Pros
Best thing about Appirio is that it's a cloud consultancy that ACTUALLY USES THE CLOUD. You won't be on site 4 days/week. You'll travel some in the beginning of a project and some toward the end of a sprint, but the work environment is primarily from home using Google Hangouts or GotoMeeting for team and client communication. Travel is supposed to be up to 60% but the company actively encourages its clients to adopt the cloud to keep project costs down, so your actual travel may be much lower, depending on your position.
Appirio eats its own dog food. Salesforce for project management, stories, issues, release and sprint planning, timecards and expenses, Workday for HR, Google for collaboration, Concur for travel...all products that Appirio delivers to its clients too. If the product isn't cloud based, it generally isn't used.
My primary concern when I interviewed and found out that they use offshore development was my previous negative experiences with several big name Indian offshoring companies. It turns out that Appirio's internally owned offshore development center in Jaipur is staffed with full-time, top-notch Salesforce developers who have completely flipped my opinion of what capabilities offshore development can provide. These are dedicated developers who you will get to know by name and even have video chats with.
Certification is a good perk of working at Appirio. I had not pursued any Salesforce certifications while working in private industry due to my employer not paying for them. Certification is a condition of employment here, and you'll be expected to get at least one in your first 90 days. It forced me to study and take my exam, and now I'm more valuable in the market because of it, but also more valuable to my clients.
The people. This is what Appirio is really about: the best of the best. The interview process was the most intense of all the companies I'd interviewed with, including Salesforce themselves. I have enjoyed working with everyone I've met thus far. Everyone is knowledgeable and looking out for the success of the company, not only their own. Have a question that you don't know the answer to? Ask 1,000 employees in the discussion group and you'll get the answer in short order.
The culture. Want to meet the CEO? Don't worry, you will. I met him quite by accident while attending a fitness session at a company event. Didn't introduce himself as such, just talked to me like one fellow sweaty human being to another. Very down to earth, relaxed, and real. Met him again at a team meeting along with one of the other founders and ate some tacos. When's the last time you ate tacos with the CEO of your company? All of the senior leadership are approachable and decent people. I cannot say the same for my former employer. Nor could I say the same of Salesforce. When I interviewed with them, I was treated like another number. Very impersonal. Appirio treats me the same way now that I'm in their employ as they did when they were courting me. I feel like I've got the support of my management and the help of a team.
Salary, bonus, and benefits are on par with or better than the competition. The primary differentiator for me was the culture.
Cons
I honestly haven't found any yet. If I had to say anything it would be that some processes are still being figured out as the company grows. Expect change. If something isn't working, they'll change it to make it work.
