Articles, quotes and other interesting things for the Virtual Receptionist community.
Another way to make money at Home
The opportunity to work from home, set one’s own hours, and earn an income while keeping the freedom of time that is usually traded in with full-time employment, is quite the tempting siren call. Because there is such a desire for flexibility and freedom of time, work from home enterprises continue to gain traction. Anyone with a Facebook account has probably seen the upbeat and emoji-ridden status updates of “boss babe” sales representatives. These women (and some men too) join multi-level marketing companies because they are looking for a way to make money, without spending forty or more hours per week away from their families. While it is possible to make money selling products and recruiting for MLM companies, it is also quite difficult. Most people don’t have thick skin, outgoing energy, and marketing and sales savvy needed to earn a sustainable income through MLMs. Even for those that do, it usually takes some time to build both a customer base and a downline. This can mean months of operating at a loss. Remember that an upfront investment is required to get started. Instead of investing hundreds or thousands of dollars into an MLM starter kit, operating with the very real possibility that no money will ever be made from it, and likely annoying a good deal of friends and family members with unsolicited messages and sale pitches; you could choose another route, one that also gives families the opportunity to earn income from home. There is no hounding friends and family to buy makeup, leggings, or vials of oil. Best of all, there are a variety of different packages and payment options to choose from, so workers can choose the option that best suits them and their lifestyle.
I’m talking about becoming a Virtual Receptionist. A Virtual Receptionist works from home answering phone calls for companies. They work when they want to, which means they’re available when their families need them. Being a Virtual Receptionist is a lot like being a Customer Service Representative in a traditional callcentre. The difference is that agents take calls from the comfort of their home and work the schedule that they choose. As so many working families know, that difference means everything. Some of the packages have minimum hour requirements, but even then Virtual Receptionists can choose when to work those hours. Then there is also the option to become a floater agent. These Virtual Receptionists don’t have any minimum hour requirements. They are paid per call and can log in and take calls whenever the mood strikes to earn some extra money.If you’re finding yourself tempted by the allure of working from home and setting your own hours, know that direct sales are not the only way to do it. You can have the same freedom, without going into debt or alienating every old high school acquaintance. You can sign up with CallAnswering to become a Work from Home Receptionist. Or maybe you’re one of those rare individuals who really know how to work an MLM. You’re making sales and recruiting and training your downline. You might still have a slow month here or there, and that’s where the reliability of a Virtual Receptionist position could come in handy, as supplemental income. Whether you do it full-time or part-time, A VR position is a great way to earn money, while keeping your availability open for what matters most; your family.
Morning routine got you in the dumps?
Working from home means that Virtual Receptionists don’t have to get all dressed up every morning. This is such a convenience, especially for female workers who often spend a large chunk of time styling their hair and putting on a full face of makeup. When you work from home, you can forget about that forty-five-minute routine in the bathroom every morning. You can do the same work without putting on a blouse and heels or a dress shirt and tie. Why not be comfortable while you work?
It's not about Balance, it's about Blend
The idea of a work-life balance conjures images of two distinct scales. They are separate, equally-weighted, and must be kept in constant balance. Work should not take away from our personal lives, and our personal lives should not take away from work. Work-Life balance is a nice idea, in theory, but in reality, it just isn’t plausible. It sets people up for failure.
The reality is that work and life are not separate and trying to pretend that they are pulls working people with families into a cycle of guilt and overwhelming feelings of inadequacy. Workers become burnt out by long hours hunched over their desks, feeling that it would be unreasonable to schedule an hour or two of exercise during the workday. Work is for working when we’re talking about a work-life balance. Those same workers may answer work emails that can’t be ignored, while on a family vacation. This is something almost all members of the workforce do now. Increases in technology have led to increases in inter-connectivity. Nothing is compartmentalized anymore. Yet, we continue to try to compartmentalize, causing an undue burden of stress, and usually leaving the life portion of the work-life balance to be sacrificed.
A healthier and more realistic goal is a work-life blend. This goal accounts for the reality that one’s personal life will be present in their work, and one’s work will be present in their personal life. Work-life blend means that neither work nor life is sacrificed. Both are important threads that need to be woven skillfully together. It can take a bit of practice, a bit of trial and error, and some workplaces and industries make a healthy work-life blend more attainable than others.
To really have a true work-life blend, work would be blended into one’s personal life, and one’s personal life would be blended into one’s working life. The latter is absolutely vital for a true blend, one that is fulfilling and meets all of a person’s needs, but it’s this portion of the work-life blend that many companies aren’t on board with yet. Many companies expect workers to answer emails during their downtime, or stay late when a big project requires it, but those same companies would scoff at an employee who takes breaks throughout the day for mild exercise or asks to work from home one day a week. A true work-life blend gives people the freedom to arrange their work activities and personal activities in a way that makes sense for them and gives them a schedule that they are comfortable with.
Unfortunately, it can be tough to find that sweet spot of the work-life blend while traditionally employed. A career as a Virtual Receptionist can give people the freedom and flexibility they crave. A VR position is very similar to a traditional receptionist’s job, but here are some of the important differences: You set your own hours and work when you want. You work from home.
There is no commute!
The absence of a commute alone adds at least an hour or two to your day. Instead of groaning as you fight your way through rush hour traffic, you could be chatting with neighbours, as you stroll around the neighbourhood and start your day off with some exercise. Instead of crawling along the interstate, counting the minutes until you reach your exit, you could use that extra hour or so to prepare a healthy, home-cooked meal for your family.
There are other ways to earn money that give people the freedom to create their own schedules and build their own personalized work-life blend, but becoming a Virtual Receptionist is one of the easiest ways to get started. You simply sign up online. One website that pairs prospective VR candidates with companies in need of phone representatives is CallAnswering. After signing up, CallAnswering would provide the training. All candidates have to do on their own is to ensure they have a computer, headset, and quiet space to work. Anyone with an old desktop and a family room could become a Virtual Receptionist.
A Virtual Receptionist position, because it is a job done from home, comes with the potential for a maximized work-life blend. Virtual Receptionists can choose which hours to work. So they can take the morning off to volunteer at their child’s school, or they could work a split shift, working a few hours in the morning while the kids are at school, taking off the afternoon for after-school activities and dinner, and then working a few more hours in the evening, after the kids have gone to sleep. VR positions come with a degree of flexibility rarely found in traditional employment. When generous flex hours are made available to employees in the traditional workforce, it is usually only for the most senior and tenured workers. VR positions are entry level. Anyone can take advantage of this opportunity, as long as they have a positive attitude and a willingness to learn.
Families have a real need for flexibility and a true work-life blend, not simply a burnt out workforce afraid to take a break or vacation, being lauded by the company as a work-life blend. All work is not a work-life blend. For anyone who is overworked, can’t step away from their desk, and is beginning to resent their working life for taking so much time away from their personal life, a Virtual Receptionist position could be just the change you need.