Making a Living from Home by Answering Sales or Customer Service Calls for Companies

Working at home for a large company is a good way to make a living yet still maintain independence. To cut costs on office space, many companies are allowing some of their workforce to work from home. This trend is beneficial for anyone who doesn't like working in cubicles and listening to noisy co-workers gossip. Most jobs of this nature are in sales or customer service. Working from home is not for everyone. Here are the usual requirements for most telephone home agent jobs.

A computer with reliable internet service

In order to communicate with clients and the home office, workers need to be computer-literate and own a recent-model computer with high-speed internet service. Dial-up is usually not allowed, because it is slower by nature. Most companies require high-speed or cable internet. You simply download your company's software into your computer. They assign you ID numbers to plug into the sign-in screen, to hook your computer to the company's system. This allows your supervisor to monitor your calls, and help you when needed. Since the boss isn't there with you in-person, he or she usually will communicate with you through telephone, email and instant message instead.

Printer and other accessories

It helps to have a printer to print out documents sent to you from your bosses. A hands-free headset is a necessity, if you don't want to spend the day holding the phone to your ear. Your company may assign equipment to you, if they have special items you will need to do the job right. Another good item to have is a tape-recorder, for playing back phone calls to your boss. Most companies record their calls, and of course, tell the caller that the call is recorded. This is for the safety of both customer and the company. If a customer has a question about the sale, they can pull up that call and hear it later, to see what the concern was. Whatever items your company requires, go with their recommendations so you will be in sync with the company's needs and preferences.

A quiet environment

Let me repeat, a quiet environment. Loud pets, kids or other distractions need to be kept out of the room you work in while you are on the phone. If the caller hears mayhem in the background, they will wonder what kind of company this is, and not be willing to buy from you. Would you give your credit card number out to someone with a barking dog or screaming child in the background? Paying customers are righfully, wary of things like this. Hire a babysitter or put the dog outside while you work, to avoid having to explain yourself to your customer, and possibly, your boss.

An organized work space

What I did was buy a three-ring notebook and a large package of clear page-protectors at an office supply store, when I was in training. Trainers and teachers almost always hand out a volume of important guides and reference material to employees. To do the job right, it shouldn't end up as a pile of unorganized papers on your desk. Put each of them in your notebook, in order, and use them. If a customer asks you a question, it is important to get to those answers quickly, if you don't know it by memory. Memorize the material in your book and revise it whenever new material is sent to you. It makes work easier and more efficient to keep your home office as organized as possible.

A comfortable chair that is easy on the spine

Trust me, if you sit in an uncomfortable chair day in and day out, you may end up with lower back problems if you don't get a more supportive replacement. That happened to me, and I had a chair with lumbar support, so I had to run out and get an ever better one! After three years of sitting as I work, I had a herniated disk and was unable to walk or even sit up for ten weeks. It was torture. Word to the wise, get the most supportive and comfortable chair that you can afford. If you get neck problems, get a cervical pillow (for the neck region of your spine.) If the lower back gives you trouble, get a lumbar spine wedge pillow to help make you more comfortable and take the pressure off of your lower spine. Our spines control just about everything in our bodies, in some way, so it is a necessity to be kind to your spine.

If solitude and a quiet environment appeal to you, then working as a home agent may appeal to you. Whether it's processing orders, selling or handling returns, working on the phone is an interesting job that can be both frustrating and entertaining (overly mental callers are my coworkers' and my favorites, because they make the day go faster.) Go with the flow, and remember that the customer pays your salary. Give them the courtesy and attention you would want in return. Doing this will help to insure your success as an independent home agent.

Carolyn McFann is a scientific and nature illustrator, who owns Two Purring Cats Design Studio, which can be seen at: http://www.cafepress.com/twopurringcats . Educated at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, Carolyn is a seasoned, well-traveled artist, writer and photographer. Besides handling numerous assignments in the US, she has lived and worked in Cancun, Mexico. Clients include nature parks, museums, scientists, corporations and private owners. She has been the subject of tv interviews, articles for newspapers and other popular media venues.