If you have any prior CSM or professional experience, I'd strongly advise against applying for or accepting a CSM position with PaySimple. This is a thinly-veiled outbound sales role with entry-level metrics and immense micromanagement, padded with bad pay standards and manipulation from management. After about 6 months on board, CSMs quickly become disillusioned and miserable. Another review's "one foot out the door" observation is absolutely correct.
- CSMs operate in a bubble of micromanagement, paranoia, stress and a butt in seat mentality. Do not expect to take PTO days or an afternoon off for a dr's appointment without an interrogation, though they'll be unhappy with you if you've not used all PTO days by the end of the year. This role is not made for anyone used to having autonomy in their professional life.
- In place of fruitful management techniques, this team operates from a place of distrust, implement team rules which encourage discontent and further paranoia, openly display favoritism toward individual team members (which changes on a monthly basis, but generally always men), speak poorly about team members to other employees (if someone's on a PIP, everyone knows) and lack the gumption to fight for employee bonuses or fair compensation behind the scenes.
- With that in mind, do not expect to receive regular quarterly bonuses, as these are completely dependent on success factors of portfolios that are largely out of CSM control (see below).
- Portfolios consist of 200 - 300 accounts with the expectation to grow each of those accounts monthly credit card processing volume. This expectation is driven by outbound dialing metrics which result in many business owners viewing their assigned CSM as a telemarketer. There is no way for a CSM to have sway over the success of a business aside from utilizing more product features, which doesn't magically create more customers for said business.
- Promotions and career growth do not exist on this team. The team has been told promotions would cause discord, though the opposite becomes true. If you want employees to feel like there's a next step to work toward and be motivated to grow their skills, you can't be afraid to make someone a Senior CSM. Stagnation over multiple years doesn't encourage hope, happiness or loyalty.
- Salary is absolutely dismal in comparison to the tech market and there are rarely, if ever, pay increases given. PaySimple refuses to evaluate the reality that they not a competitive company for salary and actively ignore factual data presented by employees requesting raises. You will fight down to the penny when it comes to getting paid fairly and still won't succeed. CSMs who leave for another opportunity regularly double their compensation package.
- In response to Covid, CSMs had their salaries reduced by 20% and went from full time to part time, but portfolio size and metrics were unchanged (if not increased). Micromanagement only increased due to this.
- Turnover on this team is a regular occurrence, which leaves remaining team members in a lurch, lack of respect for the position from other teams and business owners angry that their contacts are ever-changing. Exit interviews from departing employees fall on deaf ears, therefore nothing changes and the negative cycle continues.
- They want team members to be "a family" while sowing seeds of discontent, forcing everyone to be "heads down" and discouraging fraternization. Bonding has to be on their terms, even off the clock.
- CSMs get the brunt of business owners' anger (which is frequent). CSMs are punching bags for these contacts and have very little sway in the product roadmap.
- EverCommerce runs the show even though PaySimple creates the bulk of their operating revenue. On account of this, PaySimple layoffs were frequent in 2020 while EverCommerce is (and has been) actively hiring. It's a business model which defies logic.
