Work from Home: Wave of the Future

I've worked from home for more than ten years now and I'm not alone in the work-at-home crowd.

GreenBiz.com shared a recent report showing that 4% of American private sector workers now work from home, and that number is growing fast, and expected to reach 30% by 2019 according to the think tank TechCast.

We know that many consultants, writers and software people work from home.

But I was surprised when I discovered that one of the fastest-growing job categories for home-based workers is customer service representatives.

Yes, customer service representatives.

If you've called your credit card company, the IRS or your cell phone provider lately, it's very possible that the customer support rep who helped you was sitting alone in their home office in their slippers, the cat asleep at their feet.

The home-based work trend is bringing the job to the employees.

In 1998, call center manager Jim Ball realized that the biggest hiring hurdle was getting enough people willing to commute to work, so he started thinking about how to take the work to them. He cofounded Alpine Access, the pioneer in a new model of working.

Alpine Access is now the leading call center company using exclusively home-based employees, with 4,500 customer care professionals throughout the U.S. and Canada. These are inbound customer service people at the other end of the customer service 800-numbers for all kinds of businesses.

Business is booming. In contrast to many struggling industries, Alpine's business is growing exponentially, with a hiring binge aiming at bringing on another 1,400 home-based workers by the end of the year.

Working from home is a dream come true for some.

I've worked from home full-time for more than ten years and I love it. When you work at home, you don't have to dress up. You can sleep a little later, and you don't have to wait in commute traffic. You have more time with your family and friends or hobbies. Life is simpler.

Working from home is not for everyone, though.

Remi Killeen-Weber is a success story with Alpine Access. She started more than ten years ago as an customer service agent, and has worked her way up to a human resources role.

 "Not everyone does well as a virtual worker," she told me. "Some people don't like it because they really need the face-to-face contact with their coworkers, and some people just do better when they're being supervised."

Who makes a good virtual customer service person?

Alpine Access looks for experienced customer care representatives who can deal with challenging customers, and who are very savvy with computers and online work. The company is selective, hiring just one of a hundred applicants.

"Our workers  include military spouses, retired people, disabled people and parents who have home obligations so they want a part-time schedule," Killeen-Weber told me.

A fast computer and internet connection is required, and equipment, including a phone and headset, is needed to do the job.

Can you make a living wage as a home-based employee?

The pay is not high, with an average of $9 an hour depending on the project, but there are incentives and bonuses, access to insurance, and growth opportunities.

Don't forget to factor in the money saved by not commuting, skipping your morning mocha and lunches out, and not needing to maintain a work wardrobe.

Do note that Alpine Access says that every new employee is required to pay $44 for a background check when they are hired, but they also pay you for your training time, which I am told not all companies do.

Employees are assigned to a specific customer care program.

Once someone is hired, they are assigned to a specific company's program, possibly an upscale retail chain, a health insurance company, or an online product company or a video game hotline.

The new employee begins by attending the virtual "Alpine Access University" for specialized training that lasts from a week to a month, depending on the program they'll be working for.

How does it work being a virtual customer service agent?

Each time an employee begins their workday, they call into a switch line and log into the computer. They stay connected for the duration of their shift, working on the company's software, with new calls automatically routed, just as they would be if they were in the call center.

This is all transparent to the customer, and when we call in, we have no idea we're talking to a home-based worker.

This model has advantages for companies, too.

Companies who contract with a virtual call center save money over managing their own call center facilities and hiring. The model is more stable, too; even in a power outage, bad weather or disaster, the company will still have customer care staff.

Best of all, the jobs are not being outsourced outside the country. In fact, Alpine Access will help companies "insource" by showing them how to implement the at-home customer care model in their own company.

Remote workers need the right management approach.

There are still challenges with remote workers, of course, like keeping them feeling like they're part of a team.

Alpine Access addresses this by having coworkers connect on chat and video conferencing. They even have virtual cookouts on Friday afternoons.

Benefits, a matching 401K and a career path help with company loyalty, too.

If home-based work is for you, do your homework.

If you're considering being a virtual worker, whether it's as an employee with a fast-growing company like Alpine Access, or freelance or any other way, please do as much research as possible. For Alpine Access, you can start with their page with information about applying for work with them.

Check out the many websites that specialize in jobs for remote workers. Read all of the information carefully, use your very best judgment and consider if this new kind of career is right for you.

If it is, you won't be alone.

More for people who work from home:

• Working Virtually: Is it for You?
• Home Office Makeover Tips
• Feng Shui Your Office for Health and Wealth