Online customer support is a type of work-from-home job where a chat agent provides customers with solutions to their problems. Some examples of a live chat agent’s responsibilities are software or hardware troubleshooting, refund processing, and assisting with account inquiries.

During your job search, you’ll notice you may qualify for various customer support positions even if you haven’t had previous experience. You may have done in-person or remote customer-related work, which is a plus. Make sure to highlight any similar on-site roles, such as retail store manager, restaurant server, or sales associate in your resume. Relevant remote work includes virtual assistance, data entry, content moderation, and online reservation.
Decide whether you want to do this full-time or part-time and apply to jobs that match your expectations. Remember to subscribe to job alerts on various job boards to get notified when a new online chat agent position is open.
Keep in mind the typical interview process assesses not just your expertise, but also your personality. Employers often conduct a behavioral interview for customer service, so you can prep by reading common questions and example answers.

 

Where Can I Find Chat Agent Jobs?

 

Below is a list of places that hire chat agents. Not all may be hiring at this time. Some have other work options such as phone customer support.

Apple At Home Advisor
Capital Typing
G5Live
Needleworks is a little different than most chat jobs. You can earn money or points by helping customers in its online store.
Site5
SiteStaff (chat host)
Talk2rep

Televated
Uber – Email support
For more chat agent jobs, check out Flexjobs chat job listings.

 

What Equipment Do You Need to Become a Chat Agent?

 

You need a computer and Internet access. Many companies ask that you have:

• High-speed Internet access. Dial-up will be too slow for online chat. Some companies don’t want you to use wireless access either.
• A specific type of computer. Some jobs say PC owners only, while others will be looking for Mac users
• 40+ words per minute typing speed. Some companies require faster speeds.

 

How to Become a Remote Chat Agent:

Most remote chat agent positions train on the job. Formal education is not required, but you may need to pass competency tests administered by the company. Employers prefer candidates with prior experience as a chat agents focused on technical support or customer service. You also must possess moderate-to-good computer proficiency and be able to use outside resources to answer questions. Other qualifications include the ability to handle stress, typing skills, strong communication, flexible schedule, strong writing skills, and customer-oriented thinking. If you work from home, you need a reliable computer and internet connection.

 

Employment Search Engine Platforms

Another great resource for online chat jobs is employment search engine platforms. Here are a couple of platforms you should have a search through:

Indeed

Indeed is becoming more popular every passing day. It’s a great place to look for any kind of job.

Monster
Most people know Monster and have used it. It continues to be a great platform for finding work-at-home jobs including legitimate online chat opportunities.

Simply Hired
Also, Simply Hired has three pages you should peruse for online chat jobs:

• Online chat representative
• Online live chat
• Live chat

Companies, websites, and other organizations often list jobs on employment search engines, so it’s always worth taking the time to have a look.

Freelancer Platforms
Freelancer platforms can be great places to find online chat jobs. On there, brands, organizations, and website owners post job openings for online chat positions. Here are a few platforms you should check out:

Freelancer
This platform also provides online remote chat agent positions.

UpWork
These sites are always getting updated, so make sure that you check back frequently for new openings.

 

SOME OTHER COMPANIES HIRING WORK-FROM-HOME CHAT AGENTS:

 

Apple: Apple hires online chat support professionals as part of its “Apple At Home Advisors” program. The company provides all the hardware you need, so you’ll just need internet access (and Apple reimburses a portion of your internet fees).
In order to get hired and do well, it helps to have a working knowledge of Apple’s main product lines. However, Apple will train you in both the technical elements of their products as well as their methodology for customer service.
These positions can be full-time or part-time, and come with perks like PTO and discounts on Apple products.

Amazon: Amazon offers an attractive minimum wage of $15/hour for its customer service associates. The downside is that chat jobs like this don’t always come with a full-time schedule.
It’s also worth noting that many of Amazon’s customer service roles aren’t purely chat jobs — many require phone and email communication as well.

Best Buy: If you’re a techy person, a chat job with Best Buy might be just the ticket. You’ll help customers troubleshoot problems, answer questions about new products, and satisfy unhappy customers. As a chat agent at Best Buy, you may also reach out to customers via social media platforms or help respond to queries on their customer forum. Best Buy prefers hiring chat agents who can work on weekends and nights as well.
Uber: Uber is known as a convenient way to make money for drivers, but it can also be lucrative for work-from-home chat agents. Like most of these jobs, having a flexible schedule will be a real asset as a candidate. You may also need to answer calls as a chat agent for Uber, so make sure you’re comfortable with your verbal skills as well as your written ones.

 

Conclusion:

 

Whether you’re looking to make a little extra cash on the side or are looking to get into a completely new career, you should definitely consider online chat jobs. The work is relatively simple, and you can do it from the comfort of your own home. While the companies on the list might not always have openings available, it’s always worth checking them out.
It’s important to remember why this role is so crucial, and what you can do to keep developing your skills. Customers of any company are always going to be human beings like yourself, with their own unique personalities, backgrounds, and reasons for reaching out.
When they contact you via chat, they’re coming to you because they need help; it’s your job as customer service staff to talk them through the issue. Sometimes that won’t be easy they may be frustrated or angry even before you speak with them; but no matter what reaction you encounter from customers, there will always come a time when people have an issue that can’t be resolved immediately or easily.
If you take the time to stay calm and respectful throughout these situations (even if it takes extra effort), chances are good that your customers will return the favor by recognizing the value of your hard work and appreciating all that you’ve done for them.

 

FAQS

 

What Tasks Do Work from Home Chat Jobs Require?

Your daily tasks as a work-at-home chat agent will depend a lot on your client’s needs.
However, you may be doing any of this –
Customer service
Sales Agent
Email support
Technical support

 

Do All Online Chat Jobs Provide Benefits?

No. With any online chat job you take up, you are working as an independent contractor
That means these chat agent jobs DO NOT pay benefits like health insurance or 401k.
If you want to avail these benefits in a customer service chat job, consider applying for a full-time position with a company and being an employee

 

What are the Minimum Hours for an Online Chat Job?

The minimum hours will depend a lot on the company you work it.
For any part-time work-from-home chat jobs, you are usually expected to work 10 – 20 hours each week.
For full-time positions, you will work between 35 – 40 hours a week.

 

Are All Online Chat Jobs Remote?

An online chat job would mean you can work online and work from home except if you have some training sessions or travel required.