technical support engineer

team leader

support engineer

technical lead

operations manager

Teknowledge

It's a great place to get your feet wet working in an office environment. You will make friends in NEO and in training afterwards, and although the training staff isn't really technically proficient, they are excellent in presenting all the information you need to know to start. Afterwards your training will mainly be on the floor, where you will learn most of the specifics needed to do your job in the future.

Over time it changed from a chill office job, providing quality support at a reasonable pace to our clients, to being pushed to meet higher and higher metrics with an increased case load because "Microsoft said so". This got to the point that you will fall behind your workload easily unless you literally just keep a thousand line document of email and chat templates up for copying and pasting all day. This isn't really the kind of thing I would want to see in a professional technical support operation, as it causes employees to rely on boilerplate explanations for problems instead of digging into the real issue to find a personalized solution for the customer. Additionally, your performance is based on an entirely arbitrary survey which the customer fills out and may or may not actually reflect the quality of service which was performed.

Overall the environment is pretty inclusive, however management does occasionally make remarks about female workers which are not exactly sexist, but get really close to the line. They are good at hiding it though so I doubt you'll find evidence unless you log and review voice communications through Teams. Also, just about everyone there either smokes weed or takes Adderall.

They will blame any policy changes on their contract holders, although if you actually contact Microsoft, you find out that these policies are not from them, but instead from internal management trying to avoid blame. In other words, management actively lies about their contract obligations. But they are pretty good at lying so it's honestly not that bad if you ignore it and just focus on doing your job.

Most higher ups will be from previous call centers, where they worked with the current and former management here before they were fired and lost their contracts for running a ratty operation.

This said, I really enjoyed my time here. It was my first office kind of experience job, and I learned a lot and made a lot of friends. Of course those friends later left their positions after the workplace became less enjoyable due to all their new policies but still, it was nice while it lasted. I definitely wasn't the best employee tbh, but to be fair, they weren't the best managers either.

I worked for 1 yr 8 month in an incredibly stressful environment.  Due to insufficient training, what I learned was through highly stressful on the job training.  The pay is insufficient given the level of complexity of the assignments (solving problems for corporations, huge and small)  Further, due to the extremely excessive caseload most Support Engineers are unable to keep up with their work AND follow ALL processes, which are updated with little to no notice.  If you find new work and are unable to provide the full 2 weeks notice, their policy is to state you are not re-hirable, even if you were referred to by your management as one of your top performers.  If they make a promise to pay you a bonus for a job well don by a certain date and then renege on their promise, like a commitment to provide bonuses for doing a good job, (I was originally promised a bonus of more than $500 on 22 Oct 21) their expectation is for you to be understanding.  They only increase annual wages for about 1 in 4 or 5 persons annually.  This year I received a raise of 27 cents/hour to $18.27/hour, or roughly a 1.5% raise.  A month later, when they finally raised wages for the site, due to a LOT of pressure from employees, the new starting pay for Support Engineers rose to $18.50.  My wage was also raised to $18.50, so my raise was essentially erased.  Finally, now that I am getting a better job, I'm being told the $500+ bonus I was promised will not be paid to me at all.  Their benefits plan (premium only) isn't bad, but it's super expensive (about $650/month for employee and 2 kids), which is a LOT considering total monthly pay is typically $2,960 before taxes are taken out.  Some of the workers are very helpful, but only because they understand your pain because they are suffering the same pain.  Management, even front line supervisors, have consumed too much of the metaphorical Kool-Aid.  They are trying way too hard to convince us that a call center with more than 60% annual turn over and all of the afore mentioned issues, is a great place to work.  However, they had no issue spending several million dollars on a new building.  Perhaps if they spent more on training and pay, turn-over wouldn't be so bad and employees could do more work with less stress in their daily lives.

Pros:
Starting pay is decent for the job requirements

Cons:
There are many "advancement opportunities" but don't expect any kind of pay increase. After working here for 1 year and receiving no bonus or incentive of any kind, I was offered a "promotion" in a different department, I was offered $2+ less than individuals being hired off the street and others who came from my department. And from what I have heard from others, this is not unusual. One of their departments closed and they offered some of the employees jobs in our department and they paid them $2 less than the starting rate, when some of the employees had been with the company for 3-5 years.

Some team managers are good but for the most part, management is absolutely clueless when it comes to the actual job (and pretty much everything else.) If they are actually doing their job, they are focused on metrics that don't matter instead of building their team and fixing real issues. In the time that I was there, there were countless, useless policy changes, due to knee-jerk reactions, that drastically effected the way employees did their job and did not positively effect metrics.

Upper management doesn't care about employees whatsoever. You're just a number to them.

Recruiting is terrible. I have heard countless stories where the department manager advised the recruiter not to hire an individual and they hired that person regardless. The recruiting department is just there to fill seats, they don't know the actual requirements of the job and they will hire just about anybody. Seeing some of the people hired actually do the job is a nightmare. You would think with a large client like Microsoft, they would only want the best employees, however this is clearly not the case and I am surprised that Microsoft has not pulled the contract.

When I started, my department only worked 8a-5p, M-F, however they expanded hours and despite being a top performer, I was not given any preference in shift and was forced to work a shift I didn't want nor like for 6+ months.
No shift flexibility. If you can't work the shift they give you, they will move onto someone else that can.

Insurance is ridiculously expensive and the company does not cover any of it.

Everything is so poorly run that I wouldn't be surprised if the department folded within the year. I am honestly surprised that it lasted as long as it has.

 I was incorrectly informed that this position was for technical support and was a "contract-to-hire" position lasting 1 year. I was then told that it would be for six months. Contract employees are not eligible for holiday pay, and this position is straight billing, which I would have never agreed to. I had an issue getting my credentials to authenticate, it took three weeks and the day before the end of our training to get the issue resolved. On our last day, we were told that after our lunch break we would go over whatever questions we might have, practice, and make sure our tools were working, we were abandoned for five hours without anyone coming back to set up expectations for our nesting period. We have nothing to show for our achievements, no badge, nothing to even show that we work for said company. We were hired in as remote agents but later found out that we were really hired in to handle the load until all of the non-contract personnel were allowed to come back to the call center to work again. The caseload increases once you hit the floor and it is not manageable, we are held to impossible standards and our metrics are aired publically if we do not meet them in team meetings daily. They do not follow up on their word when things need to be fixed, IT is lacking, excuses abound.

This position felt "off" from the start. Our trainers were wonderful, but that is about all that I can say, other than they dropped the ball on the last day without having any plan to go forward. This is unacceptable. Bad enough this is remote and we have to wing it on our end, but not having any clear idea of what happens afterward is just awful. I feel lied to. My tools do not work, neither does my outlook accounts. Very poor onboarding experience.I was unable to do my job.

Having been a part of various training programs throughout my professional journey, it's rare to find one that genuinely encapsulates both the essence of rigorous learning and the promise of career advancement. This program undeniably stands out, offering "excellent training and an opportunity to grow."

From day one, the curriculum was structured in a way that it not only addressed the core theoretical aspects but also emphasized real-world application. This balance ensured that as a participant, I was not just passively absorbing information but actively engaging with it, questioning it, and understanding its practical relevance.

Moreover, the trainers and facilitators displayed commendable expertise in their fields. Their approachability and willingness to clarify doubts made the learning process smooth and enjoyable. It's not just about imparting knowledge; it's about ensuring that every participant understands and can apply that knowledge effectively.

But what truly sets this program apart is the tangible promise of growth. Opportunities were not just theoretical constructs discussed during the sessions; they were real, visible, and accessible. Be it through networking sessions, mentorship opportunities, or exposure to new career paths, the program genuinely fosters an environment where one can envision and realize their next big professional leap.

In summary, for anyone looking to invest their time and efforts into a training program that promises not just knowledge but a tangible path to professional growth, this is it. Highly recommended!

Was lied to in my interview being told this is Tier 2 support and not a call center. This is in fact a call center, at the moment they do not take inbound calls but are working towards that. You have a title of tier 2 support technician but you are treated as tier 1 support. The expectations for case work are outrageous for the level of support you are supposed to provide. You are expected to have a heavy backlog of cases you are constantly working, while getting pulled off to work Critical cases all the time and getting assigned 2 new cases every day while being expected to close a minimum of 1 per day. This may not seem like a lot but it is relative to the line of business you are supporting. Some are easier than others. But that does not matter to them. 

Management is horrible, and I mean upper management. They treat all employees as expendable, and you are told that if you don't like the way it is to find the door more or less rather than taking the word of the employees that things are not working they try to force you to accept them. 

And the worst part is this is not really IT Support. This is supporting of O365 products and honestly, nothing to do with true IT work. If you can at all steer clear of this place, I highly recommend staying away. Not even a good place to get a start like they say as other employers look at this job as a joke. 

When remote (at-home) work was the requirement, the training and learning methods needed more structure. A group would start, or be allotted, to train and it would completely change or be switched out for a different role. Example: A technician would be pegged to train for M365 and then not be trained for it or the training would be rushed and/or have no structure for the learning or knowledge retention process. Seeking guidance from leadership was fruitless, as they would “pass the buck” or be non-responsive to any need for help or information gathering for answers/solutions. Not all leadership was responsible, however they could not be fully responsible for those leaders that did not meet certain expectations. If a former technician became a leader, their technical skills were no longer a resource to work from…as they either were non-technical prior to their leadership role or the advise to speak to someone else for assistance (as they no longer need/want to provide any technical).
The environment is much like working/learning in a higher education (such as junior high or high school) facility. Everyone for themselves or what benefits the group individually, and the senior technicians and leadership being responsible for their actions only to look good or pacify clients and corporate leadership. 

One of the better call centers if you tune out high school talk &. condescending Team Mngrs who can't seem to tell the difference between talking at versus speaking to someone. Upper management seems to want this to be the type of employer that attracts and retains quality talent..can't tell from some of the leaders they hired. With a few exceptions, managers have poor communication skills, no sense of tact, out of touch and disingenuous. Not that the culture has ever been anywhere close to what they promote, the sense of community is superficial and serves as a show for recruitment and publicity. Time to drop the act as the atmosphere is becoming more and more like every other call center. Operations needs to take a good hard look around and consider if the people they put in leadership positions are there to lead or simply manage. 

Know what you're getting into and make the most of it if you're working on your IT certification to move to another position. Good job,paid holidays, okay benefits and better than average pay.The company does try to reward employees with food and various novelties to make it no so stressful. Would get a better return by investing in the right kind of leaders to champion the culture they promote.

Tek Experts is a very difficult place to work if you're in any position other than upper management. 

Goals are lofty and unrealistic. There are no excuses for why goals can't be met, even as reasonable and easily proven with data as they may be. 

Pay is atrocious for the market. You can be paid as much and more for positions with less skills required and less stress involved. 

Culture is bordering on toxic. Upper management only wants someone to blame for the poor conditions, negative perceptions and turnover, never looking in the mirror as to what they can do to turn things around. If suggestions are brought to them on how things can improve, they are met with defensive comebacks from jump and will turn the cause for the problem right back on you. "Who drives the culture here? Employees or leadership?" Certainly not upper management or leadership! No accountability or openness to any other option.

The only positive to this place is the opportunity to start and get experience in the tech space. If you want to have a career in tech, get some of that experience at Tek Experts to put on your resume, then run! As. Fast. As. You. Can! If that's not important to you, you should really look elsewhere for employment. Anywhere else!

Tek Experts is a great place when it comes to people. Your coworkers, and in some cases managers are very friendly and easy to work with. There are two departments that swear to you they are not a call center but they have almost the same environment, and treat it's employees like children. 
Other departments are absolutely amazing, the management is great and only wants to help the employee grow and learn more. The only other complaint I have is that the upper management is very good at doublespeak. They know how to walk around questions and not provide answers when asked a question. They provide "ambassadors meetings" around once a month for the employee to express concerns to upper management, however most concerns are blocked by more doublespeak, rather than coming up with a resolution to an issue. I know of multiple times personally when concerns were expressed and what we received in return was a flat out no. The main weakness about this company is the upper management.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Technical support engineer 5 salaries reported	$22.05 per hour
Team leader 4 salaries reported	$58,250 per year
Support engineer 4 salaries reported	$19.79 per hour
Technical lead 3 salaries reported	$26.67 per hour
Operations manager 3 salaries reported	$78,333 per year

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