Daptiv Reviews

Pros

In the last year, Daptiv has had a complete management change over. The new management is great! There is actually respect and collaboration between departments. Morale has improved and it's becoming a fun place to work again. In addition, Daptiv was recently was acquired by Parallax, which has been positive so far. The company is profitable, there seems to be much more focus, and the new owners are very interested in the business.

Additional pros:

* Engineering is revitalized and innovative again.
* A strong emphasis on quality. Engineering management wants you to be proud of what you put into production and it shows.
* Great work/life balance. It's all about the commitment to backlog, not the hours. We work hard, but management understands that we have families and responsibilities outside of work.
* Good mentoring. There are some strong developers here and a strong belief in pair programming.
* Location - In the heart of downtown Seattle. I have many commuting options.

Cons

More of an uncertainty than a con - The new leadership (Parallax) has been good so far, but I fear based on Daptiv's history, that we will become rudderless once again if we don't stay focused.

Other cons:
* A few departments within Daptiv are not embracing the new leadership
* Our HR system is horrible, though there's rumor that it will be replaced soon
* Benefits are so-so. I guess it's good for a small company, but I'm used to big company benefits.

Advice to Senior Management

The new leadership from Parallax needs to communicate the direction we are heading a bit more in a concise way. Daptiv is becoming a great place again and a strong focus will solidify the company.

Pros

You're part of the growing SaaS sector.
Good sales training.
Dedicated people. Those who survived anyway.
Employees not in sales have a more favorable view.

Cons

Brutal sales environment.
Tough product to master and to sell.
Long sales cycle but little patience from management.
They chewed through 42 sales reps over 2 years before the big layoff in 08.
IT watches where you look online.
All the good execs are gone. No vision remaining.

Advice to Senior Management

Simplify the product.
Monthly pricing won't hurt in the long run.
Stop looking for reasons to fire sales people.

Pros

The employees are very loyal and hard working. Very good base product. Customers are so quickly immersed in the solution, they have a hard time unplugging even when they encounter issues.

Cons

No communications from executives and a very top-heavy company. Limited development though they tell customers they are working on improvements. The solution was developed by many teams and is not a cohesive solution.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to employees and communicate a realistic, true plan. This is not about Jeff Pancottine. He is long gone and they have already gone through the next group of leaders. Nothing is cohesive at Daptiv: Leadership and product direction.

Pros

People at the operational level were very committed. People worked hard most of the time, and would have been more successful if the direction hadn't changed once every two weeks.
Fun environment.
Very good work-life balance.
Good sense of camaraderie

Cons

Indecisive
slow
Needs UX
Lighten up the product.

Advice to Senior Management

pick something and go with it.
translate the "we want to be" into "we're doing this" more quickly.

Pros

- used (don't know now) to be awesome folks there. smart, innovative
- laid back, casual atmosphere
- collaborative environment, rarely any silos
- had good benefits

Cons

- stagnant career growth
- can't seem to figure out product strategy
- can't deliver product or growth strategy
- burn through money like tinder
- clique mentality towards career advancement

Advice to Senior Management

- focus on what earned you customers in the first place
- have a clear long-term vision and actually get there
- measure everyone by their contributions, including management
- listen to your employees and motivate them

Pros

Good product, good customers. Company is getting primed for a buy out. Be prepared for that.

Cons

Management is very short sighted, ADD syndrome across the board.

Advice to Senior Management

try to atleast look like you guys care and prepare a bit

Pros

Great people. Smart, talented people.

Cons

Bad economy = having to let great, smart and talented people go.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't sugar coat anything. Economy is bad, we know. Are we going to pull together and get through this TOGETHER or keep dropping people until there is nothing left to salvage?