TIAA-CREF: A customer service nightmare - Call Center Representative TIAA Employee Review

2.0
Oct 15, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The pay is among the top in the industry for call center representatives in the Denver area.

Cons

The management is extremely poor, from the top down. The products are extremely difficult for the employees to understand (particularly TIAA Traditional). The biggest product, TIAA Traditional, is clearly a fraudulent product and most investors in this product do not have the savvy to understand they are tying there money for a minimum of 10 years. Further, the company is extremely slow with processing. Rather than acknowledging a need to fix the problem, blame is passed from department to department for weeks to months on end, meanwhile, the customer is not being served.

Explore other reviews about TIAA

5.0
Jun 14, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great work life balance, good benefits, decent pay, ease of running your own practice as an “advisor”, and healthy work environment

Cons

Management styles can vary and affect your experience, upper management doesn’t seem to be well equipped to ensure the organization’s success but it is resilient nonetheless.

2.0
Jul 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good starting salary and benefits package.

Cons

The longer you’re there, the more of an expectation that you work more for the same or less income. Producers find it hard to justify staying when leadership keeps moving the goal posts on how to increase income. No rhyme or reason as to how they decide “promotions.” One advisor might have one good year and get promoted over an advisor that produces year in and year out. They fail to share revenue because they’d have a hard time justifying the income level compared to outside advisors with a fraction of the book size. They claim and depend on brand recognition to justify a capped income but fail, or just won’t admit that is why they keep losing their top talent. Operations is a nightmare that I can’t even begin to describe. When I share the processes that have been in place for over a decade, colleagues in the industry shake their head and laugh. They can’t believe we earn and keep business. The saying while I was there was “the biggest threat we face is that TIAA clients start to explore their options outside of TIAA.”

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