Pros and Cons of Work-From-Home Customer Service Jobs is a post originally published on: Everything Finance - Everything Finance - Its all about Money!

Some jobs will even let you choose your hours, offer a flexible schedule, or require you to work a certain number of hours each week.

Earn more than minimum wage with little skill.

Most jobs will start you at a competitive rate that is higher than minimum wage which is good as there are some online jobs that are a waste of time because they hardly pay anything. On the other hand, other work-from-home jobs require you to have a lot of experience and credentials in order to earn a livable wage but virtual customer service jobs are easy to do and don’t require any complex skills in order to earn a decent wage.

Possible to receive employee benefits.

This can be a huge Benefit seeing as how many people who work from home don’t receive any benefits as a result of being a contract employee or a freelancer. Receiving employee benefits will limit your out of pocket costs for medical care, take advantage of paid time off, and can even help your retirement fund.

Cons

To say that customer service jobs are perfect and would be great for everyone would not be entirely true. Just as there are benefits to pursuing this type of work, there are downsides as well and some of them are outlined below.

May have to work an odd shift.

While work-from-home customer service jobs are quite flexible, that doesn’t mean that the hours are always going to be best for you. Some companies may have you work odd shifts like a split shift, a night shift, or a weekend shift which is something you may not be used to.

For example, when researching opportunities, I found a company that required customer service reps to work a daily shift from 8am-12pm then to pick back up from 4pm-8pm. While this may not be an issue for some, if you aren’t used to working evenings or have kids, this schedule may be flexible, but it probably won’t work for you.

People can be rude.

Another downside of working in customer service is that people can be extremely rude and difficult to communicate with. It’s best to have a thick skin and always stay professional, but if you tend to take things personal let jerks get to you, this may not be the best job for you.

Some jobs are seasonal.

A seasonal job may or may not be a con depending on what you’re looking for, but when you’re considering job leads, you must realize that many work-from-home customer service positions will be seasonal. If you’re looking for long-term and consistent work, you’ll need to find the permanent positions and apply for those instead.

Some opportunities are falsely represented.

When it comes to work-from-home jobs, there are many scams out there to look out for. I’ve personally seen virtual telemarketing jobs advertised as customer service positions which can be very misleading because they are two completely different jobs. Generally, telemarketing is more difficult to do than customer service because you are calling up leads and trying to sell them something vs. answering calls and helping answer people’s questions and direct them toward a solution.

Telemarketing creates a much more hostile environment that you may not be looking for which is why it’s important to thoroughly read through the job description and ask questions throughout the application process.

So, Is a Work-From-Home Customer Service Job Right For You?

It really depends. On the surface, work-from-home customer service jobs seem flexible, pay well, and are easy. But, you need to explore the many options available to you. Consider the daily responsibilities of the job, important factors like benefits and your schedule, and determine whether the pay will meet your needs.

Would you ever consider working from home? Do you think you would like a customer service job?