Some people are introverted and hate speaking on the phone for hours on end; they feel at ease behind a screen when they’re texting. While others are in dire need of the better work-life balance remote jobs offer.
If either of these sounds like you, chat agent jobs could be your way into the customer support space.
Below, you’ll find an in-depth look at a career as a chat agent and where you can find jobs to get started.
4 Best Places to Find Chat Support Jobs
Where to find the best chat support jobs:
Why Should You Consider a Chat Support Job?
If you feel like you have what it takes, here are some reasons why you should consider chat support jobs to earn extra income on the side:
- Work Remotely: Remote customer service roles allow you to work from home and free up time for other areas of your life.
- No Specific Background Needed: You don’t need a technical background or a ton of work experience to get hired.
- Unique Growth Opportunities: Every customer presents a new challenge that hones your problem-solving skills and adaptability.
Top 4 Places to Find Chat Support Jobs
Here are the top five sites to find chat support jobs:
1. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the most trusted platform for remote job seekers to find opportunities. About eight people are hired every minute out of the 61 million who apply for jobs every week worldwide. And with the abundance of job postings, you can easily be one of them.
Pros
- Reliable Source: LinkedIn is the one of the most recognized professional social media platform. Most of the jobs you’ll find posted are reliable opportunities.
- Free to Use: You don’t need to pay any money to sign up or apply for a job on the platform.
Cons
- Plenty of Competition: Many job searchers and hirers frequent LinkedIn, so you might face a lot of competition while applying for online chat jobs.
- Quantity Over Quality: You may find many job postings in the customer service experience niche, but the number of legitimate options may still be low.
2. FlexJobs
Although it’s a paid service, FlexJobs is worth the investment for many aspiring chat support agents. It gives you career content, over 200 skill tests to improve your profile, one-on-one coaching, and mock interviews to prepare yourself better.
The jobs on their site are manually screened to avoid spam posts, and they don’t show any ads either.
Pros
- Extra Features: FlexJobs comes with a resume review, job search checklists, and other valuable resources to improve your chances of landing a role.
- Refund Policy: You can ask for a refund within the first month of usage if you don’t find work within 30 days or are unsatisfied with their service.
Cons
- Paid Service: A $14.95 membership might not be suitable or affordable for students or people looking for work on a budget.
- Time-Taking Process: Although FlexJobs takes some of the steps out of the job-search process, you still need to be actively involved on the platform to find your dream job.
3. Upwork
Upwork is among the most frequented platforms for freelancers to find work.
Upwork gigs present a better opportunity to get long-term work since you’ll be engaging with serious businesses. They also have more favorable rates than sites like Fiverr, as you can make your own bid for job openings.
Pros
- Upwork Handles Payments: Payments with Upwork are effortless, as the platform handles all the complexities for your convenience.
- Abundant Opportunities: You’ll have plenty of opportunities to find your ideal job since new posts are added every hour.
Cons
- Paid Credits System: You’ll have to pay for credits once they expire, and they can’t be refunded if the bid is unsuccessful.
- Excessive Spam Posts: Many of the posts on the website are spam or fake, and it doesn’t help that you can’t see the post creator’s details.
4. Indeed
Indeed is one of the most popular jobs and employment website in the U.S. Expectedly, aspiring chat agents will find countless employment opportunities and resources to break into the customer service support business.
It also helps that the website has a simple interface and the unique feature of hosting on-platform virtual interviews, which cuts out the hassle of scheduling a call on Zoom or Google Meet.
Pros
- Job Alerts: You can set up job alerts to notify you of the latest posts on the platform daily, which allows you to stay updated without having to browse the app every day.
- Indeed Apply: The Indeed Apply feature allows you to upload your resume and quickly apply to a number of jobs when you’re browsing the site.
Cons
- High Competition: Based on the huge number of Indeed users, there might be too much competition for good online chat jobs.
- Duplicate Listings: Some companies might post their openings on multiple sites alongside Indeed, causing the competition to rise further.
What You’ll Need to Do Chat Support Jobs
The qualifications needed for landing a chat support agent job are minimal. Most jobs require applicants to have a high school diploma or a GED, while others stress the importance of experience in a related field.
But experience and education aside, you need several skills to succeed at chat support jobs. Primarily, you’ll be providing customer service support via chat. But, depending on your company’s services, email support may also be one of your duties.
Here is a brief overview of what you’ll need to work as a chat agent:
- High-speed internet connection
- Fast typing speed
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to multitask and keep calm in intense situations
- A computer, mobile, or tablet in working condition
- Being able to solve problems for customers on the spot
Tips to Succeed at Chat Support Jobs
Applying these tips can improve your chances of succeeding in a customer support role:
- Understand the product of the company you’re working for, so you can better help your customers while maintaining a good reputation.
- Train yourself to stay calm in high-pressure situations to deal with agitated customers.
- Pick up some sales skills to close interested customers over chat.
- Learn all you can about the product or service to better assist existing and future customers.
- Work from a quiet place with a working computer and reliable internet connection.
- Develop a fast typing speed.
Similar Jobs
Below are some other remote jobs that you might want to check out if you find this one interesting.
- Best Work From Home Jobs: Find out the best work-from-home remote jobs that you can take up based on your skills and qualifications.
- Online Tutoring Jobs: If you’d like to use your teaching skills to earn extra income on the side, here are 12 online tutoring jobs that you can start applying to.
- Best Data Entry Jobs: Discover the best data entry jobs that you can try out as a side hustle to boost your income.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are There Any Minimum Qualifications for Working in Customer Support?
No, there are no qualifications to work as a customer support agent. But it helps to have a high school diploma as a bare minimum.
What Tasks Do Chat Agents Have To Carry Out?
Chat agents will have to assist customers with the products and services of the company, provide technical support, and even close potential sales over text. They may work as independent contractors on their own schedule or as full-time workers.
Wrapping Up
You can leverage your skills in online chat jobs to boost your income if you pride yourself on being good with people over text.
Based on your availability, you’ll find several full-time, part-time, and entry-level jobs that will help you get started.
Even though there are no minimum qualifications for most jobs, you need to be patient and have great communication and problem-solving skills to prosper in online chat roles.
Let us know if you liked this article in the comments below. Feel free to share it with a friend or family member who could benefit from learning about chat agent jobs.
