8 Steps How To Work From Home In Customer Service (Complete With Pictures)

How To Work From Home In Customer Service - Work at home opportunities in customer service are a popular alternative to commuting to an office every day. Working at home, also known as telecommuting, is cost-effective for companies as it reduces overhead costs. Employees benefit by saving on commuting expenses and being able to generally choose the hours that they want to work. Customers also benefit due to the extended hours of availability in being able to speak with customer service representatives. Here are some helpful hints and suggestions for how to work from home in customer service.

Steps by Steps :

1. Browse the Internet to explore your work from home for the opportunities. Review company websites to learn more about the type of services that they provide. Scan for job openings in customer service and the company's specific skill requirements.

2. Assess your skills and abilities for a work from home. This will help you determine what type of job you are looking for. There are work from home call-center jobs, openings for virtual customer service representatives and home-based agents, as well as positions for live-chat service representatives. Some work of these opportunities may entail working exclusively via email.

3. Recognize that some basic requirements for working at home. Most customer service positions will require that you have a computer with high-speed Internet access, a land-line phone and a quiet office space to do your work. You must also be able to work independently and have solid time management skills.

Realize that these types of positions require experience in receiving a high volume of phone calls and a professional, pleasant speaking voice. You must have solid interpersonal skills as well as being proficient in working with computers, accessing and browsing the Internet.

4. Consider your qualifications for a work from home customer service position. In addition to having daily contact with customers, you must have solid skills in typing and data entry with excellent grammar and spelling skills.

Evaluate your ability to work with various computer programs and your skill level in using online communication tools such as chat and instant messaging. You should have the capability to multitask and be a problem solver if technical issues arise.

5. Understand the pros and cons of working from home. Contrary to a typical office position, work at home customer service jobs do not offer the more traditional benefits such as health and dental insurance, vacation pay, or sick pay. This saves the company offering telecommuting, work at home jobs additional expenses in overhead.

Realize that some work at home customer service jobs may require that you pay your own taxes. Keep track of the hours that you work and how much you make on a weekly basis. Save your records and put them in a safe place for future access when you prepare your tax return each year.

6. Review the requirements for any expected training sessions for work at home customer service jobs. Some companies may require you to attend on-site or online training in preparation for a position. Other requirements may be an operations manual that provides guidelines for the work that you will be doing.

7. Apply for those positions that you are interested in and qualified for. Follow their procedures for submitting the application and include a copy of your updated resume as well as a cover letter.

8. Realize that most job interviews will typically be conducted over the telephone. Some companies may use web cam technology for an online face-to-face interview for telecommuting positions.