Abandoned its innovation leaders - Product Management optionsXpress Employee Review

4.0
9 Dec 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

After being acquired by Schwab employee moral has recovered. It is a good company to work for if you like being part of a large enterprise. However, the growth startup feel was killed many years ago.

Cons

optionsXpress was the most innovative in the 2000's. Employees were traders encouraged to create new products and in the options world nobody created more innovative products than optionsXpress. However, the founding CEO David Kalt was replaced with a CFO David Fisher that did not have customers or employees in mind. David Kalt had big promotions, salary increases and bonuses that kept moral high, innovation and account acquisition followed. David Fisher on the other hand controlled costs and moral fell to the ground and the innovative talent left the company. Company went IPO at 1 billion and years later got acquired by Schwab for the same amount.

Explore other reviews about optionsXpress

5.0
23 Oct 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great firm to work at, fast paced environment. Everybody works hard together

Cons

none , very happy to be here

2.0
6 Mar 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Charles Schwab bought optionsXpress in September 2011. This has lead to the departure of some of the upper management from optionsXpress who have been replaced by Schwab employees. The old opitonsXpress upper management was very numbers focused and did not seem to care very much about the 'little people'. Have seen some positive changes in this area since the Schwab takeover. Time will tell how much it improves. Benefits also improved with Schwab.

Cons

Can be very micromanaged and nitpicked over minor things. For example if you're on the phone with customers, your calls will be randomly reviewed. That's fine. But if the call was good, you gave the person the correct information, etc....but God forbid you didn't thank them for calling, you get dinged on your call review score. It's like you clubbed a baby fur seal or something. Also have some silly grade school type 'rewards' if a customer just happens to say to someone that they were pleased with how you served them on the phone. The reward is supposed to be a motivator, but it's so silly and minor, it's insulting instead.

2
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