Do you like chatting with people online? If so, you may be able to make money from home as a live chat assistant (also known as a chat operator). Chat operator jobs involve providing customer service and support via text-based messages.
Companies often hire chat operators to staff their live chat features on their websites or apps, and as a chat operator, you will be responsible for responding to customer questions and resolving any issues they may have.
In this article, you’ll get an insight into the profession of a live chat assistant and a list of 11 legitimate companies that have openings for chat operator jobs.
What is a live chat assistant and what do they do?
A live chat assistant is someone who chats with customers to help them as they make their way through a website or mobile app. They provide valuable support to customers, answering any questions they may have and helping them complete tasks such as filling out forms or making purchases.
Along with customer engagement, a live chat assistant may also be responsible for technical support, basic troubleshooting for products, monitoring user activity, and providing feedback on online trends.
As you will see below, the job description of a chat operator varies slightly from one company to the next. With the right training and skill set, you could join many companies on the market offering this job role and get paid to chat with clients from the comfort of your own home.
The benefits of being a work-from-home live chat operator
- – Flexible Work Hours: As a live chat assistant, you have the ability to set your own hours and work when it suits you best. For example, you can choose a day or night shift.
- – Work from home: If you work from home, you won’t have to commute or pay for transportation.
- – Competitive pay: There are many types of companies that are looking for live chat assistants, so the hourly rates are quite competitive.
- – No Dress Code: As you won’t be meeting customers face-to-face, there’s no need to dress up in a professional manner.
- – Learn New Skills: Working as a live chat assistant can be a great opportunity to gain experience in customer service and learn new skills.
- – Job Security: As the demand for online customer service continues to grow, there’s plenty of job security for those who specialize in this role.
- – Connection with People: You will have the chance to connect with customers from all over the world, making it an enjoyable job.
- – Room for Advancement: If you excel in this role, you could advance to a supervisory or team leader position with higher pay scales and more responsibility.
- – Low Start-Up Cost: There’s no need to buy expensive equipment as most companies will provide you with everything you need to get started.
How Much Can I Make as a chat operator?
The hourly rate of pay for a live chat assistant depends on the company you work for and your experience level. That being said, most companies are willing to pay between $15 and $20 per hour depending on experience.
Requirements for working as a live chat assistant
Although it will depend on the company you are applying to, these are some of the basic skills and qualifications needed to work as a chat operator.
By having all these requirements in mind, you will be one step closer to getting paid to chat online as a live chat assistant!
- – A high-speed internet connection and a reliable computer
- – Proficiency in written English
- – Excellent communication, interpersonal, and customer service skills
- – Ability to learn new software quickly
- – Familiarity with common customer service tools such as CRM systems
- – Ability to type quickly and accurately
- – Patience in dealing with customers
- – Ability to stay calm under pressure
- – Previous customer service experience (preferred)
How to get started as a work-from-home live chat assistant
Now that you know the skills and qualifications needed to be a successful live chat assistant, you’re probably wondering how to get started.
The first step is to find companies hiring for this position and apply for the job. Once you have registered with them and followed their procedures, you are ready to start your job as a live chat assistant.
Here are 11 legitimate companies that offer remote chat operator jobs:
11 companies offering remote chat operator jobs
1. TaskUs
TaskUs is a customer experience and business process outsourcing company that offers live chat solutions among other customer service solutions to help businesses better connect with their customers.
This company has hundreds of job listings on its website and hires from all over the world. Furthermore, you can choose to work onsite or from home.
Even though salary information is not available to the public, Glassdoor estimates that their hourly rate is $17. There are also a lot of great benefits that come with their job postings, like a desktop, headset, medical and life insurance, paid birthday leave, and food vouchers.
In order to work as a customer support representative for this company, you need to at least have a high school diploma or GED and be willing to take a typing test.
2. Amazon
Amazon is one of the world’s largest online retailers, and they are constantly looking for individuals to join their customer service team. Amazon is dedicated to providing excellent customer service in 16 languages from 130 locations around the world, hence, the company is offering virtual customer service positions for anyone from literally any corner of the globe!
As an Amazon work-from-home customer service assistant, you will typically be required to assist customers with their inquiries via chat, phone, and email. Although the exact payment is not clarified on the website, research indicates that an approximate hourly rate of $25 can be expected.
To find out if there are currently positions available in your area, simply head over to the Amazon website and apply as directed.
3. HGS:
HGS is proud to be at the forefront of business process management and improving customer experiences for businesses around the world. They do this by combining the power of technology and people. As such, the company is always looking for work-at-home customer representatives, including chat operators.
As a chat operator for this company, you can expect to earn about $10 per hour and about $16 per hour as a complete customer support representative (this includes answering inbound calls).
Similar to TaskUs, you will be given a computer, but will have to pay for your own internet.
The company’s hiring process takes about five days and includes a phone interview and some tests to see how good you are at basic skills. You will also be required to complete and submit a background check and drug screen.
4. The Chat Shop
The Chat Shop is a UK-based company that hires out live chat agents to companies in many different industries, such as real estate, automotive, technology, finance, legal services, and home furnishings. The company is always looking to hire chat operators globally to join its team
As a chat agent, you will be responsible for providing customer service, answering inquiries, resolving problems or complaints, helping customers navigate the client’s website, and more – all via live chat services. You will, of course, be trained on each client’s products and services first.
Payment details are not explicitly mentioned, but research suggests that you can make $18 per hour. To apply, simply head over to The Chat Shop’s website to chat with an expert for directions.
5. Fiverr
Fiverr is a well-known and highly used platform for freelancers looking to offer digital services. With Fiverr, you can create your own “gig,” which essentially means providing a particular service in exchange for cash. Some gigs that one can offer on Fiverr include content writing, logo creation, and even chat support.
Fiverr is probably the best place to work as a chat operator because you get to set your own rates and you can tailor your services the way you wish. Unlike other companies on this list which require email or phone support in addition to chat assistance, by creating a gig on Fiverr, it’s possible for you to specify that chatting with customers is all you have to offer.
Here are some gig ideas to help you get started:
- – “I will manage customer inquiries in real time via chat”
- – “I will offer technical support through online chats”
- – “I will answer customer questions on social media”
Joining Fiverr is a free and easy process. Just sign up and complete your profile, outlining the services (gigs) that you provide. Thereafter, you can sit back and wait for customers to find you! It’s that simple!
6. LiveWorld
LiveWorld is a digital and social media management agency that hires people who are willing to work from home, providing excellent customer service via online chat platforms.
As a social media agent for this company, you will be responsible for providing social customer service, such as responding to customer inquiries and comments in real time. The job is an hourly, part-time position, and flexibility is necessary to occasionally work during off hours such as evenings, weekends, and holidays.
If this sounds like something in which you would be interested, all you have to do is visit LiveWorld’s website and complete the employment form on their “Careers” page.
7. Apple
Apple is one of the world’s leading technology brands, and it provides a range of customer service opportunities through its at-home advisor program. As an Apple at-home advisor, you will need to help customers with product questions through online chat, email, and the phone.
For this job, you need to have good communication skills, have a reliable high-speed internet connection, and know how to solve technical problems when customers call.
Working as an Apple at-home advisor has many benefits, especially the fact that they will give you a brand-new iMac and headset to use for your job. Moreover, Apple also reimburses its advisors for their home internet service.
Payment details will be discussed during your interview process, but research suggests the estimated rate is as high as $89 per hour!
8. Working Solutions
Working Solutions is a United States-based company that partners with leading brands to provide them with customer service agents. The company always has different customer service jobs available, but it only hires people from the United States and Canada.
Your role as a customer representative at Working Solutions will typically involve providing customer support via chat as well as email and phone. Most of their jobs are short-term contracts, and you will be hired as an independent contractor.
Depending on the job, most pay rates range from $9 to $30 per hour.
Their application process is as follows:
- – Sign up on the website and complete your profile.
- – Take some assessment tests so that the company can confirm if you have the basic skills required.
- – Allow a device scan to check if your computer meets the minimum requirements.
- – Get complete access to available job postings.
9. Support.com
Support.com is a homesourcing company dedicated to providing 24/7 remote support to businesses. Some of its services include customer support, tech support, and consulting.
This company has been around for more than 20 years and only provides the best, fully-trained employees.
To apply to this company as a chat operator, you need to visit their “Careers” page to check for available posts.
10. Capital Typing
Capital Typing is a company that outsources a variety of administrative tasks such as data entry, transcription, language translation, and online customer support to businesses . The company is always on the lookout for remote workers to fill out these roles and you will occasionally see chat support jobs listed on their site.
In order to apply to this company, you have to visit their “Jobs” page to check for available positions. Details for applications will be outlined under each job post, but they will likely consist of an assessment test and a Skype interview.
11. SYKES
Last but not least on our list of companies offering live chat assistant jobs is SYKES. Having served some of the world’s biggest companies for four decades, SYKES is a powerful global outsourcer that specializes in delivering outstanding customer engagement services, including chat-based support for businesses.
SYKES hires customer support representatives from quite a number of countries across the world, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Egypt, and Sweden. In order to be part of the team, you need to check the “Careers” page of each location for application details.
CONCLUSION:
As you can see, there are a lot of companies that offer remote customer service jobs via live chat. Being a chat operator is a great way to make some extra money on the side or on a full-time basis. It’s also a great opportunity to help people and feel like you’re making a difference.
With a little bit of effort, you can soon find yourself making a comfortable living in the customer service industry.
If you think this is the ideal job opportunity for you, take some time to further research each company and find the one that best suits you. Start your journey today and make the most of these fantastic opportunities working from home as a live chat assistant.
Have fun and good luck!🍀✨
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