There are many reasons why customer service may not be the right work at home job for you. Then again, it could be perfect. So I thought I would take a look at the realities and fantasies of this job.
Fantasy: A highly flexible schedule where you can work the hours you select.
Reality: There's a degree of truth to the fantasy, but it's not as flexible as many people would hope. Companies typically want you to either set up a schedule with them for each week, or sign up for hours as they come available. You are expected to work the hours you agree to.
The trouble can come in when there's a low call volume at the times you agreed to work. Work at home customer service positions generally pay on talk time, not on the hours you agreed to work. But you are still expected to be available. This can be really tough when the calls just aren't there.
Fantasy: You can work and take care of your children at the same time.
Reality: Especially when your children are young, utterly untrue. Your typical customer service position will require that you have no background noise whatsoever. A noise cancelling headset will help, but if you have children playing in the background, you cannot count on it being enough. People do get fired over background noises.
If you have young children, you are pretty much limited to working when they are asleep and will stay asleep, or when they are at school. You will probably want an office with a door you can close. You will want to train your entire family to leave you alone when you are working.
Fantasy: It is easy to work in customer service once you find a job.
Reality: While finding the job is one of the most difficult parts of working at home, it's not the only challenge. With many companies you have to test to qualify to take calls for various companies, and strict scripts to follow. Just being yourself in many cases is not allowed. There are legal reasons why you may be required to use specific phrasings.
You will also have to deal with problem customers, people who don't want to let you say what you have to say, and people who are just simply hard to understand. You'll have goals to meet. Some days the job will be easier than others.
Working well in customer service takes practice. It's a skill many people can pick up, but it is not for everyone. You will have times when there is not as much work as you would like. Times when it is hard to find a workable schedule or to keep to what you agreed to. But you will also be glad to have the ability to work in your own home.
Not only do many companies hire people outright to do customer service work from home, there are others that will allow you to work from home once you have proven yourself as an employee. It can be a pretty good deal.
So how do you get in on it?
The first thing to do is to make sure that you qualify for the position. Do you have any experience in customer service? If you want to start out working from home, this will help a lot. Employers hear from so many unqualified people when they offer at home positions that they get overwhelmed. Experience counts.
You also need to be sure that you have a setup at home that will suit any potential employers. While you may take different kinds of calls for each company, there are many factors that all employers will want.
1. A quiet workspace.
Really quiet. As in no background noise whatsoever. Doubly so if the noise identifies you as home based. Many people doing customer service from home lose their jobs over background noise.
2. A noise-cancelling headset.
As there's no way you can get rid of all background noises, a noise-cancelling headset is a huge asset. You're going to need a headset anyhow, as you can't do this job while holding a handset. These are quite affordable and you can often get them at Target or Walmart.
3. A fairly current computer.
You don't need to have the latest and greatest, but you do need to have a decent quality machine.
4. A dedicated phone line.
No extra features on the line, just unlimited long distance calling. Call waiting and so forth are not necessary, and you really do not want non-work related calls coming in on this line.
5. High speed internet.
This means cable or DSL.
With this equipment and some basic customer service skills, you may be appealing to potential employers. The equipment needed is common enough and/or affordable enough that you generally need to buy it yourself, although you may be reimbursed by your employer for some things.
A few companies will hire you at home as an employee, but many prefer to hire independent contractors. This is a part of what determines whether or not they reimburse you for anything and has implications for your tax situation as well. Independent contractors have to handle their own taxes!
Depending on the company you work for, you may take calls for just that one company's products and services, or you may take calls for a variety of companies. Be aware that many companies are very sensitive about being discussed online. There may be privacy issues as well.
As with any work at home opportunity, be aware that there are scams out there. Do some research and be sure that you know what you are getting into. Don't pay for a job. Taking some time can save you money and a lot of frustration.
Stephanie Foster has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, Shopping and Pets. Stephanie Foster's website offers a variety of work at home jobs at