[quote=Mucker]Feedback from the fine Smart Station folks…

Why do you think it will take so long to make obvious improvements to the system? I can not understand what the  WS brokers have been using to manage accounts. I get your info about why brokervision had to go. Same story with ontrack?

[quote=albert]Why do you think it will take so long to make obvious improvements to the system? I can not understand what the  WS brokers have been using to manage accounts. I get your info about why brokervision had to go. Same story with ontrack?[/quote]

WB has 3 releases each year Feb, June, Oct. They are testing the June release right now, developing for the October release and and finishing up requirements for next feb release. At least thats how it was always explained to me. That means the issues you have right now at earliest won’t get queued up until next June. Those enhancments have to fight for funding along with everything else and there is never enough funding. Hopfully your issues were already known and in an exisitng queue otherwise it will be a while.

On track was not integrated with envision, portfolio ensight is. I heardthere were a few gaps between the two systems but portfolio insights was suppose to be upgraded to do those things.  To be honest I do not know a lot about on track, but the portfolio insight tool was pretty powerful, especially in the bond area. When gold was shut down, the old pru fixed income system, I was not happy. I could not believe it when WB actually put someing in Smart Station that was better than what was on BOSS, pru’s broker desktop system. Boss rocked.

If on track was better than portfolio insights it must have been one heck of a product.

Stupid station, info minimum & excellence lost. I’ve always used Act. Why they would build their own POS from scratch instead of going with a decent CRS will always be a mystery to me.

I will send a “service request” to ask for ClientOne/Broker vision to be returned…

I am really sorry for you guys that are still there. If you are worried/scared to move DONT BE!
I made the jump in Jan , andafter reading this forum now, I am sooooo glad I did. People try to scare you into thinking moving is a nightmare, and I am sure it can be depending on teh advisor, clients and firm, but mine has gone so much smother than I couldn have ever imagined…just do it! I wasnt worried about waiting for a retention…it wasnt important to me…no money could have kept me at WS before let alone now…so those that are unhappy, get out while you have someplace to go or get used to the new reality.

nestegg,

I am an AGE legacy CA and I have to say that after years of using BV I hate Smartstation.  Being human, I detest change of most sort, but this change is ridiculous.  It takes me at least 20 clicks to get the information I need. But worse than Smartstation is what has happened to our back office. I have spent more time taking the “scenic route” of St. Louis trying to find someone who could and was WILLING to help me than I have doing what I am paid to do “service customer requests”.  I spent a total of over 2 hours on Friday being switched from dept to dept and finally got the response “you will have to tell your customer to be patient, we have just been through a big conversion and it is tax time”.  I told that person that now is not the time to tell a client they have to be patient, they will sign transfer forms faster that I can blink.  I think it is horrible that when I call St. Louis I am placed on hold forever and the lack of competence on the other end is frightening. One person gives you one answer and other person gives you another answer. They dont give a sht and it is reflected in their attitude every time I call.  I might as well be calling Comcast about my personal cable bill, what happend to the competent support and attitude that was AGE? We used to have a contact in each dept that we dealt with, now we get a call center. The hold mesg says the calls are recorded, I wonder if anyone in St. Louis is bothering to listen to the responses that are being given out and to the shtty attitude that goes along with the responses.  Is this the way Wachovia did business before the merger with AGE? I take pride in the quality of my customer service for our clients, I used to take pride in the fact I worked for AGE, now I am embarrased to tell people where I work.  I have been concerned for awhile that my brokers would leave the company and wondered where that would leave me…now I am hoping they leave and take me with them.  I do not want to be connected to a company that I see us being, I am ashamed of our company.  But at the same time I wonder, is it any better at any other companies right now?  

[quote=brokergirl]I am an AGE legacy CA and I have to say that after years of using BV I hate Smartstation.  Being human, I detest change of most sort, but this change is ridiculous.  It takes me at least 20 clicks to get the information I need. But worse than Smartstation is what has happened to our back office. I have spent more time taking the “scenic route” of St. Louis trying to find someone who could and was WILLING to help me than I have doing what I am paid to do “service customer requests”.  I spent a total of over 2 hours on Friday being switched from dept to dept and finally got the response “you will have to tell your customer to be patient, we have just been through a big conversion and it is tax time”.  I told that person that now is not the time to tell a client they have to be patient, they will sign transfer forms faster that I can blink.  I think it is horrible that when I call St. Louis I am placed on hold forever and the lack of competence on the other end is frightening. One person gives you one answer and other person gives you another answer. They dont give a sht and it is reflected in their attitude every time I call.  I might as well be calling Comcast about my personal cable bill, what happend to the competent support and attitude that was AGE? We used to have a contact in each dept that we dealt with, now we get a call center. The hold mesg says the calls are recorded, I wonder if anyone in St. Louis is bothering to listen to the responses that are being given out and to the shtty attitude that goes along with the responses.  Is this the way Wachovia did business before the merger with AGE? I take pride in the quality of my customer service for our clients, I used to take pride in the fact I worked for AGE, now I am embarrased to tell people where I work.  I have been concerned for awhile that my brokers would leave the company and wondered where that would leave me…now I am hoping they leave and take me with them.  I do not want to be connected to a company that I see us being, I am ashamed of our company.  But at the same time I wonder, is it any better at any other companies right now?  
[/quote]

For WS it is all about scale and scope. They want the brokers to serve themselves and not bulk up home office. They will put the tools in your hands, but expect you to do the work. As for the back office issues, what do you expect St Louis has to learn a new system as well.

[quote=albert]nestegg,

BrokerVision was much easier to use took much less time and required less help from the home office. Everything we had was designed for self sufficience

I still miss BrokerVision

[quote=brokergirl] I do not want to be connected to a company that I see us being, I am ashamed of our company.  But at the same time I wonder, is it any better at any other companies right now?  
[/quote]
You guys need to be talking to Stifel. The answer is that it is better at other companies riht now…much better!

I understand completely that St. Louis has to learn a new system too. I feel their pain, trust me.  My biggest complaint and concern is the attitude, I never had attitude before. Everyone has a bad day at work, but every call I have made to the back office in the last few weeks has resulted in a very bad attitude, like I am bothering them. What frustrates me is that in order to do my job efficiently and professionally sometimes I need help and answers from St. Louis. Not necessarily on Smartstation, but on policy, procedures, products.  I used to feel like we were all on the same “team” with a common goal, to service our clients in a professional and timely manner. Now I get the feeling it is “us against them” and that is not how it should be. When I can’t do my job like I am used to because I am spending so much time on hold or being transferred from person to person, that makes it very frustrating and my attitude turns sour. I am sure that morale is low in the back office as well, just as it is in the branches, and maybe I am a Pollyana, but what happened to everyone working toward the same goal?  Is that mentality unreasonable to ask for nowadays?  What happened to good customer service? I am always telling our clients not to worry about calling me once, twice a day if they need to, I honestly believe that without clients and their phone calls, we would ALL be unemployed. And I strive everyday to get my clients the help and understanding they want and most importantly, deserve. The one thing that used to set AGE apart from all the other firms was CUSTOMER SERVICE.  And I feel those days are gone.  It is a hard pill for clients to swallow when they call in this time of year to get the total amount of fees they paid for tax purposes and then they look at the statements and see their returns, the least we can do is provide excellent service. 

[quote=brokergirl]I understand completely that St. Louis has to learn a new system too. I feel their pain, trust me.  My biggest complaint and concern is the attitude, I never had attitude before. Everyone has a bad day at work, but every call I have made to the back office in the last few weeks has resulted in a very bad attitude, like I am bothering them. What frustrates me is that in order to do my job efficiently and professionally sometimes I need help and answers from St. Louis. Not necessarily on Smartstation, but on policy, procedures, products.  I used to feel like we were all on the same “team” with a common goal, to service our clients in a professional and timely manner. Now I get the feeling it is “us against them” and that is not how it should be. When I can’t do my job like I am used to because I am spending so much time on hold or being transferred from person to person, that makes it very frustrating and my attitude turns sour. I am sure that morale is low in the back office as well, just as it is in the branches, and maybe I am a Pollyana, but what happened to everyone working toward the same goal?  Is that mentality unreasonable to ask for nowadays?  What happened to good customer service? I am always telling our clients not to worry about calling me once, twice a day if they need to, I honestly believe that without clients and their phone calls, we would ALL be unemployed. And I strive everyday to get my clients the help and understanding they want and most importantly, deserve. The one thing that used to set AGE apart from all the other firms was CUSTOMER SERVICE.  And I feel those days are gone.  It is a hard pill for clients to swallow when they call in this time of year to get the total amount of fees they paid for tax purposes and then they look at the statements and see their returns, the least we can do is provide excellent service. 
[/quote]

You hit the nail on the head…this was one of my primary reasosn for leaving. The Home Ofice seemed like they were working against you instead of for you. I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to have the feeling of being on the same team again. I have fiund this at Stifel, I wish I would have left a year ago instead of a month ago!

[quote=nestegg]

[quote=albert]nestegg,

That joke of a fore frontretention blows.

WFC’s treatment of FA’s blows

The future at WFC looks like ist gonna blow. (they dont want ws)

for AGE guys it blows times 10 (you got so lucky to JUST make the Titanic as it was leaving port and it seems like you in the class that Jack was in, not pearl or whatever her name was)



But you know what?    you have options.   

think about 99% of people out these in different businesses that DONT have options.



it truly is time to stfu or make your move.    The opportunities are there.



no one in here will say it because we all have monster ego’s…but it is SCARY as hell to move.



It take a massive amount of courage and guts to make the move and test to SEE if you have what it takes to get your people to come with you.



those of you that totally hate wells forego advisors for whatever reason and beleive the future here is not much better…



its time to s%^& or get off the pot. period



If you dont have the stones to take the leap…go back to your office and STFU and take your medicine



period

I understand there is a Buyout retirement package for FA’s. I remember a call that had some of the details. Does anyone know how to find out about it. The HR department will only direct me to my Branch manager who says he “looking into it”.

JayMc…thats pretty much bottom line. I agree. No amount of speculating on our part on this board will make a difference. WFC is gonna do what WFC wants to do. For those stay, good luck to you.

Glad I printed off all my relevant client stuff couple of weeks ago.

Do the AGE guys that got the retention package from the AGE/WB merger have to repay if they leave WB now or is that amt they got forgiven?