change management
- Employee evaluation
- Data-informed strategy development
- Effective mediation skills
- Training & development
- Proficient in Agile Methodologies
- Vendor management expertise
- Incident management
- Designing customer support frameworks
- SLA management
- Project implementation
- Proficient in machine learning
- Proficient in HubSpot
- Crisis management
- Enhancing operational efficiency
- Product development
- Customer retention
- Data analysis skills
- Cross-functional team management
- Budget management
- Zendesk Administrator
- E-commerce
- Automation implementation
- Metrics Reporting
- Business development
- Data management
- Systems & applications support
- Process improvement
- Customer relationship management (CRM) integration
- System performance monitoring
- SaaS
- Software implementation
Accomplishments
Mentor & Culture Champion — Recognized for strengthening team morale, inclusion, and consistent performance across remote and hybrid organizations.
Operational Innovation Achievement — Architected AI-driven automation workflows that elevated enterprise efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction.
Customer Experience Excellence Award — Delivered 95%+ CSAT and above-industry NPS through workflow optimization, QA design, and leadership development.
Strategic Retention Leadership — Partnered cross-functionally to develop renewal and outreach frameworks that boosted retention and expanded account growth.
Timeline
Customer Support Operations Consultant (Contract)
Youth Esteem Corp
10.2024 - 09.2025
Customer Service Manager & Implementation
(Contract) M & G Jewelers
04.2024 - 09.2024
Director of Customer Operations and Automation
SEE TICKETS
01.2021 - 12.2024
Director of Customer Operations
YOUMAIL
01.2019 - 12.2021
Quality Assurance Director
SQA²
01.2018 - 12.2019
IT Helpdesk Manager
ABI DOCUMENT SUPPORT SERVICES
01.2016 - 12.2018
Support Manager
LUBRIZOL
01.2015 - 12.2016
Service Desk and Mobile Support Supervisor
FOREST CITY ENTERPRISES
01.2010 - 12.2014
Bachelor of Science - Mass Communications
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY
Associate of Arts - Information Technology
CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Associate of Arts - Speech Communications
MT. SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE