Appriss - One Example of a “Champion Organization”
June 22, 2009 by Skip Weisman
Filed under Real Life "Champion Organizations"
There has been a lot of chatter in the media, the blogosphere and the micro-blogosphere (Twitter & Facebook) about the outstanding corporate culture and customer service of online shoe retailer Zappos.com
The hype over Zappos.com is well-deserved as it offers an outstanding model to follow. I’d like offer another company I’ve been referred to through a contact I made on Twitter that seems to also have the right approach to company culture.
Thanks to a link provided me on Twitter from one of my followers I was pleased to watch the corporate recruiting video for Appriss, a specialized software company in the midwest.
I encourage you to spend a couple of minutes (5-minutes to be exact) watching their Great Place to Work Video on their “About Us” page. It’s worth the time as it shows what’s possible.
They tell their story very well but I’m sure their employees can tell the story even better. According to my Twitter follower Appriss “management that treats employees with trust & respect…they tell us the truth & keep us in the loop on important decisions.”
I’m sure there are other Appriss team members that also have things to say about their Champion work environment. I encourage them to leave comments below and encourage comments from a from their satisfied customers about the products and services.
One of the key’s to a Champion Organization as I wrote in a previous post is having a compelling Vision, Strategy & Purpose. From what I’ve read and heard, the Appriss mission and how the company came into being is certainly compelling and the company is filling a tremendous role in our society in the field of criminal justice and crime victim advocacy.
If you are an employee or customer of Appriss, feel free to leave a comment offering other company’s your view of the #1 thing that makes Appriss a Champion Organization that other business owners and CEOs can learn from.
Appriss, keep up the good work!
I have been in the IT/Tech field for 15 years and have worked at all the major corporations here in Louisville (UPS, LG&E, Kindred Healthcare, Humana) and Appriss is without a doubt the best best company I have ever worked for and not by just a little. Since the day I walked into the building for the first time I have been welcomed, trusted and valued and I have felt it every day. I look forward to coming to work everyday and that is a statement I have not been able to claim anywhere else. The atmosphere here is one of comrade and esprit-de-Appriss. We are a team from the top down and I feel as comfortable walking in and sitting down in my manager and CEO’s office as I do my colleagues. I believe all corporations should study the Appriss business and employee relations plan and try it for a year. I have no doubt they will see the rewards of a more productive workplace when they start treating their employees like the assets they are.
I, too, have been working in the IT/Tech field for a while now (8+ years), most of which was spent with another large corporate here in town. I have talked to my colleagues and former classmates about their previous experiences. I know without a doubt that this is and will be the best company I have EVER worked for! I look forward to coming to work every day, enjoy the people I work with, the work I do, and the company I work for. I have never worked for a company where all of Senior Management knows every employee by name, and will stop and talk with you in the hall (or their office) at any time.
Just a little story to share to show you how much everyone cares here…recently my wife and I had our second child, and when I got back to work they had sent out an annoucement to all employees with his stats. I had emails from people in every corner of our organization congratulating me, and even had an email from our CEO saying, “Congratulations to you and your wife! I can’t wait to meet the little guy!”