Work from Home Customer Service

Customer service representative is unarguably one of the most sought-after jobs in the country. For the past few years until now- because of the support it endowed with in our country’s economy-this business has evidently become the talk of the town. Not to mention of course for the reason that it’s one of the highest paying job. And for that alone, no wonder it’s preferred. According to studies, it is one of the leading sources of employment in the country and is continuing to grow even more. But if you’re someone who prefers the said job and desire to stay at home at the same time, you might want to consider a work from home customer service.

Photo Credit: FlickrCC

Though not many of us are aware of this, business processing outsourcing cannot only be found in the corporate world but also in the world of virtual assistants and freelancers. Yes, a work from home customer service, which is a good alternative for call center agents to earn from home. It’ll be a good way for them to start. Especially those who don’t want to leave home for work because they’ll be missing their babies. Both the mature ones and the young ones. J

Good thing work from home exists and working as customer service is one of the options. Now, what you’re looking for in call center and BPO companies, you’ll find it in the world of virtual assistants. If you’re looking for technical support or market research, for sure, there’s one available for you. In fact, there’s a lot to choose from.

How to Withdraw Your Earnings in oDesk?(Part-2)

Here’s the second part on how to withdraw your earnings in oDesk. The first part of this post was about withdrawing your earnings using PayPal. By following the steps I provided, you should be able to do it with ease.

So now let’s discuss about Local Fund Transfer (LFT). Local Fund Transfer is oDesk's most direct, least expensive, and most popular withdrawal method for contractors in the Philippines. In as easy as ABC, Local Fund Transfer, allows you to withdraw your earnings directly into your local bank here in the country. First withdrawal is for free and the following withdrawals will cost $0.99. Since Local Fund Transfer (LFT) was launched, funds have generally arrived at local banks faster compared to other withdrawal methods making it the most popular withdrawal among Virtual Assistants.

So let’s start in setting up Local Fund Transfer.

Setting up Local Funds Transfer is a 1-step activation process. Others find this method unreliable at first due to the errors they have encountered while doing the process. But actually, providing your correct information is the only way to avoid any errors in setting up Local Fund Transfer.  All you need is your bank's head office BRSTN code, account number and account holder information. Just make sure you qualify, then gather your bank account details and follow these directions:

1. Login to your oDesk account

2. On your homepage, click on Wallet” tab

3. Look for the Local Funds Transfer method under Recommended Options

4. Then press the Set Up Bank Account button the in Actions column

5. Enter your bank's head office BRSTN code (9 digits)

6. Enter your Account Number. (Take note: Do NOT use your EON, ATM, or debit card number)

7. Under the “Bank Account Holder Information”, provide your account name and address. This must match the information on file with the bank. The name on the bank account must match your oDesk account.

8. Name mismatches can lead to delayed or failed payments so make sure to review the details you provided.

9. Click the Add Withdrawal Method button and the bank account will become active in three days.

Now how to withdraw your earnings using Local Fund Transfer?

How to Withdraw Your Earnings in oDesk? (Part-1)

oDesk offers a variety of options on how to withdraw your earnings. PayPal, Local Fund Transfer (LFT), Moneybookers, and Payoneer are just a few of the methods on how to do it. Of all these mentioned, we should think about which is the most convenient for us and which works best considering the withdrawal fee for each method. If you’re a Virtual Assistant working here in the country, withdrawing your earnings via PayPal and Local Fund Transfer (LFT) are the best option. So let's talk about these two since we're Pinoy's working in oDesk.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35034361412@N01/214759009

Let’s start with PayPal.

PayPal has been in business for a long time now. And with their proven security features and reliability, they prove that they are still one of the best options when it comes to online money transactions. Regardless of where you are located in the world, you can set-up PayPal easily and use it in withdrawing your earnings using a credit card or debit card. You simply link your credit/debit card account to it and start turning your earnings into cash.

And if you’re residing here in the country and don’t have a credit/debit card, no need for you to worry. You can open an EON Unionbank account. It’s the best alternative for those who don’t have a credit/debit card.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to withdraw your earnings in oDesk using PayPal:

1. Log-in to your oDesk account

2. On your homepage, click on Wallet” tab

3. Then click on “Withdraw” tab

How to Write an Effective oDesk Cover Letter?

Aside from building a great odesk profile, writing an effective odesk cover letter is one of the most important things you need to consider if you want to land a job in odesk. Mess it up once and you’ll see yourself letting go of a job. But don’t get bothered with that. Instead, focus on how to impress an employer with your cover letter since it’s your only shot to shine. So my first tip to write a cover letter is to make sure you read through the entire job description. It is important that you understand what the employer needs. And once you have an idea of what’s needed in the job description, that’s the time you start.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12173213@N00/2328829160

Here’s a summary:

Greet employers in a professional manner

*Oftentimes, job postings do not show the employer’s name. So, a great way to set a professional tone is to say “Dear Hiring Manager”.

*If a name is indicated, you can plainly say “Dear Mr. Sanders” or “Dear Mr. Adam Sanders”. 

*Also consider those names that are gender biased like “Taylor” for example. You might think it’s a name of a man but actually woman.

Body of the letter

How To Start Working in oDesk?

"How Do I Start Working in oDesk?" is a question I hear more often since I claim to be earning money online as a Virtual Assistant in oDesk. 

I’m glad to know that you’re interested in this and for that; I’m willing to help you in anyway.

I just made this post short as much as possible as this is like an emergency post. (dinalian ni) hehehe

Now to answer that question,” How do I start working in oDesk?”.

First up is you need to create an account. Signing up is for Free so no need to worry.

Just follow the short and simple steps below.

Getting Started in oDesk

     Getting started in oDesk can be an overwhelming process to some. Especially to those who doesn’t have any background on online jobs. So I searched over the net and after reading reliable sources (specifically oDesk itself) finally, I came up to these steps on how to get started at oDesk to give you a hint on how you can start an oDesk career.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51983028@N00/260978898

     I’m sure a lot of questions will arise once you’re getting started at oDesk. So let me give you a tip-off. Building a great profile is most likely the first step to start a career at oDesk, so grab that chance to get a hold of a potential employer’s attention and make him/her read through your entire profile.

Building a Great Profile

Let’s start with the Objective Statement

An Introduction to oDesk

     As I want you to know more about the world of Virtual Assistants, I created this short post to introduce you to  one of the best freelance site, oDesk. As mentioned before in my previous post, its lifetime sales volume is more than that of other sites that offer virtual assistant/freelance jobs like elance.com, guru.com and freelancer.com. And aside from that, it is where I built my virtual assistant career, so here is my little introduction to oDesk to give you an idea of what it is.

Photo Credit: Flickrcc

What is oDesk?

    oDesk is a freelance site where you can be paid for your services by the hour or by fixed-price bids. Anyone can simply post their online resume; portfolio (for Free) and a client get to post their job so that they can get a contractor to do that particular task. Categories on the site include: programming, administrative support/customer service/business services, design and multimedia, sales and marketing, data entry, article writing, internet research, etc.

• Client is the person or the small firm offering a job.
• Contractor is the person/freelancer/virtual assistant offering a service.

How Job Progress is Monitored