In 2020, many industries are experiencing a state of change and uncertainty. One of these industries is customer service. More and more companies are moving to remote work and using online tools to communicate with customers. This flexibility allows for customer service representatives (CSRs) to be the face of a brand, engaging with consumers via email, phone call, or even chat. While the nature of a customer’s interaction may be different today than it was years ago, the importance of a personal connection hasn’t diminished.
Before you begin your career as an in-home online customer rep, it’s important to understand how much money you’ll make. The answer to this question varies from person to person, but as a general rule of thumb, you can expect to make about $25,000 annually after you’re approved for health insurance. That number may sound low, especially compared to a normal part-time job, but you should keep in mind that you’re not only responsible for your own salary, but you’ll also need to consider the cost of living in your area.
In this article, we’ll run down the average incomes for different types of home-based jobs and how much you can expect to earn annually. We’ll also discuss the various expenses you’ll need to consider in order to be able to sustain a comfortable lifestyle once you reach your annual income goal.
The Average Income For Different Types of Online Customer Reps
The American Institute of Stress asserts that customer service personnel are one of the industries most affected by the current state of the world. In times of normal business, employees may experience moderate stress. However, in times of disaster or unexpected growth, workers may experience extreme stress.
The pandemic and the economic stress it imposed on businesses caused some major changes in the home-based customer service industry. Many companies had to let go of expensive retail face-to-face employees, opting instead to use online tools and remote workers. The nature of the work was also changed as interactions between employees and customers were significantly curtailed. The average income for online customer service representatives (OCSRs) decreased by about 10% from what it was before the pandemic (figure 1).
Payroll Services And Customer Support
One of the most in-demand occupations in 2020 is that of a payroll services representative. This is mainly because so many businesses have to pay their employees during this time, and some industries (such as retail and hospitality) have to pay their employees more than once per week. It’s also a good idea to look into the different types of payroll services available in the market. Some companies may also require assistance with tax paperwork, so having a professional on hand to help may be a worthwhile investment.
As for the income for these representatives, the average weekly paycheck for the 13.1 million workers in this field in 2020 is $733. That’s an increase of about 4% compared to what it was last year. One of the best things about this job is that you can get started with little to no experience and can build up your clientele via word of mouth. Many people in this line of work start their own businesses or work for agencies that serve large corporations.
Sales Jobs
Another occupation that experienced a major shift in demand during the pandemic is that of a sales representative. The ability to work remotely and the use of online tools has made it much easier for businesses to engage with customers and develop long-term relationships. Many businesses adopt a CRM (customer relationship management) software, which helps them store customer data, track sales activity, and analyze the results of their marketing efforts. A whole industry of business-to-business (B2B) marketing automation was born as a result of the pandemic.
Sales representatives make pretty good money, with the average weekly paycheck being about $1,100. That’s an increase of about 20% compared to what it was in 2019 (figure 1). However, this figure is probably inflated due to the increase in demand for sales representatives during the pandemic. After the pandemic, the demand for sales jobs will probably decline as businesses search for offline ways to reach customers.
Research Jobs
In 2020, the demand for research jobs increased by about 27% compared to that of a year ago. Much of this increase can be attributed to the rise of start-ups and small businesses, which require a lot of research to build a sound business plan and determine the viability of an idea. Even large businesses sometimes have to resort to doing their own research, as the amount of data that’s available online has increased to such an extent that it’s difficult for employees to keep up.
This is a pretty cool job to have if you have a scientific background. You’ll need to have analytical skills and be able to interpret results and report on the findings. A great idea for a research job would be to specialize in marketing or sales related analyses, as the two industries saw some of the biggest increases in demand during the pandemic.
Customer Care
The number of home-based customer care positions more than doubled between December 2019 and March 2020. About 1.9 million people in this role, which includes call centers and remote customer service representatives, are projected to have earned a wage of about $25,000 by 2021. The average wage for a customer care representative in 2020 is about $26,000.
The demand for customer care representatives will continue to grow in the coming years, especially as more and more businesses realize the importance of providing excellent customer service (figure 1). Many industries, such as retail and hospitality, are projected to see an increase in demand for customer care representatives.
Summary
While the nature of work and the income earned may vary from person to person, one thing is for sure: In-home online customer service rep jobs are a great opportunity to make some extra cash and support your lifestyle!