Aspect Software Reviews

Pros

compensation was good, co-workers supportive, internal education opportunities

Cons

hiring freezes even for attrition, many layoffs, too many changes too fast, stigma of being 'telemarketing' co.

Advice to Senior Management

In my opinion the company grew too fast in order to meet the plan made prior to the depression. Constantly cutting costs (employees), leaving more to do and learn by the people remaining until they are overloaded. The focus on only meeting the financial goals left out caring about the customers, or the employees. The company was (is?) profitable, just not AS profitable as the projections, and the management never changed the projections or goals.

Pros

True team spirit. Fantastic people at ground floor level. Former gorund breaking technology leader in the field. Salaries ok as compared to visible marlet offerings.

Cons

Massive dependance on goodwill from staff to deliver customer satisfaction. Managers seem to be failry well looked after, but for others very little fair recognition and reward for the very missing work/life balance (for example, crises demanded that I miss all of the major family events oin my life last year). The rapid loss of some very talented people due to the pressure put on them by this organisation at the moment means this will only get worse for current employees.

Advice to Senior Management

Please pay attention to not only the numbers of people moving away from Aspect at the moment, but also consider the skills you re pushing away. Only some minor changes in terms of staff recognition can change this easily and at little financial cost.

Pros

If you are in a right team it is a great place to work. You will learn call centers inside out and be ready to shine in that segment. Aspect controls about 60% of the market of outbound predictive dialers so it is hard not to work with Aspect software if you work for a call center company.

Cons

If you have to work with UIP developers you will fight uphill battle for scraps of knowledge they decide to pass on. They never willingly share any information with anyone, they keep the source code secret even from the people trying to support their code. They must be truly ashamed of it because there is about 8,000 defects entered against the UIP product alone.

Advice to Senior Management

A move to embrace Microsoft and Windows is a mistake. You cannot build a reliable, real-time system on Windows. And no, Microsoft is not gonna buy Aspect.

UIP is a piece of garbage that needs to be completely scrapped and rewritten, preferably not on Windows. It is not maintainable already and never earned a single dollar for the company.

Pros

The wages are slightly above average, which is one of the reasons more people havent left yet. If you work for the right manager or in the right team the accolades and rewards are disproportionately high. However, if you work elsewhere the rewards are you still have a job.

Cons

The management have lost focus, even though they constantly tell the workforce otherwise. Managers have no respect for the work force. The company is run on forced good will and press ganged volunteers. H&S would have a field day. Information is power, and the people who have it guard it closely even at the expense of the company, but management turn a blind eye.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop your middle management empire building. start showing some respect to the people that are keeping you in a job.

Pros

Using Aspect brand in the Support team area - praticising what the company is preaching
Good location to work at

Cons

Long working hours
No recognition for good efforts or performance
Limited opportunity to provide feedback to support managers
Very clique-driven mentality - in your face doesnt fit, you're out

Advice to Senior Management

High pressured environments dont need high maintenance managers. Realistic targets need to be set - workers have a home life too

Pros

Co-Workers try to help you

Cons

Poor Management and Leadership
No recognition for doing a good job
Admonishment in public

Advice to Senior Management

You need to look at your Senior Directors and evaluate if they are developing their people

Pros

Salary
Co-workers - amazing people in general
Ability to work full-time from home
Professional challenges

Cons

Incompetent new senior management
Lack of work/life balance - no boundaries
Unreasonable work loads with dwindling staff and budget
Productivity goals that don't reflect the size of staff and budget

Advice to Senior Management

Hire senior management that has a proven track record in all facets of their responsibilities, not just a slice. Aspect is a global company - senior management should have global expertise.

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Don't ignore conflict of interest.

Pros

- Good learning opportunities in a fast paced and dynamic company.
- Great people working there.
- Fairly competitive compensation packages, especially in the sales area.

Cons

- Long hours.
- Senior Management are not very competent: there is no strategic direction or if there is it is not appropriately communicated to the employee base.

Advice to Senior Management

- Communicate more and better.
- Some strategic decisions seem to have been taken in a rush. Think more about them and then decide.

Pros

Aspect is very flexible - allowing most employees to work from home 1 day a week as well as flex the working day as needed to deal with home issues. There is an annual performance review process - and with some managers that works well, but it's not linked to merit increases directly.
There is still some "team spirit" - most people are used to being the underdog in the market and so fighting together to succeed has been part of the mentality for a long time.

Cons

Aspect is struggling to become a UC provider and leave the Call center legacy behind. The revenues come from CC and so need to be protected, but not enough investment has been made in UC skills/training especially on the sales side - and thus only a few UC customers to date. Additonally, customer sat with CC solutions is low, and not enough have embraced future roadmap products.
Aspect is not a people centric company. It does not embrace coaching/learning/mentoring or any nice programs to improve employee engagement or morale (low). In fact, the perception is that it's the senior management versus the staff in many instances as opposed to all being on the same team.
Internal promotions seem to be done based on who you know / are friends with as opposed to skill/merit - this fosters a negative atmosphere internally. Additionally, reductions in force / downsizing seems to occur almost quarterly and is not managed or communicated well.
Aspect is running a risk with it's short sighted approach - when there is an uptick in the economy I anticipate many people looking elsewhere. Many are staying put today in the hopes of getting a layoff package.

Advice to Senior Management

Be honest with yourselves and your staff - they can see through the bravado/spin. Only then will you build a team pulling in the same direction.

Pros

Salary slightly above average, location of head office in the UK, good friendly colleagues (Aspect)

Cons

The company should never have merged with Concerto and then it would not be burdened with Concertos senior management or management style. The work environment is very similar to Apple in the 80's where 70+ hours with no recognition or recompense is normal and the managements response is 'work harder - be thankful we employ you'. Aspect UK could be bought to its knees if a mere handful of skilled staff leave as it has long since past the lower limits of staffing.

Advice to Senior Management

Show your staff more respect and realise that they all have home lives, you employ them not own them.