The Best Free Work At Home Customer Service Jobs

We've all gone through a situation with a product or service and needed to call a customer service rep. Sometimes it can be a great experience. Other times it can really suck. But did you know that many of these reps work from home? Well if you didn't, this article will be very useful in helping you find work at home customer service jobs. But these jobs like any other online job are a shot in the dark as far as getting scammed is concerned.

We've dug deep to find all there is to know about working at home as a customer service representative including a list of companies that may hire you. So, are these jobs worth your time? Read along and find out!

What Kind of Work At Home Customer Service Jobs Are Available?

It's obvious that the need for customer care representatives is growing as new companies emerge every day. Companies are now outsourcing remote agents, and you can work as a call center agent, online chat agent, travel agent or even tech support, depending on your area of expertise and skills.

Who Hires Home Based Customer Service Representatives?

Generally, companies that primarily render their services online and tech companies hire work at home customer service agents. Some companies will sub-contract customer service agents, others will employ you either part time or full time. You can also work as a freelancer and advertise your services in crowdsourcing companies like Upwork.

Companies that outsource remote customer service agents are usually start-ups that don't require large offices and several departments to effectively service their customers.

How Much Money Can I Make?

It depends on your level of experience, expertise and proven track record. The industry average is $15 an hour, but you can earn more or less. If you are lucky enough to work for huge corporations like Apple, you can earn upwards of $20 an hour, excluding benefits.

The difficulty of the job will also determine your gross pay. Tech support agents earn significantly higher than say travel agents or call center agents. So it can vary greatly. So you may need supplement the income you make as a work at home customer service rep.

Fortunately you can earn money various ways online. You can make money taking surveys at SurveyJunkie.com, or turn your free internet time into money through sites like SwagBucks.com or FusionCash.com. You can also make real money working part time or full time using My Top Work At Home Recommendation if you prefer being your own boss.

What Type of Experience Do I Need?

Most companies require a year or two of experience in customer service. But in general you'll need a lot of patience, superb communication skills & people skills.

Since you'll be working remotely, you'll also need basic computer skills and ability to use things like email, live chat and possibly some smartphone apps. The type of experience varies from company to company.

However, almost every company trains their recruits, and some of them will actually pay you during that training period. During training you'll be taught how to handle their customers questions. They'll also give you a database and customer service software you can refer to while working.

What Type of Equipment Do I Need?

You'll need high speed internet and a laptop or desktop for starters. The operating system on your computer also needs to be up to date. In some cases, you'll also need a word processor like Microsoft Office. If you don't have any of these, you can find a laptop such as Chromebook for about $200 at Amazon.com. You can also purchase Microsoft Office at a great price at Amazon.com. You'll definitely need a dedicated phone service permanently connected to your landline phone, and high quality headphones. With that, you'll be ready to apply for most of these online customer service jobs we'll mention later in this article. Most importantly, you'll need a quiet working environment free from distractions.

More Online Customer Service Jobs Requirements

Customer service is not as straightforward as online typing or data entry jobs. You'll need to be able to multitask, have great people skills, a clear and audible voice and ability to think on your feet. You should be fluent in the language you are communicating with.

You'll also need to maintain high levels of professionalism since the reputation of the company that you are working for is in your hands.

Furthermore you will be dealing with all sorts of customers so patience and accuracy of information is also important.

Think of an online customer service job as an actual customer service job. Don't assume that just because no one's watching you can freestyle with your job. Companies have their own way of filtering out inefficient and unprofessional remote customer service agents.

Chances are you've at least once been asked to comment on the quality of customer service you received, if you've ever talked to a customer care rep. These companies simply use that feedback to monitor you're the work of that specific remote customer service agent.

Complaints About Online Customer Service Jobs

In theory this all sounds good. But like any opportunity there are some negative aspects to this job that you need to consider. So, here's what to expect.

Customers can be jerks

We are all jerks in one way or another. If you decide to work a customer service job, be prepared to meet the worst of their kind. You'll be talking to all sorts of people. Some will be nice and maybe even ask you out, lol. Others will be straight out jerks expecting you to work magic. You'll need a heart of gold to progress in that field, according to some experiences we read about.

Be prepared to work graveyard shifts

Most companies have 24-hour customer service and they use that to lure in customers. So, definitely expect to work graveyard shifts since the choices are usually limited especially when you get started. It's not as flexible as you'd think, according to some people who work at home as customer service reps. If you want that type of flexibility where you fully control your schedule, you should consider My Top Work At Home Recommendation, SwagBucks.com or FusionCash.com

You'll be working during the holidays

Most online customer service jobs require you to work during the holidays when the phones are always ringing. It might be easier since you are working from home but the distractions are so many. Also, if you drop the job it will definitely be harder getting another one when the holiday season is over.

So, again your options are limited when it comes to juggling between the festive season and your career as a work at home customer service rep. if you prefer being your own boss working part time, then My Top Work At Home Recommendation is definitely something worth checking out.

It requires extensive and continuous training

Training is always standard practice as the companies you'll be working for will obviously add, remove or change how something works. The sad fact is, few companies offer paid training and you might have to go for a week or two without expecting compensation.

Others will require you to assign some a little extra hours of your week for training and appraisal. According to some reviews online, training is part of the job, and your work only gets harder if you are not ready to take part in the damn training sessions.

Work At Home Customer Service Jobs

So now you know almost everything about online customer service work at home jobs. But we'd also be jerks if we didn't tell you where to apply. So we've compiled a list of home based customer service jobs.

Flexjobs.com is always a good resource to find these jobs, but here are a couple of other sources you can apply, and good luck on your application if you do so!

Alorica – Alorica.com employs customer support reps working remotely within the United States. If you decide to work for them you'll be obtaining, verifying and handling customers' online information, solving problems and answering questions. Training is required, and a customer service background is also recommended. To apply, you'll have to submit your resume for consideration. You'll be working as an employee either full time or part time, so pay above the current minimum wage is a guarantee. They pay every end of the month via check or direct deposit.

AppleCare – Apple.com also hires work at home AppleCare representatives to provide support to apple products customers. They primarily employ students with proven knowledge about the different Apple devices and products. You can also apply as a non-student all you need to do is prove that you have genuine interest and knowledge about Apple devices, you'll then undergo training after they equip you with everything you need to be a remote Applecare employee. They pay $10-16 an hour, and you'll negociate your pay during the application process. They pay via direct deposit every end of the moth.

Upwork – Upwork is a global crowdsourcing network where you can also work as a remote customer ervice agent for random customers online. You are free to create a specialized working profile from anywhere in the world. Again, you can bid for these jobs or get picked by clients based on your profile. You can set your hourly pay or negotiate with the client before accepting the project. Upwork pays via PayPal. Payoneer or direct deposit on a weekly cycle basis. You can read my complete Upwork review here.

Fiverr – You can work at Fiverr.com as a call center specialist or customer service representative from anywhere in the world. You'll basically be bidding for jobs or if a client likes your profile they may employ you directly. Pay is negotiable and all you need to do is to convince the client you can do the job. They pay via direct deposit or PayPal, 14 days after your project is marked as completed. You can read my full Fiverr review here.

Freelancer – freelancer.com is also a crowdsourcing platform with work at home jobs for people interested in customer service jobs. You can work from anywhere in the world, all you need is to create a profile specific to customer service. Freelancer.com pays via most remote payment platforms including PayPal and mailed check. Read my full Freelancer.com review here.

Concentrix– Concentrix.com employs customer service representatives within the United States. You'll basically be working remotely for companies that outsource cloud-based customer service representatives. You can work 25-30 hours a week part time or 40 hours a week full time depending on your availability. You'll undergo paid training and according to Glassdoor, most employees make $10-15 an hour. All you need is a background in customer service, proven communication skills and ability to use multiple computer applications. They pay every month via check or direct deposit.

Support.com – Support.com is a well-known online company that hires remote customer service reps. If you are good at fixing computers and setting up home internet services you can comfortably earn $10-15 an hour working for Support.com. You'll need some tech background and great communication skills to apply and they'll require you to undergo paid training once they approve your application. You can only work there if you are from the United States. They pay via check or direct deposit every end of the month.

More Online Customer Service Work At Home Jobs

Granted, any work at home job is hard to find. The more information you have about where to get them the better your chances. You can use Flexjobs.com to find hand-screened online work at home typing jobs to always be in the loop about customer service jobs available in your area.

Alternative Work At Home Opportunities

A little more money never hurt anyone. Besides customer service work at home jobs can be rare at times. You can supplement your income by taking surveys at SurveyJunkie.com, SwagBucks.com or FusionCash.com all the while earning money and gift cards by doing what you basically do on the internet like watching videos, visiting sites and more.

Are Work At Home Customer Service Jobs Worth It?

If you can talk to obnoxious people without yelling back, definitely knock yourself out. That said, you'll need superb people skills and communications skills to make it in the business. You'll also need a lot of free time, and be great at multitasking.

The rest is just getting the tools of trade on the cheap. If you can combine all that then customer service jobs are will be worth it.

If you're in doubt, check out My Best Work At Home Recommendation where you can work part time or full time being your own damn boss and making real money. All in all, it all boils down to what works for you.

Well, that's my two cents about online work at home customer service jobs. If you have a comment or question, feel free to chime in on the comments section below!

Until next time

Eddy ”with a Y”