Where to start - Talkdesk has been a rollercoaster from day 1.
1) Internal processes are broken and in some cases not even there. All quotes and contracts require a sign-off from the CFO which can stall deals by days
if not weeks. Not to mention they constantly renege on their own approvals. You will find yourself in a very difficult situation with clients on every deal.
2) Significant downsizing globally across all departments. You can feel this impact across every team. Operation, Billing, and Engineering are thin so expect little to no support before and after a deal is closed.
3) Limited channel and zero strategic partners make it difficult to enter more significant deals. Selling only a small piece of a larger picture in most tech stacks. Also missing significant certifications.
4) Limited sales tools, and limited expense budgets (the company is very cheap).
5) Limited to no inbound leads, SDR org is limited in generating outbound leads that are qualified (you will have to do this all on your own). You will be promised a lot during the hiring process.
6) Talkdesk CX Cloud…. Outside of Talkdesk's core product, the additional add-ons which are heavily marketed are incomplete and or broken entirely. If you are not selling the basics, you may find yourself selling vaporware. Everything is on the roadmap with no delivery date and sometimes products are abandoned entirely.
7) Implementation is an absolute nightmare! All implementation is done through partners that are not probably trained and are left to roll out incomplete products which reflect negatively on the entire org. As a sale rep, you find yourself constantly being pulled back into the post-sale process.
8) Upper management has no sense of direction. Lots of layoffs of really good individuals and teams. Major c-suite roles will be filled only to see the individual leave on their own accord shortly after joining.
9) Only 5% of AE achieve quota, deal cycles are long and the “village” is unsupportive. Quotas have been lowered but are still unrealistic with where the company is at.
10) Last and final - Talkdesk prides itself on offering the best customer experience. I find this interesting because we offer zero support to our customers, a lot of them have been long forgotten and stuck in a contract.
Talkdesk doesn't even use its own software...that should tell you everything you need to know in itself.
Advice - don't be fooled by the 10b valuation and Magic Quadrant...this is very much a startup that is plagued by a CEO that should have let go a long time ago. I personally would look elsewhere if you are motivated to succeed in your career.
