Lucy: From apprentice to Customer Success Executive

Lucy joined ApplianSys' admin team in 2018 as an apprentice. Having worked as a receptionist at another firm, Lucy was looking for a new challenge and serious career progression when she joined us. Today, she carries out and manages a huge portion of routine Customer Success activities.

What attracted you to work at ApplianSys?

I was initially attracted to ApplianSys because they appeared highly people-orientated & it seemed like a great place for young people to work. There is a focus on being world-class and pushing myself as an individual. There is not only a lot of teamwork involved in working at ApplianSys, but you also have the opportunity to develop your personal attributes as well.

How would you describe your ongoing training?

My training has been very impressive - more than I would have expected from an employer. I initially expected to have a few training sessions which would be mainly related to my apprenticeship. Since I joined ApplianSys, there has been a massive amount of focus on training and personal development. I have also been enrolled on an Access course and I am doing various other training items at the same time! My role here has definitely helped me gain confidence. From the start, if you show that you are capable of doing a high level of work even whilst in training, you will be given the opportunity to take on serious responsibility.

What led you to an Admin / Customer services role?

I decided to go for this role as I think my personality suits it best. I see myself as friendly, well-organised and a logical thinker therefore this role is something which interests me more than anything else. You also get to interact with customers on a daily basis which is great!

What skills have you developed whilst at ApplianSys?

I have developed a lot, and not only things which are related to my job role. As well as improving generally in my job I have also developed as an individual. Also because I am young I think it is a great place to work as ApplianSys is teaching me many valuable skills.

Who should apply for a job here?

If you are looking to join us at ApplianSys, you need to be very driven & highly focused. You should also enjoy developing as an individual. You should be willing to work hard in a team-focused environment & work collaboratively with your colleagues.

There are many benefits to working for ApplianSys. The atmosphere is very friendly, everyone here looks out for each other. If you are willing to put in the effort, and are driven by success, ApplianSys is a very rewarding place to work.

Callum Haywood: From theory to real-world software development

Is being a developer at ApplianSys what you imagined it would be?

One of the most surprising aspects of the job is variety, in terms of the complexity and where, within the software, I'm working. In minutes I can go from tweaking a bit of JavaScript at the high end to investigating a bug deep in the system. If I'd found a web development job, it's likely I'd have been working at the high end all the time.

What's different from Uni?

The biggest difference is that my work is actually used... in the real world! At university I'd put a huge amount of time and effort into a project and I'd be really proud of the end-result. But the only other person who would see this is my lecturer and once the module was over, I'd not think of the project again. Now, every little thing I do makes it into a product that is deployed thousands of time, all over the world!

Is developing software for real a lonely job?

Whilst we don't explicitly do 'Peer Programming' we have a very collaborative team. Everyone's always turning around and nudging their neighbour for help. The whole team is happy to help each-other. We have a system of 'Code Reviews' whereby, before any code is committed to the system, a colleague checks it over to ensure the code remains consistent, coherent and human readable. I've even reviewed code from our Senior Developers and they all seem to value my input.

Outside the development team, what's it like at ApplianSys?

Everyone's very friendly and welcoming. The company is very 'open', we have a Monthly Team meeting where all sorts of information is shared that I would have assumed would be kept under-wraps. Because I know how we're performing financially, where our sales are coming from and any issues we've had in Operations, I can really see the impact that we have on each other's work. That's fascinating!

What skills have you developed whilst at ApplianSys?

Managing time is a big deal. Obviously, I had to stick to deadlines at Uni, but they tended to be further in the future for bigger tasks. In the real world you have far more smaller tasks, each with it's own deadline. It's really highlighted the value of time and shown me how much can be accomplished in a comparatively short space of time.

Where can your career at ApplianSys go from here?

Well, I've been here less than 1 year so initially I expect to continue doing what I'm doing right now but faster, better and on even more complex tasks. One of the best things about our Development team is that everything is out in the open so I have visibility of engineering direction and can contribute to the thinking on things like System Design and Architecture. Perhaps I'll move on to take responsibility for those areas in future.

Amna Ali feeds her thirst for knowledge

What led you to a career in tech?

I wanted to work with technology since middle school. I read a book about Thomas Edison and was immediately attracted to understanding how things work. And, in network technology, the answers are rarely simple so it provides an ongoing challenge that I find really satisfying.

ApplianSys products need to interact with a range of solutions from other vendors, so I'm on a constant learning curve, maintaining at least a little knowledge about lots of products.

So you spend all of your time fixing problems for customers?

No, there's a lot of collaboration with teams across ApplianSys. And ApplianSys has a very open culture so anyone in a team has a good view of what's happening elsewhere.

We work with product developers in cases where a customer highlights a deeper issue with a product or if it needs in-depth technical understanding. Here, developers explain what they're doing to resolve an issue & how they fixed it. Similarly, because we talk to customers throughout the day, we often relay new requirements / products suggestions to them.

Teamwork isn't limited to technical colleagues. We work with salespeople on complex opportunities, consulting with prospective customers on how our solutions will operate in their networks.

What are ApplianSys customers like?

Because ApplianSys has customers all around the world, I speak to a huge variety of people on a daily basis. In other places you might find yourself working in teams that only support customers from a specific geography. I'm attracted to different cultures and like to know people all over the world, so this is really satisyfing.

Support at ApplianSys is at least a 50/50 split between problem solving and customer service, especially as our customers have a huge range of technical expertise. Elsewhere, nearly all of my customers have been very technical: they would often understand my products as well as I did. Because ApplianSys products are designed for all levels of expertise, some of our customers have quite low technical knowledge so you need to think carefully about how to best communicate with any one customer.

What would a candidate need to succeed at ApplianSys?

Most important is a desire to learn. You won't learn about web caching at university so there is a lot to learn during induction, and you need to keep learning every single day.

Sometimes it's necessary to work overtime to help a customer - so you need that level of commitment, and feel proud of a job well done.

Chris Newman gets the genuine challenge he needed for career progression

Is ApplianSys what you expected before you joined?

You take the things that an employer tells you during an interview with a big pinch of salt. I'd heard that ApplianSys takes personal development seriously, seriously rewards hard work and will be a properly stretching challenge. 5 years in, I can honestly say these are all true!

In what ways has ApplianSys developed you?

It's more that the company culture and appraisal processes are structured to help you develop yourself. Appraisals are not the quick sit down with your line manager, check how things have gone and get a 2% payrise whether you've earned it or not. It's a genuine 360 degree appraisal in which you get in-depth feedback from around the business on your performance against a large set of metrics. The culture is such that everyone is comfortable giving helpful criticism and the plans you make during review with your line manager are broken down into monthly milestones allowing for quick check on progress throughout the month. So there's little guesswork involved in how you've developed.

Does that make it harder to get pay-rises?

Perhaps. In fact, payrises are not strictly tied to the Appraisal process, you can earn them at any time though hard work and accomplishments. At one point I earned 3 payrises within about 18 months and these were each double digit raises. And because nobody gets rewarded for the sake of it, you can be satisfied that you've genuinely 'earned' your raise. The personal development and reward systems are properly linked. Having recognised previous achievements, the company systematically raises the bar needed to achieve more and I get clear direction from my boss about the specific improvements needed to do so.

What do you like about working at ApplianSys?

For me, the high degree of transparency is key. Where I may previously have had the 'freedom' to influence, a lack of visibility has made that impossible to achieve in practice. At ApplianSys, data on activity across the company is freely communicated, colleagues at all levels are easily accessible and sharing knowledge or ideas is actively encouraged. So, when I spot competitors doing something unusual or opportunities for New Product Development it's easy for me to open discussions with the right colleagues even when that's the CEO. And there are tools and processes in place for these to be discussed, actioned quickly or recorded and parked for a rainy day.

How have you developed at ApplianSys?

Marketing at ApplianSys is very hands on with little agency use, so I've continued to improve core skills. But most importantly, the collaborative nature of the company has given plenty of opportunity to develop teamwork and leadership skills. Large projects gave first exposure to line management activity and I've gone on to lead the marketing team, with a great deal of training (and no small amount of patience) from other ApplianSys leaders. We have regular management training sessions in which we share experiences, challenges and successes. So I've learned from those with more experience and from those with less.

I've also led New Product Development activity which is hugely exciting and not the kind of entreprenuerial tech experience I expected from a relatively humble office in Coventry! The company operates in extremely competitive markets, often against far better funded competitors so beating them with solutions that you've genuinely helped to build is hugely satisfying.

Alastair Scobbie: writes off cars just by looking at them

What attracted you to working at ApplianSys?

A key thing for me was having a varied day job which meant I had the opportunity to learn loads about the business every day, without getting bored. That's just the sort of exposure you want when you start off, rather than a job that's monotonous. ApplianSys isn't a huge company; there's no bureaucracy and from day 1 you're given real responsibility. I was told if I'm ambitious, there would be exciting future potential. That prospect of being able to participate in the company's growth and contribute to it in a meaningful way particularly drew me.

Did you have to prepare for taking on your role?

I started as an IT apprentice, and it was primarily my interest in IT that got me in the running. However, at the time I'd only just finished my GCSEs so the big challenge was preparing for the transition from a student to a professional. There's a big difference between school and work. At school you can "coast through" even with little effort - the impact isn't too much! But work life is another ballgame. I had to put in a lot more mental effort each day. When you're part of a team that's actually making a difference in the practical world, you have to be mentally prepared to fit in. This isn't something that's taught by the way - it has to come from you.

What skills and attributes contributed to your transition to Team Leader over the years?

Being a team leader requires a specific set of skills - some core and others learned. To name a few: Collaboration and communication; Organisation and control; Knowing the day job inside out, being decisive and having strong problem-solving skills.; But I think the most important attribute to have is the ability to work hard each day - not just at the job, but at becoming more effective and efficient. More than anything, I've always tried to go the extra mile to give both my colleagues and the company the best chance to succeed. I've happily been involved in tasks outside my job role, rather than have a "that's not my job" attitude which has helped me develop even faster.

Who should apply for a role in Ops and what can they expect?

If you're applying for a role in Ops as an apprentice, you're expected to have a genuine interest in an area of IT, like Networking or Technical Product Development, and the basic technical skills to meet the job spec. We typically hire IT apprentices with the expectation that they'll develop specialist technical skills over 2-3 years. During that time, apprentices receive a combination of in-house training, external apprenticeship training and home learning. Successful apprentices go on to extend their jobs to outside of the operations team - and into more technically challenging roles to fit their new set of skills. This transition can be fast tracked if they put in the effort. Depending on skills and interest, apprentices can then expect a career progression into customer support (networking skills) or engineering (programming and developing) etc.

What's the best thing about working here?

ApplianSys has amazing people from all over the world - the mix of different cultures and backgrounds makes it quite a special place to work. You learn a lot from your colleagues and everyone's really helpful. On top of that there's a strong, concerted effort by the company to continually improve and develop its people, regardless of whether you're in a developing or senior/management role. The company genuinely has a "more you give, more you" approach. If you put in the hard work, intensity and efforts, you will be rewarded for it.

Philip Munaawa: moves from telco to vendor to make a bigger difference

Describe the role(s) you held since joining ApplianSys? What is your current position?

I've been a Senior Developer for five years, and my role includes developing and maintaining the different product lines. My main work includes identifying customer needs - looking out for new opportunities as well as threats to the product range - and then developing suitable solutions that keep our product offerings current and uphold customer satisfaction. On a daily basis, myself and the team work to maintain the code base for the appliances' firmware.

Why did you choose the role at ApplianSys?

My background is in software engineering, so I chose the role to because it matches my skill set and my previous work experience as an ISP systems admin for a large telco in Africa. I also like the fact that ApplianSys' core business is technology - so my role isn't lost in the basement, it's one that sits at the forefront of the business.

In what respect have you been able to make your mark at ApplianSys?

I've had many notable successes at ApplianSys. For example, I was the project lead in the development of our largest caching appliance. It gives me great satisfaction seeing this product make huge savings for our customers, particularly schools.

What is different about working at ApplianSys compared to other positions you've held?

The work culture is very different in the UK to Uganda, and having worked for a much larger company, I instantly see that ApplianSys is more open in communication. I also feel part of a bigger picture and not a little cog or jigsaw piece - I can make a real impact on the company's direction.

What have you gained from working at ApplianSys?

Definitely more fluency in software skills and technical knowledge. At ApplianSys you must have the self-discipline to learn for yourself and anticipate what would be valuable to both the wider and to your own growth.

What advice would you have for potential applicants in Development?

ApplianSys is small company with a world-class attitude - so software developers must enjoy creating solutions independently. We have a supportive team culture, but you also need to be able to excel without close supervision.

Describe the training you've had at ApplianSys

We hold weekly training sessions within the team where we train each other on different topics or share expertise that we have individually gained. Occasionally there is external training, for example, in soft skills - so anything learned by one person is quickly shared with the whole team.