Activant Solutions Reviews

Pros

Great team members and customers

Cons

Only thing constant has been the executive team, maybe a change here could help.

Advice to Senior Management

Let those who care and can do the work - do it.

Pros

There are some really great and talented people that work here. They offer an extremely competitive benefits package. They do pretty well salary wise, as long as you don't want raises.

Cons

I'll just start by saying that the biggest of con of working here is that you career will stagnate to the speed of a snail. This may not be a cons for some, but it was for me. I enjoy learning new technologies and creating new products. However, you will only have the opportunity to do this work if you are in upper management or are one of the chosen people.

They implement new development methodologies (SCRUM) without making any effort to remove the old processes. Everything stays the same while you are given more meetings and processes to follow. Eventually, they will implement so many processes and meetings that no work will get done. They are actually not that far from it now.

Since most of the upper management in the development team has been with the company for a very long time, there aren't really any new thoughts being brought into the development team. You are encouraged to bring new ideas to the table, however don't expect to be able to implement them or have them implemented. For some of the management, this has been their only job since they graduated college. Apathy runs rampant on the development team. Most of the staff just doesn't care.

Advice to Senior Management

You have a large talented staff. If you want to keep the strongest technologists, let them breathe and stop slowing their progress with meetings and processes. You will be shocked with the team that you have built if you just let them do what they do best, develop software.

Pros

The people you work WITH across the country are a good group.

Cons

All executive management is concerned about is the bottom line. Sadly, eventually the fact that they have completely disregarded their employees will affect the bottom line in the end when they lose these people.

Advice to Senior Management

LISTEN to your employees dont just pretend that you are

Pros

Some good products available, however they are quickly becoming old and out of date.

Cons

Sadly, Activant cares only about EBIDTA and executive bonus. No concern whatsoever for customer satisfaction

Advice to Senior Management

Customer satisfaction is the only way to truly grow a business!

Pros

the people and customers are the best, fair management team, hard work and long hours will pay off with good rewards

Cons

long hours, and demanding work

Advice to Senior Management

listen and promote your internal talent

Pros

Respectful work environment; nice people; a lot of freedom and flexibilty in performing your job; results matter; in my experience, management was very open and honest

Cons

Below-market pay (unless you negotiate) and benefits; total focus on meeting EBITDA goals above all else; no real company-sponsored employee development opportunities; they'll nickel and dime you to death

Advice to Senior Management

Set an example for employees. You shouldn't be renting a premium car and eating in nice restaruants while your employees have to upgrade to a Chevy Cobalt and exist on a $35/day per diem.

Pros

Coworkers are some of the best people on the planet. I love working with them and I love the work I do. I have a lot of pride in the software I work on and look forward to it on a daily basis.

Cons

While understanding there is a recession, Activant continues to cut and cut and cut our benefits. No raise in three years. 401(k) matching removed. Total vacation hours held at one time cut to 80 hours. Forced vacation ("use it or lose it") in September right before the holidays, bonus elimination. It doesn't feel at all as though Activant cares about it's employees. We are simply tools to be used and tossed aside whenever.

Advice to Senior Management

Start valuing your employees! Three key components to a successful company: Employees, Customers and Shareholders. Stop only valuing the shareholders and start making an effort to do more for employees and customers. I love my job (the work I do) and desperately want to love the company to. Help make that happen.

Pros

if you are looking for a job where you dont have to do anything and no one will bother you this is it. However if you do want to work good luck trying to get anyone else to do so.

Cons

complete lack of management presence

Advice to Senior Management

get off the internet and do some work. Stop playing favorites

Pros

Well it has never been boring and I have never had to worry about how I was going to fill my day. Unlike many in the company I have always been lucky to have the respect and support of my immediate management team so unlike so many around me I have enjoyed my job from the start.

Cons

At one point we endured 12 consecutive quarters with a RIF, followed by 2 years of wage freezes, delayed review schedules, elimination of 401k company match and reduced benefits including a use it or lose vacation accrual.

Senior management is managing this company like their own little benefits package with an eye that sees no further than how to make their next bonus. Our president actually answered a concerned employees question of "how are we going to make our next debt covenant?" by stating he wasn't concerned about that. Well we reduced our workforce by 60 employees last week because we weren't concerned.

Layoffs are one thing but for the selection of the unlucky victims to be made based on a spreadsheet of job titles and levels 2 levels of management removed from the actual work being done and without the input from group or department mangers is ludicrous.

If a monkey and a typewriter could conceivably write Shakespeare given enough time, then there is hope for Activant. Unfortunately my money is on the monkey while my income relies on the other primate in the corner office.

Advice to Senior Management

Hellman & Friedman. If you are listening. Refinance the debt, retire anyone over VP and start the interview process now before your entire investment is reduced to servicing debt and paying retention bonuses to individuals that only care about retention bonuses.

Pros

Well respected product, long tenured employees with excellent knowledge of target markets. Well established and loyal customer base create very steady and reliable recurring revenue stream.

Cons

Economic downturn has heavily impacted target markets. Future direction of the company toward new growth markets or innovative products that will propel growth is not clear, as there does not appear to be any new, innovative thinking that will drive future growth. Service model has not adapted over time, and perceived value to customers is in question. Slightly lower comp plans than is typical in most other software/service sales positions.

Advice to Senior Management

Return to a sincere "customer first" support model that delivers real value to existing customers based upon their stated desires. Look for growth markets and technologies that will broaden the offering and drive future expansion in new directions (difficult to achieve, but critical to future success). Honor the contributions of long-term employees who have built the foundation.