The main issue with Xerox is that they are lead by the SALES side of the house. SALES knows nothing about development and service. SALES are always doing stupid, stupid things. Such as all the money spent for month end or year end installs - why!!! how much does that add up to!!! They don't care how much it adds up to as long as they get their money for the sale. They don't care about the bottom line. In many cases SALES has sold and upgraded equipment to get their sale money even when it meant charging the customer less. SALES is directing the IRIF of many GREAT WORKERS that are positively contributing to Xerox. They are chopping off their toes, finger, ankles, wrists, legs and arms so that upper management can make their top salaries and then go somewhere else when there is nothing left. Why doesn't upper managers get their salaries like the hard workers BASED OFF THEIR PERFORMANCE!! Let them get the 1% or 2% raise as well. Right now its about getting the tenured employees out due to their hi salaries. Xerox Service use to be known for their great service. Sales and upper management has destroyed it, but they are keeping their BONUSES and hi salary while the little guys and gals are getting Zero and IRIF.
12 replies (most recent on top)
sales get squat for salaries. Fyi
Ha, Ha, Ha, what a joke to the last response (SY2P8Up-Cgyj). You ended the message correctly about sales - condescending and VERY ignorant... to believe that the world evolves around them. If you haven't noticed other departments in Xerox work after hours, weekends, holidays. on call and so on... Take off your blinders and look around for once and take a look at the WHOLE picture and not only be concerned about your small portion of the business. Sales (the whole sales department) is driving this business and they have run it to the ground. Now some REAL change will happen. I hope Icahn and John Visenten clean house of these "good o'l boys" (managers) that have been here way too long. Icahn "Tear Down This House!!!!" Too many freeloaders that don't deserve to be here.
Sales are by far the hardest working. You think you work hard? Okay, let's see. Do you have to answer customer emails at 10PM? Do you often work late or far too early? How about weekends?
I'm an analyst and I respect my sales folks. They might now all be very technical but guess what? That is not their job. Their job is to sell. Your job is to make it work. Can you sell? Probably not.
Sure, I also hope that the new management will realize that we are now seriously behind the competition in terms of product features and we need some serious R&D money, but in the end Sales and Service both have an important job to do and your simplistic, moronic view on them is not only demeaning but very condescending and ignorant.
Unless management does a total overhaul into how they are managing, we are all on our own against these dumb decisions. Upper management will continue to take people out 1 by 1 spread thru out wide geographies - we are all on our own. One of my major issues is when they take out GREAT employees!! to save their rear ends... In the past I would have not supported unionizing, but in todays Xerox environment we need to come together and a Union is the only way I can think of that would provide better security, better pay, better medical (where you can include your spouse) and fair raises to those that deserve it. Upper management shouldn't be the only ones getting decent raises while the troops get 0%, .5% or 2%???? If upper management gets decent raises, EVERYONE should get decent raises. Bonuses for management should reflect what the troops are getting. When we had good management they use to say we make it due to our great customer facing employees. Today they don't care about the employees and they look at the $$$ by releasing someone, management is basing decisions on saving THEIR jobs NOT what's best for the company and the customer. So the only solution is Union to force better decisions, yes it may cost a little more, but we are stronger together than being alone as an individual against these people that call themselves managers of Xerox.
Unions are never the answer. My lord, you think that costs are high now.
As Icahn recently mentioned on one of the cable news channels - Xerox is a very poorly managed company and it starts from the top. I TOTALLY AGREE. We hire people from failed companies to run Xerox and expect them to do different here at Xerox by thinking they can make this company BETTER than what their results have shown working for the other company??? What logic is that??? Xerox use to be known for its Great Products and Great Service... I never heard of Xerox sales as the reason for the purchase or renewal. I remember customers saying I will purchase the new box as long as I keep the same technician. Today, there is no more dedicated technician or emphasis on service being a dedicated technician to the customers in building a positive relationship. Xerox lost that connection. I also heard that when Xerox split into 2 companies to Conduent and Xerox, they were actually considering to change the name of Xerox??? To even consider a name change of Xerox. This tells me that upper management does not have the right people.
In response to @SY2P8Up-2ely You sir or madame are a complete moron. Sales people also get IRIF'd. If you work for this company, you should quit. You belittle the sales team and your company by referring to their products as inferior. There is obviously no loyalty on your end. Quit now before you make more customers deal with your nonsense.
And the implosion continues.
Nope I'm not in service, but sounds like your in sales since you "think" you are right. The machines can sell themselves. But sales thinks so much of themselves they cant see the issues right in front of their face. Product launches are also pushed out by "SALES" before they are ready, SO SALES is a problem and of course there are more sales issues I wont go into. If Xerox is to survive, the employees need to unionize. A few years back, Xerox cared about their employees, today it wont work unless the employees get the union involved. Sales is not going to save anything but their ridiculous reasons for whatever makes them an extra buck. Its not about the pay differential, its about doing the best that you can and getting rewarded for a great job. There are many GRAEAT technicians that don't want anything to do with sales. So don't give me your poor sobbing story of the split for sales. If they (sales) don't want the split then be technician - BUT DO YOUR JOB.
I don't agree at all. Xerox has many problems but sales is not one of them.
I beg to differ with the sales person. We dont get paid if we provide poor service. We get IRIF. We also get the same for providing good service, like spending a little more time on jobs to make sure they are done right, and putting in the parts necessary to keep Xerox's inferior products running
I am assuming from your comments, that you are not in sales but in service. Believe it or not, you are in sales as well. Everything you do to help keep that customer happy, you do to get paid. In case you didn't know, most Xerox salespeople are on some type of split, 60/40, 70/30 or 80/20. That means they only get 60% of their annual pay if they sell nothing. You probably get 100% of your pay, weather or not you provide great, good or poor service. When is the last time you met with you sales team and shared your frustration, my guess is never. Being a publicly traded company, forces them to report quarterly earnings. That means at the end of the month or end of the quarter is critical to the financial structure of the corporation. Don't take it out on salespeople, but take it out on the system. Always remember, without those salespeople out there selling, you have no reason to exist. Take a positive approach with the salespeople, and help guide them and keep them happy, to continue your existence.