How to Become a Remote Customer Service Representative

Communication skills followed by time management, multi-tasking, and other expertise specific to the job are common demands for customer-centric jobs including remote customer service.

Working in customer service jobs also means putting in the necessary effort to handle various customer demands and requests including interacting with customers, providing information about products, and handling complaints. 

Consumer reports state, that a positive customer service experience can bring back the customer to make more purchases. 

Which, eventually leads to income generation for your company.

No wonder then, customer service jobs are much sought after.

Why are customer service jobs important?

The very first reason is customer service representatives' work can help businesses grow.

You may ask how?

Buying products or services from a company is the first step for a customer, following which, they might face challenges to install, use, or finding a faulty non-working device, expired gift card, or signing up for a workshop.

And, at some point, they might get in touch with your company and expect you to resolve and find solutions for their problems.

So far, so good.

But imagine if the customer service representative fails to effectively resolve issues either due to lack of knowledge or inefficient communication skills, there is no way the customer is going to be happy. 

They have invested their time and money in your company and if they do not get their money’s worth, they will go to some other business. 

Your company ends up losing a customer and the industry news is, that one unhappy customer means, losing at least 10 more either potentials or a few regular and loyal ones as well.

Losing customers does not help organizations and businesses to grow.

Therefore, customer service jobs are very important for organizations.

What is a remote customer service job?

Simply put, you serve the customers by sitting in your home office.

Sounds easy right? And believe me, it is. 

All you need is a quiet corner where you can work without distractions for the next 8 hours or so.

Remote work definitely seems like the future and there are reasons.

The pandemic was a major player followed by the rise of the digital age.

Remote work is not only in great demand but is also the new normal.

What are the duties of a remote customer service agent? 

As a remote customer service representative, you will be making inbound and outbound calls to start with. 

Handling multiple communication channels for customer inquiries including chats, emails, or texts will also become a big part of your responsibility

Through these communication channels, you as a representative have to address customer concerns and questions about types of products and services. 

Some representatives specialize in troubleshooting technical issues and device set-up etc.

Order handling, billing information or issues, and questions about quality control are also part of a customer service agent’s job.

For questions that you might not have a reply or solution, you will need to make a note of it and pass on the call/chat to an expert or someone with more experience than you.

What are the different types of remote customer service jobs? 

Call center agents perform all tasks and guide customers to solve their problems while sitting in their living room.

Customer service agents, virtual assistants, remote live chat agents, researchers, travel agents, interviewers, technical support agents, financial advisors, and many more jobs can be worked remotely.

Different titles of customer service jobs

Customer service is a general term used for various titles including customer support, customer success, customer client specialist, call center representative, customer service associate, and many more. 

The thing here is, regardless of the titles, these jobs have one basic requirement and that is to provide excellent service to the customers and clients of the organization you are working for.

Are customer service jobs in demand?

Professionals with the ability to improve customer experience will always be in high demand.

Especially these days when organizations are embracing technologies and are interested in increasing their profits.

Bilingual and multi-lingual professionals are in high demand and people who can upsell and add to the profit margins of the company are sought after too. 

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/in-demand-customer-service-jobs

What are the pros and cons of a customer service job?

Let us first check the cons.

Customer service agents need to have a friendly personality.

But there will be days when you won’t feel all that friendly.

On such days you will need to make extra effort to appear friendly, and it can at times get emotionally draining resulting in mental and physical fatigue.

Another hurdle could also be your lack of product knowledge, or an inability to handle stress and frequent demands and changes. 

As long as you take these things in your stride and work on them, you can overcome these challenges.

Also, it is good to remind yourself, that it is a job and you have to put in the required effort.

And there are plenty of pros. 

It is easy because all you need is the ability to communicate effectively and deal with challenging situations.

While you start with these basic skills, you get a chance to add and master emotional intelligence, learn about services and products, and build on various other skills. 

The bonus is that most customer service representatives develop great interpersonal skills because working and interacting with customers regularly allows customer service representatives to respond and meet client demands easily.

What industries hire remote customer service representatives?

Industries and organizations that deal in products, services, and other essentials hire customer service representatives.

Banking, hospitality, mobile, cable, internet providers, consultancies, and information technology are a few industry examples that you can pick and start applying.

Most of these industries have invested in remote technology therefore, the chances of getting hired as a remote customer service representative are higher.

How to find remote customer service jobs?

Online research helps a lot. 

Just use search engines or social media platforms, and it will throw up remote jobs from different industries. 

Pick the industry of your choice or have some experience in and go from there.

Here are a few job board suggestions for remote customer service job hunting.

FlexJobs hosts jobs in different fields and the best thing is to filter the job type to suit your profile.

Indeed, https://ca.indeed.com/Well-Paid-Customer-Service-jobs-in-Ontario?vjk=fac85442d9347385 one of the largest and most popular job boards in the world is a favorite job site for remote as well as hybrid, or onsite work.

LinkedIn is not all about social networking alone, it is a useful platform for job hunters too.

You might also want to consider Glassdoor, Jobillico, and employment agencies to help you connect with the latest and the best remote customer service jobs available.

What to say in a customer service job interview

Since the job is about serving customers, you can always share experiences about handling customer issues and make sure to give examples.

If you do not have any experience, try remembering instances when you were provided with good service by a customer service representative and state that you aspire to work on similar lines.

You can also highlight a few of your personality traits like your ability to remain calm under pressure, listen patiently, and understand, etc.

Customer service employers expect a set of skills you might have for addressing customer needs and providing solutions for customers. It also helps if you can introduce customers to your company’s services and products. 

How much do remote customer service representatives make?

Depending on the experience and qualifications you could be taking home a salary starting from 39000 to even 75000.

Essential skills to become a customer service representative?

Previous retail, customer-serving jobs are often helpful. 

Computer proficiency with some Excel, and MS Office skills is good to have.

Communication skills are a must and that includes good verbal and written followed by having the ability to be a patient and active listener.

I emphasize patience because no customer wants to be spoken over or interrupted.

Since this article is about remote customer service jobs, you will need a reliable and uninterrupted internet service. 

You also have to remember to complete your tasks on time therefore the need to self-motivate rates high here.

What type of training is available for customer service representatives?

There are paid https://www.theknowledgeacademy.com/ca/courses/personal-development-training/exceptional-customer-service-training/ as well as free online customer service courses

These courses teach you to develop knowledge, skills, and competencies that will increase customer satisfaction. 

It is an education one needs to invest in because upskilling customer service will help representatives deliver and provide excellent service to the customers.

Dealing with difficult customers by developing good communication skills and maintaining a friendly attitude is taught in these courses

We all encounter difficult customers—how to deal with mistakes and complaints, followed by tips to win over customers are also taught in these courses.

We all need to adapt to the ever-changing technology.

In some courses, students are also introduced to different technologies that help to serve customers better. 

Understanding, building, maintaining, and managing customer relationships are emphasized in these courses.

These lessons in customer service help students with strategies to manage time, and stress and thereby become well-honed customer service professionals.

Learning the fundamentals of customer service means developing the best skills to provide excellent customer service.

Because customers hold the key to the growth of the company and the business, dealing with conflicts and complaints professionally matters a lot in this customer-centric age.

Summary:

Customer service representatives, working either in an office or remotely, will always be in demand because the main purpose of this job is to attract potential customers while retaining the old ones.

Not an easy task, but with team support, training, product knowledge, and developing patience and listening skills, you can become a top earner.

A positive attitude and not taking customer complaints personally help too.

Remember:

• You are the face, and voice of the company

• Try and be a good ‘host’ to your customers

• You hold the power to influence customers

• Your efforts help the company earn money

• You play a very crucial and important role in the company

Image Courtesy: Annie Spratt--Unsplash