Customer support is a crucial part of many businesses, especially those operating online. These jobs typically involve helping customers with inquiries, troubleshooting issues, and providing assistance in a timely and friendly manner.
What Does a Customer Support Representative Do?
- Respond to Customer Inquiries: Via phone, email, live chat, or social media, customer support reps respond to customers’ questions, ensuring satisfaction and resolving issues.
- Troubleshooting: You may help customers with technical issues related to products or services, such as software troubleshooting or handling complaints.
- Process Orders or Returns: For eCommerce or service-based businesses, you might assist with order processing, returns, refunds, or exchanges.
- Provide Product Information: Helping customers understand how to use a product, explaining features, and answering questions about services or plans.
- Support via Multiple Channels: As businesses expand, customer service often spans across different platforms like phone support, social media, live chat, and help desks.
Where to Find Customer Support Jobs
- Remote.co: A job board specifically focused on remote positions, including customer service roles across various industries.
- Working Solutions: This platform hires remote customer service agents for both part-time and full-time positions. They typically offer phone-based support or chat support positions.
- FlexJobs: A highly trusted platform that lists legitimate remote customer service and tech support roles. FlexJobs also offers other remote job categories.
- LiveOps: A well-known platform for call-center and customer support positions. You’ll work from home taking inbound calls, assisting customers.
- We Work Remotely: Another platform that focuses on remote jobs, including customer service positions.
- Indeed: You can filter customer service roles based on location (remote), which will show various remote customer support jobs.
Skills You Need for Customer Support Jobs
- Communication Skills: Clear, concise, and friendly communication, whether written or verbal, is essential.
- Problem-Solving Abilities: Being able to troubleshoot issues quickly and effectively, even when you don’t know the answer immediately.
- Patience: Handling frustrated customers calmly and professionally.
- Knowledge of Helpdesk Software: Familiarity with tools like Zendesk, Freshdesk, or Intercom can give you an edge.
- Multitasking: You may be required to handle multiple inquiries at once, especially in live chat or social media-based support.
Tips for Succeeding in Customer Support Jobs
- Be Empathetic: Understand the customer’s frustration and help them find a solution as efficiently as possible.
- Learn the Product: Familiarize yourself with the products or services you are supporting. The better you understand them, the more efficiently you can assist customers.
- Stay Calm Under Pressure: Customer service can be high-pressure, especially during busy times or when handling complaints. Always maintain a professional demeanor.
- Utilize Templates for Common Issues: Many customer support agents use templated responses for common questions, which can help improve efficiency.
2. Sales Jobs
Sales roles can be highly rewarding, especially when you’re selling products or services remotely. These roles are often commission-based, offering the potential for high earnings depending on your sales performance.
What Does a Sales Representative Do?
- Lead Generation: You may be tasked with identifying and reaching out to potential customers (cold calling, email outreach, or social media prospecting).
- Sales Calls/Presentations: Presenting products or services to prospects and explaining the benefits, sometimes offering demos or trial versions of a product.
- Negotiation: Closing deals by negotiating the terms of service, price, or other factors to suit both the business and the customer.
- Account Management: Maintaining relationships with existing clients, ensuring they’re satisfied, and renewing or upselling services.
- CRM Usage: Tracking sales leads and managing customer relationships through CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tools like Salesforce or HubSpot.
Where to Find Remote Sales Jobs
- LinkedIn: A popular platform for job hunting, LinkedIn has a wealth of remote sales jobs. You can search for remote sales roles, ranging from B2B sales to SaaS (Software as a Service) sales positions.
- AngelList: A job board that focuses on startup companies, many of which are hiring for remote sales roles. It’s an ideal place for sales professionals interested in working with innovative companies.
- We Work Remotely: This job board also features remote sales roles, including inside sales, lead generation, and business development positions.
- Glassdoor: Along with company reviews, Glassdoor lists job opportunities in various sales fields, including remote positions.
- SalesJobs: Specifically dedicated to sales roles, including many remote positions in various industries.
Types of Sales Jobs You Can Find Online
- Inside Sales: These positions focus on selling via phone or online communication. Inside sales reps work from a home office, reaching out to prospects and closing deals remotely.
- Business Development: Business development representatives focus on generating leads and securing meetings with prospects, typically in the early stages of the sales process.
- Account Executive: Account executives often close deals, manage client relationships, and take prospects through the sales funnel.
- Sales Manager: This higher-level role may involve managing a team of sales reps and overseeing sales strategy, targets, and performance.
- Telesales: Telesales jobs involve selling products over the phone. These jobs often require excellent phone communication skills.
Skills You Need for Sales Jobs
- Sales Pitching: The ability to clearly and effectively pitch products or services to potential customers.
- Negotiation: Being able to discuss terms and pricing in a way that benefits both the client and the company.
- CRM Familiarity: Knowledge of CRM tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, or Zoho CRM is critical in sales roles to manage customer data, track leads, and follow up.
- Goal-Oriented: Sales roles are typically target-driven, so being goal-focused and motivated by targets is key to success.
- Customer-Centric Approach: Understanding the customer’s needs and providing tailored solutions to meet those needs is essential in making successful sales.
Tips for Succeeding in Sales Jobs
- Learn the Product: Knowledge of the product is crucial in sales. Be prepared to explain the features and benefits clearly and how the product solves the customer’s problem.
- Stay Organized: Sales often require juggling multiple clients and leads. Keep your CRM organized and track your sales progress.
- Be Resilient: Rejection is common in sales. The key is to not take it personally and keep moving forward.
- Network: Constantly be networking and building relationships. The best salespeople often have a large, active network to rely on.
- Upselling and Cross-Selling: Once a sale is made, look for opportunities to upsell or cross-sell products and services to the same customer.
General Tips for Working in Customer Support and Sales Remotely:
- Set Up a Professional Home Office: Make sure your home office is quiet, organized, and equipped with the necessary tools (high-speed internet, a reliable computer, and a comfortable work environment).
- Time Management: Both customer support and sales jobs require the ability to manage your time efficiently. For customer support, it may mean meeting response time goals. For sales, it’s about meeting targets and deadlines.
- Effective Communication: In remote jobs, clear communication with clients, colleagues, and management is essential for success. Overcommunicate when necessary and ensure you’re always available when needed.
- Be Adaptable: Remote customer support or sales roles often require flexibility with working hours, especially when working with clients across multiple time zones.