Pros
To begin, let me say that the reviews from the past two years were mostly true and portrayed an accurate representation of the state of TNN at the time. I too left the company during a large wave of employees shuffling through their revolving door.
So why the relatively high rating?
I still have a few friends working there – make no mistake, the camaraderie was great even in the darkest of times – and I do still speak to them. Against most odds, management has actually changed for the better since I left.
Previous complaints were perfectly valid. Micromanagement permeated through every facet of the workplace. New ideas and technology were often rejected for outdated and, more importantly, cheap technology that would satisfy the bare minimum requirement for clients, many of whom were indeed small-time cheap businesses that would demand the lowest price and then proceed to complain about bottom of the barrel equipment, but there were also many clients who didn’t know there was anything better simply because TNN did not offer them better choices. As a technician, the seemingly purposeful rejection of industry best practices and more advanced technology was often disheartening.
However, after many upheavals in the company, it seems TNN’s management has turned things around. The right people are advising management now, new technology is being embraced, and best practices are being implemented as much as possible.
With that said, here’s what I experienced when I worked there.
Work Environment: It’s true – in a year, over a dozen people left or were fired. Fear would rule for a little bit after each firing, and I wish management had been more transparent with the reasons so many employees were let go. It wouldn’t be until long after the fact that we’d learn through the rumor mill the terminations were mostly justified. Still, the coworkers who did stick around were great to work with and fun to be around, for the most part!
One thing that I didn’t like was the ticket tracking, a symptom of over-micromanagement. You had to track your time on your tickets very well and could be reprimanded for not having enough time even if there weren’t enough tickets in the day. I think they’re more lax now, but cannot confirm one way or another.
Another big negative in my book was the fact that technicians were also front-line phone receptionists. If the phone rang and you weren’t on the phone already, you’re expected to pick up. No other place I have worked at demanded this from technicians because they had dedicated dispatch/receptionists for it which makes perfect sense: technicians should be working on computers and not getting distracted by incessant phone calls.
Regardless of these complaints, the company did feel like a ship, and you could hang out with your shipmates as much or as little as you wanted, and I always felt like they had your back.
Pay: Ah, the all important category. I will say this. This is an MSP in the high desert. There will eventually be a pay ceiling if you stay long enough. But if you come in as a low-mid level technician, and you are exceptional at learning, growing, and getting better at what you do, raises will come quite quickly. Truth be told, if you compare to other MSP’s, the pay is not that bad, and if you live in the high desert, it’s actually pretty good.
Work-life Balance: I was an hourly employee so I have no complaints here. Steady 9-5 everyday. They want to avoid overtime like any company so generally if you’re hourly, you clock out and go home the same time everyday! Can’t comment on salaried employees and afterhours work.
Training: As an MSP, it’s a great opportunity to grow and advance in the field of IT. It’s even better if you can get yourself under the tutelage of some of their upper echelons of techs. They use one of the most powerful RMM tools available and one of the best ticketing systems available, so you will absolutely have all the remote tools necessary for your work and have a nice mark of experience if you ever move to another MSP. Additionally, they’ll pay for your IT certificates if you pass. One positive thing that stuck with me was that before I left the company for personal reasons, management did not try to take back their reimbursement for my certifications like some other companies might.
The Work Itself: Hey, it’s IT! The whole ladder lies in front of you. Helpdesk, VOIP technician, escalation, on-site technician, lead technician, engineer, designer – you can find yourself as a minimum wage helpdesk technician cleaning viruses and two years later be a lead if you put your mind to it!
Cons
To recap from the main review: technicians have to handle inbound calls and the level of time tracking is a bit overboard. Most leads are great, some are a bit difficult to work under, but that's just real life for you.
