osp engineer

senior software engineer

network specialist

software engineer

intern

TDS Telecom

I took inbound calls from current small business customers and new customers.  The inbound calls decreased and  call volumes were manipulated to other reps. and offices.  
The telecom product is a tough sale to a person that can have internet speeds 20 times faster for less money  and no contract.  Commission or goal never changed even though calls dropped for this call center  

The commission changed every other month I was  employed there.  The ability to make goal was just not possible for me personally.  Was more of a telemarketing position than a sales rep. Could not have a book of business to call my own .  Sales could change hands in days, weeks or 30 days.  This changed monthly for a while .  

Taking orders and entering manually using 3-5 proprietary software programs was a challenge for me.  I always closed sales and never had to enter my sales.   Was an experience.  no sales assistant for this position.

Was an entry level no college degree position  

Top sales reps won president trips and later returned to discover they were unethically selling and later fired.  Management is not effective at motivating or performing their jobs.  Taking hours of breaks in the break room and not working with employees is not good practice.  Set poor examples and only worked when their manager  was in the office.


Team meetings consisted of  a manager reading a sheet of notes and then asking  if there are any questions ?  Could have sent an email and not waisted others time away from customers

Managers were very inexperienced 

Advancement is possible if you try real hard and actually get a manager that will help you move or support you

A typical day at work includes taking calls from customers and directing them to the correct department at the company or assisting them with their business needs. I am expected to be sales driven on every call even when assistance is all the customer is requesting. I work with existing customers to meet their expectations, set up new business accounts, and also make outbound calls to current customers to obtain new sales opportunities. I have learned a lot about the sales process in general and the telecommunications industry. I have a wonderful manager who is always trying to help me succeed. He wants his employees to move on to bigger and better things and does not micro manage. He allows his team to work independently, but he also is there when needed to give advice or better direction. I enjoy my co-workers also, but the sales environment does cause some problems. I have never had issues with my co-workers, and always try to get along with everyone, but there can be arguing amongst others when sales are being taken and it causes a negative environment. The hardest part of the position is the fact that there are limited sales opportunities and we are expected to reach our quotas even when we are not being provided with adequate opportunities. It can be really stressful, and has caused me to realize that I may be happier in a position that isn't so sales oriented. The best part of my job is being able to help a business with their requests. When customers are satisfied, I feel like I have accomplished something by making their lives easier.

Working for TDS for a year was both good and bad. Advancement was as easy as taking tests. Raises were given quarterly as well as with each promotion. Pay was low for the position and area I worked, with many of the other technician roles paying nearly ten dollars more per hour but some of those do not provide nearly everything you need. As a technician for the company you would work with dispatch primarily and not your supervisor. Supervisors were always a phone call away and did their best to help you by phone or email and would do what was needed to get you through the day without making it seem like it was their job. During the height of the pandemic the best they could do was provide masks and gloves and a free subway sandwich once a month to technicians risking their health by going to peoples homes. Also during the pandemic if you had any of the long list of symptoms on their list you were required to stay home but they would not pay you. If you left them and they paid you a bonus or you used more sick time than you were allotted they would send threatening letters saying they would go after your credit to get their money for sick time they chose to pay out. The local company owned by TDS is great and the management tries their best but TDS as a whole has a lot of issues to iron out and needs more office staff to keep from everything falling on the technicians shoulders.

I was an Account Executive B2B salesperson. At first it seemed to be a dream job.  Sign on bonus, 6 weeks of training with a short ramp up period.  After a few months, it became apparent that the goals set were unresonable.  Often after a sale was made the ability to install service was blocked. Either by a landlord who would not allow the install or the customer found out how long the install time period was. I had customers who were simple installs yet waited months and months for service.  Customers became unhappy and angry, everyone in my work group dealt with really angry and rude customers.  Many are constantly called on in your territory and will point at the door and tell you to get out.
I stayed a year but the ORI program ( that almost every sales person ends up on if you go 3 mos without making goal. ORI requires constant monitoing in the salesforce system and by management. I never understood the metrics I was asked to meet during ORI and after several months of constant stress and threats of losing my job, I left.  Since then, there has been two replacements in my job who left as they approached going onto the ORI progaram, about 7 mos in. Really difficult sales enviorment if you are a consutative salesperson. The sign on bonus is required to be paid back if you are on ORI when you leave.  Most people are, so the sign on is a joke.

Much of the work I was given was data entry or other somewhat annoying bug fixing tasks. Really wish there was some sort of structure or program to this internship opportunity with a certain project in mind, as much of the time I did not have work to do and would ask for more but get small tasks usually not related to programming or the things I was interested in. When we did have meetings, my supervisor rarely showed up and my team members did not really take the standups seriously. This was annoying as these morning standups were the only meetings I would have, so the rest of the day I was sit behind a monitor without any interaction with people at all aside from occasional skype messaging. The management aside from this however is laid back and friendly, and I felt that on the whole the people were extremely friendly as well. Although I was not given much structure nor monitored very much (lots of autonamy, which is good I suppose) I would make the best of the scenario and learn about the technologies the company was using and what projects were created from them. I did really learn a lot, however much of this learning was from my own drive and was me making use of the resources at hand.The company almost always seems to bring new people in as interns or contractors and from there will hire and promote regularly which is neat. In my one on one sessions with supervisors I did really like speaking to them, but just wish it would happen more often.

You won't last at this over two months.  It is a revolving door.  Very, very hard job.  After September 11, Covid-19, people are deeply fearful and suspicious of strangers who knock the doors.  The advertisement is not accurate.  You have a better chance of winning the Powerball than making $100,000 a year at this job (or even $50,000).  People don't change their INTERNET providers that often.  The management was not helpful ( here, I am being very charitable) or forthright.  The computer systems are old.  The installation process takes at least - minimum - a week.  In the meantime, customers change their mind.  Then, you will have to start from Zero.  Let me ask a rhetorical question.  If you could make $100,000 a year - why is that you see the same ad for OVER 10 years?  Do you think people are NOT interesting in $100,000 dollar jobs?   I have a simple advice for applicants.  IF YOU FAIL at this, please, don't blame yourself.  The system is rigged and filled with half-truths and double standards.  Once, you know this, at least you will be at peace when you leave this job after a month or two.  By the way, winter is coming, it is going to get dark at 5 pm, who is going to open the doors for internet service (to a total stranger who is going to waste their time), particularly people are deeply concerned about crime and covid-19.   There are times you have walk for miles in dark and your car could end up in a ditch on the country roads.  May God help the applicants.

I was hired as a retail consumer specialist, where I worked in a retail setting and handled retention calls. Before joining TDS, I held the same position at Centurylink, where I earned commission for saving customers. TDS, being a smaller company, often feels disorganized. There's a clear disconnect within the company—departments and teams often don't seem to communicate effectively.

When TDS opened these retail locations, they wanted employees to take on dual roles, which meant additional responsibilities without corresponding compensation. While some reps handle calls in the back, others are stationed at the front, where they’re expected to manage walk-in customers as well. Store traffic varies, and walk-ins often make up the majority of sales. Despite this, the company enforces a blanket sales quota that doesn’t account for the differences between locations.

They even encouraged us to shorten our breaks to improve our performance metrics. While I personally didn’t follow that suggestion, some reps did, which ultimately distorted the adherence numbers.

Another issue is the management team, which is based in another state and is completely out of touch with the day-to-day operations. Their lack of experience in the role, combined with their physical distance, contributes to a deep sense of incompetence. Overall, it’s been a frustrating and unsatisfactory work environment.

The job is pretty good most days and the company is pretty relaxed in the IT department up until it isn't and everything needs to be done yesterday. 
 Paid below the industry standard by a fair amount and have been told for a while now that "we can talk about a promotion in a couple months."  There have been a lot of disconnects in what is "important" to the product.  One week we need this out with these features next week and then the deadline comes and instead of adding the functionality, we are held up by nitpicking cosmetic details.  Company is slow to adapt new technologies and change the ways things are done.  That being said, the people at TDS Telecom are very friendly in general and willing to help when you need it if it is within their power to do so.  And, if you know the right people to ask, you can expedite a lot of things that require assistance from outside your team, but if you don't, you might be waiting a while.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There are always new things to learn, and the days are rarely identical. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The phrase "we are building the plane while flying it" is the general work experience. Initiatives from the leadership come with little direction on completing the goals presented. Through this learning/working process, things are constantly changing. This provides an excellent opportunity for a person who likes to adapt daily but can be a stressor for someone who likes clear expectations and consistency in the workday. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
TDS's culture and work environment vary depending on your location and work type. If/when working in WI near the corporate headquarters, the culture often reflects the company's mission and ethics statement. If/when working remotely or in a different state than WI, the environment and culture reflect that location's leadership team style. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Usually, there is no typical day at TDS as priorities and procedures constantly change. One day can be tranquil and calm, while the next day is all hands-on for an emergency.

TDS started out as a great job. The money was great. The people were great. I thought I'd finally found the company I wanted to build a career with. My biggest struggles were dealing with the never ending changes within the company...specifically related to my commission. There was a time where they were changing the commission structure bi monthly. Now, it is at it's worse. This industry is extremely competitive and I feel TDS is losing. They micromanage like no other company I've ever seen. It is next to impossible to be successful at this position. Management will set expectations on you based on top sellers. The following week those "top sellers" are being walked out the door for unethical selling. This is a very common ritual...being walked out the door. They once walked 10 out in a day. The call routing is manipulated, which may or may not benefit you. Management was ok. But many of them weren't qualified and only did as they were directed by the corporate ladder.

If you can manage to maintain an acceptable performance for a year you can move out of the sales position to things that are better. But I wouldn't recommend working at TDS. It was once a great place to work but that ship has sailed...

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