Thank You, TELUS

Growing up as a young kid, I loved the telecommunications industry almost before I even really knew what it meant. I was fascinated by communications connectivity and the technology behind it – and I wanted to use it to change the world.

As an adult, I still had the same fascination with telecom technology that I had as a child, but my purpose had evolved: I became committed to providing the best-in-class network solutions and services to my customers across the globe. I wanted to share knowledge and resources with colleagues and customers. I wanted to help my customers and my employer grow – and I wanted to grow alongside them.

I was always impressed with TELUS, an incredible organization that few companies could ever match up to. From its achievements and innovation to its internal culture and community work, TELUS was a unique case: it was more like a family than a corporation.

Today, on the 1-year anniversary since joining the TELUS team, I can’t help but feel deep gratitude to the amazing people, customers and moments that made this year so incredible. Consider this my thank-you note to TELUS.

Finding Solutions – Together

When it comes to my customers, I feel pride for the things we’ve managed to accomplish together. Some situations have been trickier than others – but we’ve always found a way.

Voice: One major Toronto-based client was facing call-quality and pricing issues with their current provider. With voice termination becoming almost a commodity, there were numerous competitors offering cheap rates – but they didn’t have the call-quality that TELUS has. The right solution came in the form of VoIP and SIP-trunking: they were able to leverage TELUS’ worldwide voice platform and call-quality which was one of the best in Canada. As a company, they re-stabilized their voice division and were poised for growth with TELUS as a partner. You can find more details under this link.

Connectivity: I was referred by a mutual contact to another ISP in Quebec who had been experiencing difficulties with their existing connectivity supplier. After understanding their needs and what challenges they had faced with their existing provider, TELUS became a clear choice for their next step. We managed to negotiate terms, complete a demo and finalize onboarding – all in just 2 months (a quick turnaround for the world of wholesale). By gaining access to TELUS’ world-class network, they found a partner – and we’re currently looking at new services for the coming months. You can find more details under this link.

IoT: It’s not news that TELUS leads the way in Canada for modern IoT. When I met one fast-growing start-up building security-driven smart dash-cameras for the automotive industry, I knew they needed an IoT solution that was flexible and had access to global support plans. Powered by voice-driven hardware and software, cars across Canada were on their way to becoming safer for our families and loved ones. With the recent announcement of the deployment of the 5G network, TELUS will offer top-tier solutions to this mission-critical customer (and many more) with the fastest and most secure communications technology in the world. You can find more details under this link.

Real Values – Embodied by Real People

The mission of the TELUS team is to work together to deliver future-friendly services for customers across Canada and beyond. Many companies have core values – but few companies truly embody them as TELUS does.

Ask any TELUS team member: they’ll tell you the soul of our company looks like this:

• We embrace change and initiate opportunity.
• We have a passion for growth.
• We believe in spirited teamwork.
• We have the courage to innovate.

TELUS team members live these values every day – and I can’t help but look back on my 1 year at TELUS and see each of those values in people I’ve known.

Maurice Hadef hired me, coached me, and brought me into the TELUS world. He trusted my marketing-driven approach to sales and provided incredible support whenever I needed him. When it comes to telecommunications sales, Maurice is one of the best I’ve ever met in my life.

Brigitte Thomas, my current Director, is an amazing leader. She is methodical and highly-structured in a way that I cannot help but admire. Her business and technology knowledge in general, along with her strong leadership style, continues to inspire me today.

Gurb Dhinsa is an Account Executive who helped me during my onboarding process and still supports me every day. He knows TELUS in-and-out – and shares his amazing wealth of knowledge, resources, and tips every day.

Eric Muvunyi, an Account Executive in Montreal, helped me accelerate: he is constantly encouraging me to get creative, find solutions, and navigate tricky situations. An amazing team member.

Fouad Hamdache, my previous Sales Engineer, helped me learn and understand the TELUS portfolio from a technical perspective. The way I have been able to serve customers has grown exponentially because of him.

Sami Gounder, my current Sales Engineer, is the technical driving force behind all new customer opportunities. He goes above and beyond each day, for each customer – way beyond standard requirements. I can’t help but admire him for that.

Partner Solutions TELUS Team, as a whole, is such an incredible team: we are almost a small family. We strive each day to work together, to innovate, to support each other – and each day we do amazing things together.

WHY

Like so many, I’ve been moved by Simon Sinek’s infamous Ted Talk on “Why.” I’ve thought deeply about my own WHY: why I love the telecommunications industry so much and why I get up every morning to work at TELUS. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

1.      To provide best-in-class solutions and service to my amazing customers

2.      To share knowledge, share resources and encourage growth at all times

3.      Connecting people everywhere

4.      To have the courage to be curious and innovative at all times

Moving Forward

I still have the same fascination for the telecom industry that I had when I was a child – and I know that in some ways, everyone at TELUS (from head office to our field technicians) feels a similar fascination.

It’s been 1 year that I’ve been part of the TELUS family. Though the world is in a particularly uncertain moment now, one thing is for sure: when it comes to the growth of our customers, our team members and myself, the future is definitely friendly.

Thank you, TELUS.

Tomasz Owczarek, TELUS Global Partner Solutions