Why Work in Customer Support?

Who'd Work in Customer Support?

There’s this image of online customer support jobs being a poorly paid grind where you suffer through annoying/abusive customers while you try to make the day go quicker until you can either quit the job or retire old and bitter.

And I’m not going to tell you that there isn’t an element of truth in all of that; there are customers that make you want to claw your eyes out, ploughing through tickets/calls can feel like a grind, and there are customer support jobs that pay peanuts.

Mostly this image comes from businesses that don’t give a crap about customer service, to these types of companies it’s all about keeping costs low and, it seems, staff turnover high. But in the startup community (and other businesses are catching on) quality customer service is held in the highest regard.

Startups realised that improving their customer service can differentiate them from competitors and, in a world where you can copy someone else's multi million dollar app for a few hundred bucks, differentiation is hard currency.

So what does customer support look like in this brave new world?

Dollar Dollar Bill Y’all

In a survey of 60 customer service pros, done by the excellent folks over at Support Driven, the average salary was $63,688 for men and $69,591 for women; bucking the trend right? I could write a book about why I think women generally make better customer service agents but that’s for another time.

Considering that the average salary in the US is around $26,695 and about $40,000 in the UK that’s a big step up.

And, before you say anything, this isn’t just for seasoned customer service vets that manage a team of 20 and work 70 hour weeks!

In the same survey they looked at average salaries for different experience levels. Which showed that even as a newbie to the customer service game you’re looking at an average that again is much higher than the average wage in both the US and UK.

Customer Service Matters

It really does. I swear! Think about it from the business’ perspective. To them, as a customer service rep you have the ability to;

• Make a sale: many startups offer a free version of their service, if you can fix a problem for a customer there’s a better chance they will then pay for that service.
• Stop ‘em leaving: I don’t mean physically! But if a customer has a problem and you can fix it for them, then they don’t leave and that means at least another month’s subscription.
• Get more of ‘em: exceptional customer service spreads like wildfire. If you don’t believe me check out all of the articles written about Zappos' legendary customer service. Forbes, Business Insider, and Huffington post have all written them up.

The common theme here is that as a customer support rep you’re not an employee that sucks money out of the company - which is the traditional way to think about customer service, in fact you are doing just the opposite.

That’s not all either, if a company was a human then the customer support department would be the ears, eyes and nose. You are at the forefront of change, you know what the customers are saying about the product, service and marketing. If the company you work for doesn’t take customer service suggestions seriously, then they really aren’t worth working for.

It’s a Lifestyle Choice

The companies that are looking to create customer service teams that go above and beyond don’t want employees that are faking it. They want people that are naturals. People who work in customer service because it’s what they are good at and not just a stop gap while they decide what to do with their life.

I’ll go into detail about what characteristics make for an exceptional customer support person in another article but it’s important to know it’s a two way street. Companies expect you to be yourself and in return they are offering you a lifestyle that suits you; competitive wages, flexible working hours, remote working and some great perks.

5 years ago I decided that’s what I wanted from a work/lifestyle and it’s the best choice I ever made. Get in touch with us to learn more.

I'm Not a Designer, a Writer or a Programmer. Can I Freelance?

Can I Freelance?

This is a question I asked myself before I started. A friend of mine had been working online as a software developer for about 5 years. He and I had talked about it multiple times and I loved the idea of being location independent. I could understand jobs as a freelance web developer; freelance graphic designer or freelance writer. All these have a product to sell. However, my main skills were in engineering project management. I thought the answer to "Can I freelance?" was "NO!". I was wrong. What can you do online if you don't have a "trade"?

The World is Your Mollusc

Since getting into freelancing I have become aware that there is a huge demand for all kinds of skill online. As I mentioned earlier I came from a project management background. Once I started to investigate on freelancing sites I realised that there is actually a high demand for project managers. People need project managers for all kinds of things. Often people don't actually need a traditional project manager as much as they need an intelligent assistant who can be trusted.

These days all of my projects are entirely online and they cover a wide range; creating an explainer video; building sales websites; curating an online magazine. However, the very first client I picked up wanted me to manage his office renovation... in Australia. That was something well within my experience but managing it remotely, from another country was something of a challenge! This project really highlighted to me that clients look for people online to do everything under the sun.

So, What Are the Options?

There is almost no end to the possibilities for a remote job online. Here are a few that you may not have considered:

• customer support (no9to5's own Oli wrote a great article about this here)
• social media management
• project management
• virtual assistance
• dependent on your background - financial, legal, engineering

One of the great things about online work is that people will often try you out if your prices are reasonable and your proposal is good. Do you think you have the skills to manage projects but never had the opportunity to do so? In the "real world" no one will hire you as a project manager without some background experience. Online you could win a small project management contract, do really well and use that experience to help get more.

You may not feel like you fit into one of these job roles now. However, if you're looking to change your career then freelancing can help. It's important to think about what transferable skills you have and not the name of the job you do now. How could someone make use of your skills in a different indsutry?

That's Why We're Here

This is essentially the whole reason why we created no9to5. I frequently hear "It sounds really good but I don't think I have suitable skills." We have met lots of people that are really interested in the idea of online freelance work but don't know where to start.

We were in that position once and I wish someone could have given us a roadmap to get to where we wanted to be. Now we can travel and work and we love it! Get in contact and we'd love to help you get started.

Working Remotely: Can I Compete Online with Low Cost Countries?

Working Remotely: Can I Compete Online with Low Cost Countries?

This is a question I asked myself when I first entered the world of working remotely. When I saw the number of people applying for jobs at incredibly low rates of pay I wondered if there was actually any money to made. To illustrate this point I just jumped onto my Upwork account and clicked on the job at the top of my feed.

The majority of the people in this list and others are from the Philippines. India, Bangladesh and Indonesia are close behind. In this example, the advertised hourly rates ranged between $3.33 and $6 per hour. According to this article in Forbes there are 1.3 million Filipinos on Upwork and Elance. How can you compete online with these low prices?

Price vs Quality

There is an old adage that you get what you pay for. Never has this been more true than when working remotely. I will begin this section with the caveat that I have worked with great freelancers from the Philippines and other countries mentioned. However, I have had more than a few bad encounters and so have people I know. While you may find a web developer that only charges $5 per hour there are hidden costs. English skill, cultural differences and quality of training are 3 things that stand out.

• Copywritten articles with bizarre grammar and spellings
• Long delays with no communication
• A 10 bullet point specification and a product that only covers 7 of them

These are all problems that I and others have had to deal with. How do you deal with them? By spending your own time and money to reiterate requirements, correct work or hire someone else to do it better. With this in mind, clients are starting to realise that spending more at the beginning saves time and money in the long run. As you can see in this Fortune article, there is an upward trend in freelancer rates as a result. Employer tend to bypass the lower end of the pay scale and choose someone in the middle of pack.

How to Compete Online

People will pay for quality. I have picked up clients over the past year who came to me specifically because they wanted a native English speaker, with great feedback and solid experience.

Once bitten, twice shy

In general they had been burned before by using cheap labour. Although they could hire someone else for a quarter of my price they knew that it is better to pay more and get things right first time. In a virtuous circle, clients recommended me to others and provided glowing feedback. This in turn led to me getting more work at higher rates. 

Offering a quality, professional service yields benefits. While some clients may want to get things done for the absolute cheapest price possible; these are not the kind of clients you want to build a long term relationship with. Demonstrate your quality and the right clients at the right rates will come.

This is one of the reasons that we created no9to5. We have developed our online presence and learned how to compete with low cost countries. Get in contact and we'd love to help you get started.

Why Freelancing Sucks

Why Freelancing Sucks

This is intended as a response piece to my article Why Freelancing Is Great! I do love being an online freelancer, however it’s not for everyone. I’m nothing if not even handed so I thought I would present the flip side of the coin. Here are my reasons why freelancing sucks.

Lack of Social Interaction

If you are working from home it can be a pretty lonely experience. I am something of an introvert so I’m generally happy being by myself. Even so, I feel the need to be around other people from time to time. Luckily I have friends that I see regularly and nice cafes or co working spaces that I can use to be in a more social environment. For me this is fine and I’m happy with the lifestyle.

Some people really need the interaction that comes from a typical office environment and that can make being an online freelancer hard. Agi needs this more than I do but she has a lot of hobbies that keep her extrovert fires stoked outside of work.

Variability

The flexibility which is so great goes hand in hand with a lack of security. If your client suffers a setback or chooses to change their business then your hours and earnings can change very quickly. This has happened to both Agi and me so we know what it’s like.

In all cases we have bounced back stronger but the knowledge that you don’t have guarantees can be a source of stress. I encourage you to look for a range of clients rather than relying on just one. That one client may be great but there’s an old saying about amounts of eggs and numbers of baskets.

Long Lead Time

It can take a while to make the transition from being a 9 to 5 office worker to online freelancing. I took about 6 months to get to the point where I was feeling happy and comfortable. The stages before that were:

• 1-3 months: living off my savings
• 3-5 months: living hand to mouth but not touching savings (yay!)
• 6 months: earning enough money to be back at the level I was as an office worker
• 7 months+: earning more money than I did before

There were points during the initial 6 months where things dipped as you can see on the chart. At times like this I considered giving up. In the end I’m glad that I stuck with it but I know that not everyone has the savings to make it through this process.

Agi and I learned a lot along the way that we would do differently in future. Hindsight is 20-20! I think the lead time can be cut down to 1 or 2 months if you know what you’re doing. Get in contact with us and we can help make the transition easy for you.

Why Freelancing Is Great!

Why Freelancing Is Great!

Well, the very existence of this site should let you know that I feel positive about being an online freelancer but I’d like to explain some of the cool things that show why freelancing is great (although sometimes it sucks).

Flexibility

My daily schedule goes something like this:

• 8 - 12 : Work
• 12 - 1:30 :  Gym
• 1:30 - 2 : Lunch
• 2 - Maybe 5 or 6 (depending on workload) : Work

Being a freelancer offers me the flexibility to go to the gym in the middle of the day. I love this schedule because I hate going to the gym in the evening when it’s busy. Maybe that’s because I don’t like waiting to use equipment and maybe it’s because I don’t like an audience to see me grunt, sweat and fail to lift light weights. I’ll let you decide.

Freedom

I live in Bangkok, something that would be difficult to do unless you teach English or work for a multinational corporation that transfers you from your home country. The best thing? I could move tomorrow. I like Bangkok, but if I wanted to go and live in Rome I could be there next week and already have an income.

I’m writing this on an aeroplane from Bangkok to Krabi. Agi and I are going for a long weekend on an island. It’s not the first one we’ve done and it won’t be the last. We can easily take the time to have a long weekend because we can leave on a Thursday, do some work on Friday morning or whenever from a beach side café and then enjoy ourselves. As long as I have my laptop and an internet connection, I’m good to go! Are you starting to see why freelancing is great?

Comfort

I’m a homebody, I like having my own things around me. I hate commuting. Now, I only commute as far as the local café or co working space (a 5 minute walk). Most days not even that; I work from home. Obviously, this saves money and, more importantly to me, time on travel. Apart from that there are loads of small benefits to me. I can cook for myself (which I enjoy) or pop to the cheap restaurant around the corner for lunch. I don’t have to wear a uniform; I exist in shorts and t-shirt most of the time.

Do you know the best and least expected thing that came of me being an online freelancer? I got back into music in a big way. I’ve always loved music but being in the office all day really cut down on the amount of music I could listen to. Now I’m at home I can listen to my own music all day. This has led to me branching out and looking for new stuff to listen to more often. Recently I’ve gone through periods of discovering 50’s motown, 70’s funk and 90’s gangsta rap. A far cry from my usual 80's rock.

In Summary

I love being an online freelancer. Deep down, I always knew it would suit me and now that it’s my full time occupation I couldn’t be happier. If you think it would suit you too I would love to discuss it with you. Click here to find out more about why freelancing is great.