Work from home job opportunities grow

Home-shoring is a term that some use to describe the numerous companies' that are tapping U.S. workers to answer calls, including customer-service and tech-support calls, from home.

These at-home workers handle many tasks, including roadside assistance, hotel and airline reservations, tech support and even sales calls. Many are finding these work-at-home job opportunities as an effective way to earn extra cash that helps with paying bills.

Examples of companies in the industry. Hilton Hotels employs over 900 work-at-home reservation agents, while out sourcing (“home-shoring”) companies such as Arise Virtual Solutions, Alpine Access, and LiveOps, among many others, hire numerous agents to process various types of call-center work for their corporate clients. (More real life stories on successful working from home.)

Agents Are Still Wanted

Despite the economic slowdown, many of these firms still plan to continue hiring for positions. For instance, Hilton continues to expects to hire more work at-home agents in January, according to Russ Olivier, who is a senior vice president at the company. In addition, Alpine Access will hire more than 250 agents this year (during 2008), and plans on hiring more than 1,200 in the first quarter of 2009, according to Chris Carrington, who is the CEO of the Denver-based firm. This is just an example of the growth here, and the opportunities for many Americans to work from home to help pay bills.

These companies say that the growth is driven by companies that are moving call-center operations back to the U.S. from overseas. This is occurring for a couple reasons, including communication difficulties are resulting in customer backlash, and also wages and other costs are rising in other countries.

 

 

 

You often need some experience for these jobs. Alpine says that they hired under 5% of applicants this year. And while the flexibility is a perk as in general, work at home agents set their schedules about a week in advance, many of these jobs are part time, with the pay ranging from about $8 to $14 an hour. Many of these companies offer very limited or no.

You will need to have a quiet work space. Noisy children or a barking dog will present a problem. (And most of the calls are recorded, so home based agents can't pretend it isn't happening.) Usually you need equipment for these jobs as well, such as high-speed Internet access, a relatively new computer, and a dedicated phone line.

And some companies also require some of upfront investment. As an example, Arise Virtual Solutions, which is based in Miramar, Fla., will require home based personnel to be stand-alone incorporated businesses. That means paying an incorporation fee, which can cost about $100, but it can run higher. Plus, Arise Virtual also requires that job applicants pay $99 for an 18-hour online training course. While almost 99% of applicants pass this training course, those who do not pass it forfeit the fee, according to Arise.

Arise agents need to also undergo job training for the specific firm whose calls they will be responsible for handling. This additional this training will cost $25 to $200, depending on the client and complexity.

Getting Past These Hurdles

For Mary Ann Lawrence, who has been an Arise agent for eight years, these requirements were well worth it, and the income has helped with all types of debt and bills. While it was a bit of an investment, it was not huge, she said. The 58-year-old retiree said she works anywhere from 30 to 35 hours a week, and she handles roadside-assistance calls for AAA. She says she finds it very rewarding work, especially as she is helping people.

 

 

 

Work-at-home companies do vary widely in their services, benefits, and other ways. Alpine Access hires its agents as employees, both part and full time. Full-time positions enjoy subsidized healthcare insurance, and even part-timers can join the company's group health plan, but they need to pay full price. Another benefit is that there is a 401(k) plan available to both full- and part-time workers. All job applicants are also paid for the hours that they spend training, and the sole cost an employee needs to pay (other than setting up a home office) is they need to pay a $45 bill for a background check once they have been hired.

Do Your Own Check Of Work At Home Companies. FAQ For Work At Home Jobs

Before signing up with any work-at-home company, you need to check out the firm with the Better Business Bureau. You need to ensure that the company has a high rating and very few unresolved complaints.

Also, before signing up with a company, know what you're getting into. Ask :

What are the total upfront costs you need to pay, including equipment, training, or background checks?

How will you be paid? per call, by the hour, or per minute on the phone? Do you need to bill them?

Will you be paid for any time you spend training?