I have been here for 21 years now and for the past 18 years I have had the same role. I actually liked it until mid last year. But I can't help but notice that since JC left and especially since MM came in and started this entire CX reorg nonsense, things seemed to have gone downhill overall. Wherever I look, everything is about cost cutting whether it makes sense or not. Everything that can possibly be outsourced to India, etc. is getting outsourced. Everyone knows our customers don't like it, in fact most hate it. We have CX mission statements that say 'customer obsession'. Yet in reality, everything we do has nothing to do with customer obsession but with money obsession. I understand we need to be profitable but it appears that the overall business strategies don't seem to work, hence senior management around the world becomes desperate to save face for shareholders. Now we cut staff and internal costs anywhere and everywhere, just so that we appear to be profitable to the outside.
What senior execs don't realise is that all the talent, technical excellence and many years of experience in the industry is getting lost because all these talented and experienced people are getting shown the door as they are too expensive. We charge our customers premium dollars for our CX services, promising them state of the are service from start to end. Yet in the backend we outsource almost everything to ie. India. We have CX engineers that show face to the customer but in the backend have to constantly fix up the sub-standard quality that CXC people produce. We are lying in every customers face by selling and promising them top services yet we don't actually give them the top resources they deserve and pay for. Is this ethical?
We are constantly bombarded with weekly all hands, check ins, Live/laugh/learn and other such BS meetings that try to make employees believe the organisation really cares about them. Yet, with every turn you make these days you wonder when your number is up because you are too expensive, your department is not profitable enough or there is just not enough work coming in cause for whatever reason we can't sell enough product and services any more.
But who can blame the seemingly decreasing profit of the company overall? It feels as innovation has taken a backseat (maybe cause we got rid of too many smart people???). Many products are just not relevant any more or outdated in one or another way. Services are not unto scratch on what customers really need. Frantically and desperately people like MM & Co. seem to go from one reorg to another trying to make a buck, yet failing over and over again. Why? Cause they don't really focus on the customer's real needs - they focus on how to best exploit customers with minimal effort and the least amount of costs to us internally.
Various BUs seem to come out with random products, SW and initiatives. Every couple of weeks there seem to be something else that we try to stuff down our customer's throats saying this is the latest and greatest. Only that a few weeks later nobody talks or hears about these so great solutions and products any more.
It just seems we are going down hill on all levels.
Motivation of employees (including mine) is at ground zero cause clearly the organisation doesn't give a c-ap any more regardless of how senior and good you are. You just become a cost factor and the more you earn the earlier you will be shown the door. Whether it makes sense or not - doesn't matter as long as it saves money.
It reminds me of my days at Nortel. It started exactly like that. Nortel was at some point bigger than Cisco. And where are they now? Gone. I feel is Cisco keeps going the way they do - they will eventually go under. Customers are not stupid.
Customers already start to look for other options. Services - why would a customer pay premium dollars for off shore resources? They can get that cheaper from a partner with the same or even better outcome.
Products? What do we actually produce that is life changing and that the competition doesn't have? Not that much I would argue. Cisco has just become a company like any other out there. A shame cause it was one of the best places to work for so many years. I'm just waiting for a big payout when my number is up but at this stage I won't be sad any more of not being part of this org much longer. Cisco has lost its shine.