Pros
Before Lessen overspent on SMS Assist, SMS was a decent place to work. The illusions for opportunities were ripe and there was a good “core group” of agents on the phones. It honestly felt like family more than work. The “usual characters” were there to hold it down and make the days fly by. Sometimes you felt like you had both hands tied behind your back when someone’s A/C was out, when it was 110* in their home with a new born, or when their septic tank has backed up because Invitation Homes didn’t approve it to be pumped for the last 10 years, but we made the best of it.
Cons
Nothing got better for the employees when Lessen purchased SMS Assist. You had to bust your you-know-what to scrape your way up the leadership ladder only for them to pull a key position in that journey out and make it impossible for anyone to move up after being a CSR IV with an “Escalations” designation. Reporting sexual harassment is career suicide so hopefully if someone in management takes a liking to you and your “vibe”, you have a strong stomach. Ride it out and get your bag, otherwise if you report it, you’re shunned and labeled as someone that can’t be trusted, a troublemaker, a LIAR, etc etc. You used to see one or two couples that worked together, which was nice to see. The only problem was when they went sideways, you had one of the two people from that couple trying to make their rounds to other people, married or not. It’s just a toxic place at this point and the Scottsdale office is just as bad. The people from SMS Assist are the “stepchildren” and not looked at equally, regardless of who says what. I’ve seen it, lived it, left it. Nowadays, they have the folks over from the Philippines training, and once they get their sketchy training under them good enough, you’ll see a big empty building in Tempe, and those who survive the next layoffs will be moved over to the Scottsdale office. Mark my words, it’s standard operating procedure. There are still good people there, not as many but some. This is a job, not a career for 99% of the people that apply. Need a job of necessity? They got you. Need a career? Keep looking.