• Customer Care Professional (WAHNL Post Date: April 10, 2012)

  JobID: 5107-HJ-054
  Category: Administrative, Call Center, Clerical, Customer Service, Virtual Assistant
  Location: Home Based: USA: Nationwide / Canada: Nationwide
  Compensation: $9.00 /hr

  Experience
  Minimum 1 year of customer care experience required
  Ability to navigate multiple windows and multi-task required
  Previous call center experience desired
  Work from home experience desired
  Previous experience in technical support, banking/financial, cell phones OR billing required
  Candidates currently working for another at-home competitor will not be eligible for hire at this time

  Required Skills
  Ability to ask for payment and negotiate payment schedule
  Ability to empathize and establish positive rapport with customer
  Excellent listening skills
  Excellent customer service, interpersonal, and communication skills
  Excellent verbal and written communication including grammar and voice quality
  Ability to learn via live, instructor-led phone/conference call
  Excellent attention to detail
  Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced and changing environment
  Good typing, data entry and spelling skills

  Computer Skills
  Excellent to high computer skills, use Internet daily, able to download programs and email file attachments
  Skilled using chat and instant message communications
  Knowledge of keyboard short-cuts, such as cut-and-paste
  Ability to trouble-shoot computer glitches independently before calling for assistance
  Able to work with seven to fifteen browser windows open on desktop and can toggle between multiple windows

  Work Requirements
  Legally able work in the United States
  High School Diploma or equivalent
  18 years or older
  Must have home PC and Internet connection that meet requirements
  Drug Screen, Background Check, and Credit Check
  Successful drug, background and credit check is required and contingent on job offer

  Shifts
  Open 365 days per year
  Full-time and some part-time shifts available
  Most shifts include at least one weekend day

Every day we hear of hundreds, even thousands of people showing up for a handful of openings at a new store opening, or office expansion.  This trend is no different for the home-based positions.  In fact, with many positions being open nationwide, we often see many more people turning out for a single job.

Home Job Market Improving

The good news is that while the job market has a long way to full recovery, we’re seeing big strides in the home-job market.  The fact is, many companies are realizing the cost savings associated with outsourcing traditional jobs to home workers.  Companies can cut expenses related to maintaining work environments.  Sometimes they save on payroll by hiring home workers as independent contractors instead of employees, and sometimes pay a lower wage.

Job Seekers Must Be Persistent

Of course, all of this means that someone who is looking to work from home must make sure to remain persistent.  There’s lots of competition for open jobs, making it important to do anything possible to get an advantage.  Here’s a few steps every serious home-job seeker should take now to increase their chances for success:

• Be consistent.  Spend time every day searching for home based jobs and applying.
• Update your resume.  Tailor your resume for each job you apply to .
• Widen your horizons.  Review your professional history, and try to increase the types of jobs for which you apply.
• Be careful.  Don’t get scammed… be careful when replying to any work at home offer.

Above all else, don’t get discouraged.  Make sure to stay positive, and don’t give up your job search.  When you become one of the thousands of people employed as a home-worker, you’re hard work will all pay off!

Click Here to Learn How to Set Goals Effectively!

Once you know that you need to do something in order for you to achieve something well, you really have to go for it. We have to remember that we need a deep reflection in ourselves for us to see where should we start as well as if it would be enough. It is in our inner capacity that we should set our goals first.

One easy way to set your goals is to move straight forward and always look in an optimistic way. Everything that you should do should be that smooth considering that you already have been through so many obstacles but you still made it through all the way to the top.

As we all know, all of those challenges that we would undergo could really help us to be strong and mold us to be a better one. Everyone would really go through such experiences but you know that everything will fall into its proper places if you ado set you goal first. You have to make sure that you really put your heart to what you are doing.

You have to make sure of the distances you have with others, remember that people has something to do with the improvement that you would be having. There is this huge contribution that the people would be giving you as a person, and sometimes that could mold us and make us a better person.

Click Here to Learn How to Set Goals Effectively!

Any review of the technology you’ll need in place to be a successful home-worker would be useless without beginning with your E-mail.  Finding a powerful, flexible, and easy to use solution for your e-mail should be step number one on your to-do checklist.

Why is e-mail so important?  To start with, you’ll need to provide your email to prospective employers.  If you want to be taken seriously, you need a serious email address.  After all, emails that look like “twinkletoes245@mail.com” or “suziesmom@mail.com” or “hotguy27@mail.com” just don’t portray the professional image an employer will be looking for.

Its also important to have a powerful email solution.  Being able to process dozens, eventually hundreds, and likely thousands of emails per day is a requirement for anyone who is actively searching for home employment.  And its likely over 90% of what you get will be “spam” or unsolicited email.  Its vital to have a solution that allows you to quickly identify the important email while removing all the junk.

You’ll also need to consider getting away from using email addresses that identify you as an “amateur” internet user.  Ask anyone who is experienced with making a living on the internet, and they’ll tell you that someone with an AOL address, for example, is someone who hasn’t taken the effort to get out of their comfort zone to move beyond the “starter package” that came with their new computer.  Other freebie email accounts can have similar image building results.

So what’s the answer?  A simple and inexpensive solution can be setting up your own domain.  Its very easy to register a new domain name and host email with companies like Godaddy or Dotster.  In fact, you can do this for under $10.  Simply figure out what domain you (stick to .com or .net if possible) and setup a single email address to check mail.  Remember, make your email professional (example: yourname@yourdomain.com)

That’s a great solution for creating a professional email address, but what about handling all that email you’ll be getting?  Gmail is a terrific solution.  Their powerful email interface provides accurate spam processing that learns what’s important to you.  With filters, you can have the system automatically mark your important emails.  You can have their system check other email addresses, or you can download your Gmail account using a pop email program.

Now using a Gmail email account can still look professional, as long as you choose an appropriate username.  However, they have an option allowing you to host your own domain name with their service, giving you all of the power of Gmail on your domain!  This is a terrific option, and really easy to do.  Simply register your domain, then register at Google Apps for your Domain.  You can even use other Google services, such as documents and websites, with your domain.

Want a quick all-in-one solution?  Dreamhost could be your answer.  Signup for a new hosting account and receive a free domain registration.  Then, they’ll walk you through setting up your domain’s email with Gmail.  Its quick, easy, and powerful.  Loaded with lots of extra easy-install applications, your Dreamhost account will grow with you as you need new internet solutions.

The telephone.  We’ve already discussed the different phone line options in a previous article, but there’s an entire other set of options for phone service that you may want to consider.  Virtual office phone systems, local ring-to numbers, toll free receptionist systems, and more are all part of what we consider “Virtual Phone Services.”

Here’s three of what we consider to be at the top of these services:

Google Voice

One of the newest entrants in the virtual phone service industry is Google.  At the time of this writing, their new Google Voice service was only available “by invitation only.”  However, our experience was pretty good… we received a new Google Voice account only a couple days after requesting our invitation.

Like all Google services, this is a free service, which is its first big advantage.  Basically, you get a local telephone number that can ring you on any of your current phones.  If you’re not available, the system takes a voicemail message and emails you a transcription of the caller’s message.  Other features include low cost international calls, custom greetings, SMS messaging, and blocking unwanted callers.  Check out Google Voice.

RingCentral

RingCentral is a feature-rich, professional level phone system that works for home-business professionals and larger organizations alike.  You receive a toll-free number with an online back office that allows you to setup extensions, ring-to numbers, recordings and other functions.

You can control incoming calls from your computer as well, choosing to send the caller to voicemail or to one of your phones.  You can also choose to have a message played for your caller, letting them know you’ll return their call, or asking them to hold for you.  If you need a flexible system that gives you a big-business image, check out RingCentral.

AccessLine

Another of the big player professional systems is AccessLine.  Their “Follow-me Number” provides you with a local or toll-free number that allows you to setup a schedule that determines where your calls are sent.  You also have a voice mail system that allows you to listen to messages over the phone or online.  Your AccessLine number also accepts faxes.

A more feature-rich service is their Auto Attendant, which turns your Accesline number into a virtual office.  You can setup extensions that ring to different members of your organization, each with its own voicemail box.

If you have a Costco membership, they offer a discount on the Accessline services, making it an even bigger value.

Check out Accessline.

What you can expect

When you work from home as a Customer Service Agent, you’ll be dealing with a wide-variety of calls.  You may be taking orders for floral arrangements, or responding to requests for automobile towing, or helping a new customer signup for a membership to a website.

Most customer service jobs require a set schedule.  Usually during business hours, but some jobs may require people to work late-night or overnight shifts.  It can be difficult to find a position that offers full-time work, which is why many home agents end up working for a couple companies part-time each.

Usually these jobs will be paid on an hourly wage, and tend to range from $7.00 – $15.00 / hour.  However, there are some jobs that pay for “talk-time.”  That means that you are only paid for the time spent on the phone with customers, and not for the time waiting for calls.  Make sure to understand the compensation details so there aren’t any surprises.

What you’ll need

In order to be a Customer Service Agent, you’ll need a home-office with a few basics:

Quiet Place to work: Your workspace needs to be free from interruptions, background noise, kids.  Your employer will expect the same level of quality they can achieve from a traditional office setting.  They don’t want their customers to know that you are working from home.

Quality Phone Line: You’ll need a phone line for this work, and probably a dedicated line.  That means a line that isn’t receiving personal calls.  Consider it your work line.  Don’t go super-cheap, but there are ways to save.  A quality VOIP service like Vonage is a good solution.  Most cable companies are offering a quality digital phone line too.

Phone Equipment: You’ll need a good phone and a quality headset.  Its quite likely you’ll be needing to type while on the phone, so a hands-free headset is a must-have.

High Speed Internet: You’ll need to have a high-speed internet connection.  Often you’ll need to be on a secured-website entering the customer’s payment information and other details while on phone calls.  A quality, dedicated internet connection is another must-have.

What they are looking for

Companies that hire for Customer Service Agents are looking for dependability, experience, and professionalism.  If you want one of these jobs, you must be ready to demonstrate your commitment to your new employer.

First, make sure to be available when you are supposed to be.  There are a lot of people who want these jobs, but it isn’t easy for the employers to find people they can consistently depend upon.  If you can be trusted and counted on, you’ll be valuable to your employer.

The interviewer will also be likely looking for people with some customer service experience.  Be sure to take into account your employment history… there are lots of jobs where customer service is a responsibility, and chances are you have lots of background from which you can pull for your application and interview.

Where to look for Customer Service Jobs@Home

At The HIB: We love to come across these job listings because we know how important they are to our readers.  Make sure to view our Customer Service Jobs category for a quick review of these posts.

HomeJobster: The premium home-jobs site has lots of great job leads for customer service agents.  Some of their positions are local, so look for jobs in your town.  Many jobs are available to anyone throughout the country.  Check out the HomeJobster site for fresh, active customer service job listings.

Also do searches on Google and your local Craiglist.org listing for “work at home customer service” or “customer service home agent” or other similar terms.  Just remember, research each position thoroughly.  Be careful to avoid any scams… there are a lot of unscrupulous people ready to take advantage of people looking for home customer service jobs.  You should not have to pay an employer for a job, and make sure you understand the compensation and have the details in writing before you begin work.

A great way to work at home

It may take some time to find the right Customer Service position, but once you do, it can be a great way to earn a good living from home.  Remember, there are always more people looking for these types of positions, so be persistent and patient.  Continue applying for jobs that look like a good fit, and follow through promptly when a company returns your contact.

We call this “home income diversification.”  Its actually a pretty simple concept.  Often in order to just find enough work, a home-worker needs to take on 2 or 3 different projects.  They may work as a Customer Service Agent taking inbound calls for 15-20 hours a week, and also work doing website reviews for 10 hours a week.  They may also sign up for a home-based business to help supplement their home-income.

The trick to home income diversification is to find successful programs that work well together.

First, try finding one job that has a set schedule that requires you to be working during specific pre-set shifts.  Customer Service or Call Center jobs often require such a time-commitment.  This can provide you with a base income that is steady and something you can count on.

Second, look for other home jobs that allow you more flexibility with your schedule.  Look for jobs that pay by the project, and work more on deadlines then specific work hours.  Writing jobs, telemarketing, and data entry positions often offer this level of flexibility.

If you find that you still have time in your work-week, try looking for other income projects that can help you grow your income.  Think about things like paid online surveys, or perhaps consider looking into a home based business.

Becoming a Virtual Assistant is a great way to supplement your home based income.

Another way you can diversify your home income is by becoming a virtual assistant.  Virtual assistants take on projects on a case by case basis.  Sometimes they may have several hours worth of work to do for a single client, but often their work load fluctuates.  Finding work as a Virtual Assistant can take time… there are some job postings specifically for this type of work.  However, most virtual assistants end up setting up their own “shop” and accept projects from multiple clients.

Some very successful Virtual Assistants have even been able to turn this line of income into full-time work.  In fact, by performing tasks for multiple clients, you essentially have built-in your home income diversification!

Diversifying helps insulate you from the ups and downs of working at home

One of the problems with home based employment is often the lack of stability.  Many projects or jobs are temporary.  Some are on-going but don’t always have work available.  Some may take longer to be paid for, especially if you are invoicing clients.

By diversifying your income and taking on multiple jobs or projects, you can help insulate yourself from the occasional downs.  If one job or project doesn’t have work, hopefully one of your others does!  Remember to keep busy, but be careful not to over-extend yourself.  Eventually you’ll need to make choices and decide where your time is best spent!

Get help finding successful home based jobs!

There is a lot of information out there about home based jobs, but the truth is for each open position, there are likely dozens if not hundreds of potential applicants.  Make sure to stay up-to-date with all new current listings, and then be one of the first in line to apply!

Searching dozens of websites and online listings takes time, and its easy to miss hot job leads.  Try taking advantage of a home job listing service such as HomeJobster and you increase your chances of finding gainful home employment.

Want to Work at Home? There are many ways to make money online working from home. Career blogging is one of those ways. Career bloggers are in high demand. Businesses realize the many benefits of a company blog. These companies are willing to pay you to blog, usually on a contract basis. In addition, there are numerous sites that pay you to host links and ads on your own blog or to provide a review of the site on your blog.

Getting Started as a Career Blogger

First you will need to create your own blog. This will serve as your portfolio or blogging resume. Two popular blog sites are blogger.com and wordpress.com. First you need to decide what to blog about. Since you will be blogging for businesses, you could show off your business-sense in your blog. If you are a marketer, you could blog about sales and marketing. Blog about a topic you are very familiar with or an expert in. If there’s a particular niche that you want to blog about for hire, show your expertise on the subject in your own blog.

Getting Your First Blogging Jobs

Now that you have your blog, you need to get hired. Use your About or Profile on your blog to advertise your availability as a career blogger. You can also Google blogger job or blogging jobs and browse the search results. You’ll likely find dozens of search results for blogging jobs. Other resources for finding blogging jobs are Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com and HotJobs.com. Just submit your resume and contact info to be contacted by companies looking for professional bloggers.

Get Paid To Blog

The following sites pay you to put links/ads in your blog or to place a site/product review for the company in your blog.

Bloggerwave.com

An opportunity awaiting all bloggers! Give your valuable feedback to advertisers with respect to their web sites, products, services, and companies and get paid for it.

blogitive.com

* Earn money with every posting

* Get paid weekly via Paypal

* No advertising required, just your opinions

* Only post the stories that interest you

* Create multiple blogs to earn more

* Does not conflict with ad campaigns on your site

PayPerPost.com

Get paid for blogging. Write about web sites, products, services, and companies and earn cash for providing your opinion and valuable feedback to advertisers.

BuzzByBlog.com

BuzzByBlog pays you to place ads on your website or blog. Just register as a blogger, receive offers, write, and get paid. They allow you to decide the minimum amount you will accept per entry, make counter-offers, and easy blog acceptance.

BloggingAds.com

Pays you to post an ad on your blog. Blogging Ads provides the ads and the money … you just place the ad on your blog. You must have a paypal account.

Blogsvertise.com

Get paid to write a review for advertisers in your blogs. Reviews in blogs create a buzz about a site or product and you’ll be getting paid to create this buzz in your blog.

CREAMaid.com

Place a widget on your blog and an ad and get paid via Paypal within 24 hours.

InBlogAds.com

With InBlogAds you can buy simple, direct HTML links on blogs. Increase both your traffic and natural search engine rankings. Get Bloggers to review your products or website. Generate buzz and get some links all in the same time.

ReviewMe.com

This new company was launched on Nov.9! They pay between $20.00-$200.00 for a review! Submit your blog. Once you are accpeted and receive an offer, you must write a post with a minimum of 200 words. You can receive payment by check or paypal. They pay on the first of every month. This is the highest paying company!

LoudLaunch.com

Earn more with your blog. Get paid to independently review LoudLaunch Campaign Releases. You’ve earned your audience, now be compensated for your opinion.

Smorty.com

Get paid for blogging. Write your opinion about peoples products, services and websites on your blog. Get paid weekly. No advertising, just write your opinions

* Earn top $ with every opinion post

* Select the subjects that interest you

* Post in multiple blogs to earn more

* Build interesting, unique content in your Blog

* Get paid weekly by PayPal

PayU2Blog.com

Make money blogging. Earn quick money by completing easy assignments in your blog. They pay you to mention products, services and companies, on your blog.

WeblogsInc.com

Apply to blog for one of their 90 blogs or suggest a blog topic and maybe they’ll start a new blog! WIN bloggers are paid to blog as little or as much as they like, are unfiltered, and can shift from blog to blog within the network. Their only requirements are that you be totally honest with your audience and passionate about the subjects you cover. Talk to their editorial team if you’re interested!

CreativeWeblogging.com

Get paid to blog with Creative Weblogging! They are one of the largest blog networks, with over 90 blogs in five languages.They will help grow your online reputation, establish you as a thought leader — and pay you, too.

CreativeWeblogging.com Compensation Package:

* Monthly compensation: $225 (US) — paid via PayPal or Moneybookers

* 7 to 10 posts per week are required.

* Traffic bonuses for aggressively growing traffic are available, up to $50 per month additional.

* Access to their vibrant community discussion group with 80+ bloggers, where you can share tips and network.

* They take care of all the technology, with an advanced blogging platform.

* They also provide marketing support.

* Virtual shares program: blog with them for a year and you can earn virtual shares in the company.

BloggerParty.com

Welcome. Join the party, where people from around the world join together to share their thoughts, ideas, rants, daily journals, reviews, and lives with each other each and every day. Write about what you want, when you want, meet people, and have fun. Plus, make some money doing it, too.

b5media.com/b5media-music-channel/

b5media is looking for writers to cover a wide range of genres, geographic locations, bands and interests. They’re also looking to cover specific bands who are newsworthy and blogworthy such as U2, the Beatles and Justin Timberlake. How to apply: Fill out a blogger application at: b5media.com/jobs. Please be sure to include any URLs of your writing samples.

Suzanne Bucciarelli is the owner of Million Dollar Dame, a website which provides free articles and advice for people who want to start an online business. For more online business opportunities, articles and advice and tips, please visit: Million Dollar Dame

1. Visit their site and submit your email address and ZIP code.

2. Immediately you’ll probably see a home business ad.  This probably pays their bills.  If you’re interested, check out the offer.  Otherwise, just close that screen.

3. You’ll be prompted to view your job matches, make sure to accept.

4. You’ll be brought to a page that shows positions that are available in your area.  We noticed there were both traditional jobs and home based jobs mixed together.

5. They will also email you further information.

Editor’s Review: This isn’t the best place to find home based jobs, but its worth a shot.  We don’t find too many sites that bring up listings based on your location, so you are likely to find additional positions that you might not find anywhere else.  Its free, so that’s a big plus.  We also liked that we didn’t have to enter a phone number, which means we aren’t going to be getting tons of calls from people trying to sign us up for their home business.  We found a handful of jobs that looked interesting, as well as lots of traditional job openings in our area.

Check it out yourself.

While there are many ways to communicate a message, the art of voice over is tops for delivering the human touch.

Over the centuries, the art of communicating with other people about a given purpose and the transmission of the spoken word, the most powerful, persuasive, and distinctly human tool in any marketers arsenal, has evolved to the degree that you don’t have to be in the same room to get a message across, even the same country for that matter.

Geographic locations and time zones afford little to no obstacle for communicating with others in a meaningful and cohesive way.

With all of the advantages this new world and new media bestows, it is very important that a message received is a message that is understood, believed and acted upon.

Much of this depends on the copy writing and voice over skills of the messengers, which brings us to five different character roles you can perform as a voice talent to get the message of your client across in a direct and effective way.

1. Instructor (formal, didactic voice over)

2. Real Person (informal voice over)

3. Spokesperson (advocate, authoritative voice over)

4. Narrator (omniscient storyteller)

5. Announcer (sets the stage and calls for action)

Let’s explore these types of character roles in detail.

1. Instructor

When teaching someone on what to do, for example, a corporate training video or children’s game, the voice over best suited for this kind of project is a straightforward, didactic and educated voice. The role of this particular voice talent is to instruct or provide information to fulfill a specific goal or purpose.

2. Real Person

Projects requiring a more casual approach often benefit from relatable, genuine voice overs. These voice overs are referred to as “Real Person” voice overs, commonly known as the “regular guy” or the “girl next door”. The character is homegrown, sensible, and friendly with a touch of familiarity and provides a more intimate interpretation that instills trust.

3. Spokesperson

A Spokesperson can be on camera or off camera depending on the medium you are using. The role of a spokesperson is generally played by a confident, charismatic person able to promote a cause, product, or service with ease and authority. A voice over of this nature needs to be driven, optimistic and assured.

4. Narrator

Storytelling is where the Narrator is most at home. Omniscient, courteous and honest, a Narrator’s job is to provide an audio landscape for a listener, briefing them on background information, posing questions, and providing solutions as they guide their audience through a program or documentary. Narrators can be male or female, and the most important factors are that they can communicate clearly and engagingly.

5. Announcer

The Announcer, often heard live at events, on commercials, promos or introducing segments for podcasts, is a product of the broadcast age, most celebrated at its height in the Golden Age of Radio and early television broadcasts. Announcers can introduce an idea and assertively make a call for action at the conclusion of a commercial advertisement or short video. One common misconception is that an announcer has to sound like an announcer from decades ago, however modern announcers act more like Narrators, and in many cases, adopt the Real Person approach.

Discovering which role suits your voice best is very important, because more often than not, you’ll be hired again and again for the same kind of role.

Why is that? Your “signature voice” is at the heart of your business. It’s what you sound like without pretending and is your greatest asset as a performer.

A professional voice over and branding coach can help you to develop your signature voice and maximize what it can do for you. Once you know where your strengths lie, you can do anything!

Stephanie Ciccarelli is the VP of Marketing with Voices.com, the voice over marketplace hosting more than 10,000 professional voice talents. Stephanie is also the author of The Definitive Guide To Voice-Over Success.