Telecommuting Customer Service Agent

If you're just starting out on your telecommuting job search; you may be getting a feel for what types of jobs are out there and want to know which ones you can do. For this article we'll tackle one of the most popular telecommuting positions out there - Customer Service.

Each company has their own customer service duties, but for the most part, you're job is to help that company's customers get their questions answered or help them solve a problem.

How is Customer Service performed?

There are three ways that one could perform their customer service duties. The most popular being by the phone. You would have a phone in your home office and when you're on duty for the company; the calls would be transferred to your home line, where you would take care of the customer.

There are some positions where you could perform your customer service duties using an email program. Typically, you would gain access to the company's customer service email address account, where you can take the emails of customers and answer their questions that way.

There are also jobs where you can perform your customer service duties by using a special live chat program on a company's website. It works much like an instant message program that you might use to chat with friends. A customer would come to the site, and use the chat program to converse with you about whatever their needs are.

How much can they make?

This is a tough question to answer, since so many companies do it differently. You would have to look closely at the websites of companies that you're considering applying to. Here are some ways that you may encounter in your job search:

Hourly pay- This is the most sought after type of position. Most people look for this, but there aren't too many out there. This type of position is where you would work a set number of hours, say 8-2 and get paid for an hourly rate for the hours you worked. These positions can run from $8-$12 in most cases.

Pay per Call- Some companies will pay a certain amount of money for every call you make or receive. Again, these types of positions aren't seen too often, but they're out there.

Pay per Minute Talked- This is the most popular type of position you can find. This is where you will be paid a certain amount per minute that you talk with a customer. For example, you work one hour for a company. In that hour you receive one phone call and you talk with them for 5 minutes. The pay you would receive for that one hour of work is the 5 minutes of actual talk time. Some companies will offer other tasks to perform in between calls, but the other tasks will generally have a different rate of pay.

Do you need a lot of experience to work as a customer service agent?

Typically, you don't need that much experience. Some companies will ask for at least 6 months of experience, but most are okay with you having none. Generally, you would receive training with them, so you'll get the knowledge you need to perform your duties.

On occasion, there will be positions where you will have access to some sensitive material, like credit card numbers. Those positions will require you to have a good credit record, so they can trust you to be discreet with their customer's financial information.

If you have some customer service experience or if you have the ability to work with people in some of the toughest situations without getting riled up too easily, then this is a job you should consider.

Since each company is different, you will want to check out their websites or email your questions to them. Make sure you understand what the position entails or what the pay will be before applying.

Nell Taliercio has been working at home full time since 2004. She's worked as a telecommuter, virtual assistant and affiliate marketer. In 5 years she's discovered many secrets to finding legitimate work at home jobs and securing them. You can find work at home job information and tips at: http://www.justonlinejobs.com

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