Employee and Consumer Conscious Company -- Great Gateway for Entry-level Employees
Pros
Appfolio is a fantastic company to gain experience for anyone new to the workforce or shifting careers. While I cannot speak to the office atmosphere or management for all office locations or departments, I have been continually impressed with the operation of the contact center. The management team cares not only for the profit and future of the company but for the employees as well and it shows. It is a call center and, as such, the work is not always enjoyable, but the management team acknowledges that fact and takes great effort to keep office morale up. They encourage growth and development and will readily discuss your career aspirations whether inside or outside the company. Expect decent company provided snacks daily with lunch brought in at least once a month. Coworkers are in close quarters, but the office is nicely decorated with lots of natural light and arranged to keep from feeling like you are working in a cubicle farm. It is in a nice location as well in the Legacy shopping area, so there is plenty of space for walking away from your desk and computer during lunch. The company benefits are definitely a pro as well. They offer great PTO without any pressure or recourse from management if you choose to actually use it. Insurance benefits are fairly standard, but the cost is largely covered by the company. The 401K match is a little above average as well, especially for an entry-level position. Just this year the company began offering paid parental leave as well.
Cons
Although the Legacy Shopping area is nice for taking lunchtime stroll, the traffic is fairly awful regardless of which direction you are coming or going and public transportation is a poor option. While there are bus stops only a few blocks away, the TRE/DART does not have any stations nearby. While there is plenty of promise for internal growth and the management team is eager to bring forward opportunities whenever they arise, the contact center currently seems to have hit its peak and plateaued, so any real growth in the company is occurring in other departments. If you have a bachelor's degree (and are possibly open to relocating to California) this is not an issue. If you are without a degree, however, your time with the company, ability, and experience will count for little to nothing and limit you to transitioning into sales or waiting for management opportunities within the contact center to become available. Despite the company's overall above-average benefits, there are no sick days offered so you have to use PTO if you need a day or two off for your health, a child's health, or unforeseen circumstances. This becomes tricky also as, technically, PTO must be approved 24 hours in advance unless it is an emergency situation and the determination of "emergency" is at management's discretion. I personally have not yet had an issue, but was warned on one occasion when a situation arose and I called in late in the evening that I may not receive any PTO to cover my missed day due to the late notice. Starting pay is fair and about average for the positions I've held thus far, but after receiving the opportunity for a merit raise at 6 months there are no further wage increases unless you move into a higher paying position.
