Boutique consultancy that's lost its way - Senior Consultant Customer Systems Employee Review

I was a foreign student from a good school and good GPA, but not much luck with the 'bigger guys'. It was Customer Systems that took a chance on me, and helped me find my passion with a career that I still enjoy to this day, 10 years later. Customer Systems is a 'job on steroids', within months, you develop true deep expertise; and that's not just a company slogan, your expertise gets validated everytime you visit clients and see how you compare against others. I can speak for 'my generation', we all had stories of beating Oracle at their own game. We all had a strong 'can do' spirit that CS instilled in us, and we had so much fun at our clients sides In the span of 6 years I worked at over 18 clients in six industry sectors. I started with Siebel CRM, but CS recognized that I enjoy reports too, so they helped me develop expertise in OBIEE. Not a single dull moment The hiring salary was low, yes, but within two years I was making more money than my friends who started at the same time, and the gap continued to grow. Added bonus: Being a foreigner, it was Customer Systems that sponsored my green card application so that I don't have to worry about visas. I left CS as I decided I need to slow down on the travel side and spend more time with family and friends. I wish everyone at CS the best !

The job is sometimes too demanding and can affect your personal life, a lot of 'lost time' in travel when you are working on remote assignments, but that's no surprise; you are told that from the getgo. It's fun in the first few years, ok later on, but then becomes too much. There isn't much 'telecommuting' or 'work from home', at least not in my time. but again, they are clear about that from day 1.

Excellent training program: Customer Systems turned me into a valuable consultant in six weeks through its rigorous training program. Esprit de corps: More than a decade after leaving Customer Systems I am fortunate to count many of my former colleagues as close friends. Experience: There are not many entry level positions that accord the level of responsibility that one is expected to take at Customer Systems. Skills: The techincal training was superb. What I did not realise at the time, but became aware of as I moved into a different industry, was how many transferable consulting skills I learned. These included project management, business processe re-engineering, change mananagement and the ability and confidence to communicate effectively with a wide range of people from executives down. Integrity: Steve and Duncan made this central. Many firms pay lip service.

The travel can certainly be arduous, so go in with your eyes open. This is the nature of consulting and is not specific to Customer Systems.