11 Good Reasons To Be A Freelance Customer Service Rep

Did you know that more than 1/3 of all US workers are freelancers? And this number is only expected to rise!

But one industry where freelancing has been slow to catch on is customer service.

Why? Well, you could argue that it’s because of big companies like having their employees work in a physical office together. But we think there’s something else going on here: most people just don’t know the benefits of working as a freelance customer service rep.

In this post, we’ll explain why freelancing in customer service is an absolutely awesome opportunity, and provide helpful resources to get started.

Takeaways
Flexibility in work schedule
Independence and control over your career
Potential for higher earnings
Diverse range of clients and industries
Opportunity to work from anywhere
Development of valuable communication skills
Constant learning and personal growth
Ability to choose the projects you enjoy
Work-life balance and improved well-being
Building a versatile professional network
Entrepreneurial mindset and career advancement opportunities

Control Over Your Schedule

One of the best aspects of working as a freelance customer service rep is that you’re able to control your own schedule. You can set your own hours and decide how much or how little you’d like to work. 

If you want to take breaks throughout the day, go for it! You can enjoy a leisurely lunch with friends or watch an episode of Friends at lunchtime. If you feel like taking a vacation, just do it (we know someone who did)! And if you get sick, no problem you won’t have to use up any of your paid time off since nobody else gets to dictate what happens with your health.

Working as a freelancer means having more control over every aspect of life than most people would ever dream of having in their careers.

If you’re a customer service specialist looking for freelance opportunities, check out our guide on 14 Best Freelance Jobs for Customer Service Specialists. It provides valuable insights into various freelance job options in the customer service field.

Higher Pay

To start, you probably have the skills needed to work in customer service. If you’ve had a job before, it’s likely that you’ve helped customers at some point—whether it was dealing with complaints at a pizzeria or answering calls at a call center. Therefore, if you’re able to handle the stress of being on your feet all day and having a boss tell you what to do, freelance customer service is definitely a worthy career path. The average salary for freelancers is $45K per year (which is 10% more than the average customer service rep), so you can make more money while still doing something that feels familiar and comfortable.

Imagine how much easier your life would be if bosses didn’t have as much control over your pay: as a freelancer, you get to set your own minimum salary and don’t have to worry about spending time looking for another job once yours ends!

Working For Yourself

You’re probably thinking this all sounds great in theory, but what if you’re totally burnt out after being at the office for eight hours? Working as your own boss can be a blast, and also a nightmare, depending on how you approach it. The good news is that most of the true benefits of going freelance are not just about whether or not it’s what you want to do full-time; they’re also about how you go about doing it.

One of the best perks of working as your own boss is literally being in charge and that means you get to make the rules. When was the last time anyone told you what to do or when to do it? Working for yourself gives you the flexibility to pick up and move around wherever life takes you, enabling your workday to follow suit. You don’t have a boss dictating when and where you have time off (unless that’s exactly what interests you), so instead of having someone making decisions about where and when to work, those decisions are yours. 

You can set your own deadlines and complete projects according to your own schedule instead of someone else’s, which can be both good and bad depending on who needs something done by a certain time. However, with that control comes responsibility: there’s no one at home waiting for dinner or wondering when their kids will be home from school while they’re working late nights on something they’d rather not be doing. 

It also means being accountable for everything on your plate, so keep that in mind before setting unrealistic expectations for yourself ahead of time (which are bound to happen anyway).

Are you struggling to find freelance customer service jobs that pay well? Our article on How to Get Freelance Customer Service Jobs to Pay the Bills offers practical tips and strategies to help you secure lucrative freelance positions.

The Ability To Work From Anywhere

As a freelance customer service representative, you’ll be able to work from anywhere. You might be thinking: “I’m not even sure what a customer service representative does.” We’ll get there, and we’re here to tell you that it’s simpler than you think. All you need is a computer with an internet connection. 

Heck, if you have neither of those things, there are still options for freelancing as a customer service rep; one of the perks of working remotely is that the world can be your office whether or not you have access to those two items.

Being able to work from home means being able to take care of your kids while still making money no more worrying about getting time off for winter break or summer vacation. Not having to commute also means less money spent on gas and wear-and-tear on your car. And if you’re already working from home in another field but want something different, freelancing as a customer service rep may provide the shift in scenery that helps keep things fresh and reinvigorates your career goals.

You can also go further by working from coffee shops like Starbucks or libraries instead of staying at home all day. If traveling is your thing, then imagine being able to do it while earning an income! Imagine being on the beach in Miami while chatting with customers over email! It’s all possible when you choose this path!

The Ability To Set Your Minimum Income

As a freelance customer service rep, you get to set your minimum income. You choose how many hours per day, how many days per week, and how many weeks per year you’re willing to work for that amount. And because of the way the gig is set up, it’s quite easy for you to know exactly what your hourly rate is, so if it just isn’t cutting it after a few months or years of working, you can raise your minimum wage accordingly. This kind of flexibility is never been something that I had as an employee at any company in my life.

For example: if I wanted to earn $60,000 per year as a customer service rep at a typical company (I’m using US dollars here), I’d have had to work 40 hours a week for 50 weeks every year that’s 2000 hours in total every single year. And at most companies (especially tech companies), there would be zero flexibility in this expectation: they’d always want me working 40 hours no matter what even when they didn’t really need me to work that much! But when I’m freelancing and making $60,000/year doing customer service reps.

The Ability To Not Have Respond To Emails And Phone Calls On Sundays And During Holidays

The idea of being a customer service rep may sound like a dream job for someone who enjoys helping others, but in fact, you don’t have to do it full-time. Chances are you already provide this service for someone in your family, or maybe you’re a freelancer who works from home and currently has an unhappy customer. Either way, providing the kind of support that involves talking to people has some attractive benefits:

You Can Set Your Own Hours

This means you can choose how many hours per week of “work” you want to do and no more. If you want to spend an hour every day on the phone with customers, that’s fine but if that’s what makes you happy and is the best use of your time, then go ahead and make that your regular schedule. If you put in fewer than the maximum number of hours available under law (72-hours per month).

however, most states require additional overtime pay at time and one-half or double time (depending on where your state is located).

No having to go in early or stay late just because the project manager has no idea how to allocate their resources.

Discover why freelance customer service jobs are gaining popularity among professionals. Read our article on 15 Reasons Why Freelance Customer Service Jobs Are So Attractive to learn about the benefits, flexibility, and growth opportunities in this field.

You Get To Work The Hours You Want

When you’re a freelance customer service rep, you don’t have to worry about the project manager having no idea how to allocate their resources. That means not having to go in early or stay late just because other people can’t manage their time right.

You can work on weekends if you want. If you hate working on weekends as much as I do, then being a freelance customer service rep is perfect for you! With this position, your workload will be significantly lower most of the time and if it’s not, your client won’t mind if you need time off during regular business hours.

You’ll have more control over when and where you work. There’s nothing worse than not being able to plan ahead because your boss keeps asking for more work without any notice whatsoever! In fact, it’s so bad that one out of three employees quit their jobs due to this exact reason (according to a survey from CareerBuilder). Being able to take vacations or sick days whenever needed also increases productivity by an average of 23%.

Being Able To Take Time Off For Personal Reasons Can Help With Family Planning

The ability to be completely transparent with your customers without the fear of your company firing you.

As a freelancer, you are your own company. You set your policies, you set your client expectations, and you ultimately have to stand by the work you produce. This means that you can be transparent about the process of working for someone else, and any potential problems that may arise with their project or strategy.

For example, when a client asks me how long their project will take to complete, my normal answer is three weeks unless I run into unforeseen problems throughout the process. During these projects, I need to do research sometimes which can really throw off my timeline. There is no way to know how long it will take someone to get back to me with information (or if they will even return my calls/emails at all), so I’m always careful about what kind of timeline I give clients in case this happens.

I also tell people upfront that there are risks involved in creating blogs for companies because anyone could say anything about them at any time via social media or other platforms. Being upfront about potential issues like this is not only honest but also shows clients that you care about their best interest as a whole instead of just getting the job done quickly and moving on to the next one.

Not Having To Ask A Manager Before You Go Out With Your Friends After Work

You can take a vacation whenever you want.

Sure, you heard the big advantage of being an employee is that most companies are required to give their employees a certain amount of time off each year. While there is some truth to that, as an employee at a 9-to-5 job, you’re still required to request time off and ask your manager for permission every time you want to take a day off or go on vacation. 

As a freelance customer service representative, not only do you get to choose how many hours you work (and earn accordingly), but you also have control over your schedule and can take a day off whenever you want without having to ask permission from anyone.

Looking for freelance customer service jobs in the USA as a foreigner? Our guide on USA Freelance Customer Service Jobs for Foreigners provides insights and resources to help you navigate the job market and find suitable opportunities.

Not Having A Manager Tell You What Color Socks You Can Wear With Your Suit

When you’re a freelance customer service rep, nobody gets to tell you what color socks to wear with your suit.

When you have a manager telling you what color socks to wear with your suit, it’s not just about the socks. It means that the manager is so focused on controlling every little thing about your life that he or she doesn’t trust you to make good decisions about anything. It means that the manager isn’t giving you enough work to fill your day because he or she doesn’t see how valuable an employee you are. And it means that the manager isn’t paying attention to things like helping customers and making money for the company things that really matter.

So if someone tells you what color socks to wear with your suit, I guess they think they’re doing something important by keeping a close eye on very minor details, but this is actually distracting them from more worthwhile activities and keeping them off of your back!

As a freelance customer service representative, there’s always something new to learn about running your business. Explore our article on 13 Things You Still Need to Learn About Your Freelance Customer Service Business to gain valuable insights and enhance your skills in this dynamic field.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I feel that the reasons to be a freelance customer service rep are far too numerous to list here. If you think you might enjoy working with customers directly, meeting other people’s needs in a face-to-face setting, and receiving great compensation for doing so the best way to find out if it’s for you is to give it a try.

If you have any questions about being a freelance customer service representative, please feel free to contact me.

Further Reading

Reasons to Choose Freelancing: Discover the various reasons why individuals choose freelancing as a career path and explore its benefits.

11 Good Reasons to Be a Freelance Customer Service Rep: Explore the compelling reasons why being a freelance customer service representative can be a rewarding career choice.

Benefits of Freelancing: Learn about the advantages and perks of working as a freelancer, including flexibility, independence, and potential financial gains.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Get Started?

To begin your career as a freelance customer service representative, choose a platform that can put you in contact with clients. Some of the best platforms include Upwork, Freelancer, and Guru. Look for projects in the customer support category that interest you and apply to the ones that fit your experience level.

What Is The Best Way To Find Clients?

The best way to find customers is to be patient and thorough. After choosing a platform, browse through jobs until you find one that fits your skillset and interests. Send an application along with any necessary proposals or samples of work. Once you’ve been accepted onto a project, work diligently to meet all of your client’s expectations.

If they are satisfied with your services, then it may lead to another project or even a long-term relationship where you take on many different roles within their business.

How Do I Set My Rates?

Pricing for freelance customer service representatives varies depending on several factors including experience level (which typically does not matter), industry knowledge (which could be helpful), location (higher cost = higher pay), and availability (full-time vs part-time). It’s important not only to consider these things when setting up your profile but also communicate them clearly so there won’t be any misunderstandings down the road.”