In today’s competitive world of work, being a freelance customer support agent is one of the most difficult jobs you can have. Not only do you have to answer every single question without fail. You also need to be able to do it in all languages and dialects, with a smile on your face, while wearing a clown nose.
After all, that’s why they invented computers, so we don’t have to spend money on hiring people who know how to speak and smile at the same time.
For many freelancers like myself, customer service is something that gets put on the back burner until a project actually needs it. However, no matter what you’re working on or where you work from (i.e., office, home), having solid customer service skills can make a difference in everything from first impressions to keeping clients happy long after their projects are complete.
Whether you’re a master communicator or just getting started with your freelance career, it can be difficult to figure out the best tools, apps, and services to make your business successful. Whether you’re working behind a desk or taking calls on the go, this comprehensive list of resources will help you find what’s right for your unique situation.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Utilize productivity apps to streamline your freelance customer service workflow. |
| 2. Use time-tracking tools to ensure accurate billing and effective time management. |
| 3. Take advantage of project management software to stay organized and meet deadlines. |
| 4. Enhance communication with clients using messaging and collaboration tools. |
| 5. Consider using customer support ticketing systems for efficient issue resolution. |
| 6. Explore invoicing and payment platforms to simplify your financial management. |
| 7. Leverage social media management tools to engage with customers and build your brand. |
| 8. Protect sensitive client data by using secure file storage and encryption tools. |
| 9. Seek out professional development resources and training services to enhance your skills. |
| 10. Prioritize self-care and use wellness apps to manage stress and maintain work-life balance. |
1. Email Management
An email is a must-have tool for any freelancer. It’s basically the modern equivalent of a business card; it’s how you’re going to interact with your clients and build relationships. It’s also one of the most important tools in building up your brand and reputation, as well as presenting yourself professionally.
However, email can be pretty overwhelming, especially if you’ve got multiple clients sending you emails all day long. If you don’t stay organized or manage your inbox correctly, things can get messy pretty quickly. To solve this problem, there are many email management tools that can help you save time so that you can focus on other aspects of running your freelance career.
Email management tools within customer service help automate the process of managing customer-facing interactions. They allow you to focus on more pressing issues while also providing proactive customer feedback in order to increase revenue and customer lifetime value.
Email management tools also make it easier to manage customer relationships by allowing customers to be able to provide feedback directly from their inboxes.
Finally, email management tools help ensure that an organization’s email is being handled as efficiently as possible by providing users with better control over their inboxes along with detailed analytics on how much time they spend responding versus searching through messages for answers.
If you’re a customer service specialist looking for freelance opportunities, explore our guide on the best freelance jobs for customer service specialists to discover rewarding options in the industry.
2. Live Chat Solutions
Live chat solutions are great for helping you provide customer service to your customers. Most live chat solutions can be integrated with your existing email and CRM software. This makes it easy for you to automate some of the work, as well as easily insert canned responses into your chats.
Some live chat providers require that you pay per operator, while others let you add unlimited agents. If you’re just getting started with a live chat provider, I recommend using one that lets you have multiple agents but doesn’t charge per agent. LiveChat is the best solution for this because they only charge based on the number of chats you get in a month.
3. CRM Software
Customer relationship management (CRM) software is a must-have tool for any freelance customer service professional. In its simplest form, CRM software helps you maintain lists of customers and their contact information in one place to organize your work. But there’s more to it than that: CRM software can also help you keep track of the history of your interactions with each customer, helping you respond faster and connect the dots between requests.
If you’re just starting out as a freelancer, free or low-cost options like ZohoCRM and HubSpot CRM might be all you need. Some of these tools integrate with email clients like Gmail and Outlook so that when emails are sent or received, they are automatically added to your database as new contacts (with their relevant information), or updates to existing contacts (if they already exist in the database).
As your client list grows, however, you may want a more robust option that allows additional features like custom fields, ticket templates, and bulk email campaigns. For example, Nimble integrates with other tools on this list like Slack and Trello so that any time there’s an issue reported on one platform—whether it’s through an online chat or via email—the details will be logged on all platforms simultaneously.
4. Instant Messaging
Until recently, most customer services involved phone calls, emails, and even snail mail. But many companies now rely instead on instant messaging (IM) tools to handle customer service needs. Some of the most popular IM apps include Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, Skype, Slack, and WhatsApp.
Instant messaging offers various benefits over traditional customer service channels. For one thing, it’s more convenient: instead of waiting on hold while a support person figures out your problem, you can respond when it fits into your schedule. Instant messaging also allows you to multitask: use a spreadsheet while you’re waiting for an answer or jump back into writing code after sending a message.
Lastly and perhaps most importantly, customers are more likely to be patient with slow-to-respond IM services than they are with a phone or email support systems whose response times can sometimes extend for days or even weeks.
Struggling to find freelance customer service jobs that pay the bills? Our comprehensive guide on getting freelance customer service jobs to pay the bills offers valuable insights and strategies to help you achieve financial stability.
5. Phone And VoIP Services
If you need to provide customer service over the phone with your clients, there are plenty of tools and services that can help you.
- Google Voice is free and offers a straightforward interface for making calls. What’s great about Google Voice is that it allows you to project a professional image by giving callers a separate number from your personal one. It also offers advanced features such as call recording, voicemail transcription, unlimited voicemail messages, and transcribing voicemails into text.
- Line2 ($9/month) offers more features than Google Voice, including custom greetings and numbers from 50+ countries. You can use their online platform without having to download software or an app on your device.
- Skype ($2.99/user per month) lets you make calls over the internet using your computer or mobile device. It allows screen sharing so that users can collaborate easily on projects.
- Talkroute ($15/month) has many advanced features like unlimited extensions, a virtual receptionist, business hours schedule and voicemail options for each extension, shared phone number, and vanity numbers all in one system with no setup fees or contracts required for this service.
- WhatsApp (free) is another option for communicating with customers via messaging if they’re based internationally or simply don’t want to install an additional app on their phone.
- Zoom ($15-$20/host per month) is another video conferencing tool where hosts can record meetings with clients remotely over multiple devices such as smartphones and computers.
6. Video Conferencing Software
Video conferencing can be useful for a number of reasons, whether it’s to train new employees or simply to get everyone in the same room at the same time for a staff meeting. Video conferencing software can also help you with customer support by allowing you to video chat with your customers, and even share your screen with them when needed.
Usually, video conferencing software is offered as part of an overall virtual office package, making it all the more convenient if you choose one of those other services.
Considerations include pricing structure (is it per user or per minute?), available features (features such as screen sharing and audio recording may be critical), ease of use, and integration into existing phone systems/conferencing units.
As a freelancer, dealing with common customer support issues can be challenging. Learn effective strategies to solve common customer support issues and enhance your freelance customer service skills for better client satisfaction.
7. Help Desk Software
Help desk software is a tool that allows the user to streamline customer service operations. It helps you organize, track, and solve all of your customer support issues in one place.
Customer interactions can be managed via email, social media, or any other channel that poses a challenge. The help desk software automatically assigns a ticket to each interaction and keeps them all organized so no tickets or issues slip through the cracks.
Some help desk solutions include live chat features that allow agents to engage with customers directly on your website or app. Others are focused on the back end and allow agents to delegate tasks among themselves. Other solutions may focus solely on integrating with your existing CRM system.
Choose a solution that integrates with your team’s current set of tools (for example Slack) as well as future ones you plan to adopt (such as Pipedrive).
Looking for the best tools, apps, and services to streamline your freelance customer service business? Check out our curated list of recommendations on the best tools, apps, and services for freelance customer service to boost your productivity and enhance customer experiences.
8. Knowledge Base And Self-Help Tools
Self-help tools are a great way to improve your customer service game and keep things simple. If you have a lot of frequent questions, these tools can handle them for you. To create a knowledge base, write up FAQs on relevant topics or embed videos with instructional content that customers can access.
Many self-help tools also include community support where customers can interact with each other for assistance. These tools reduce the number of support tickets coming in and free up your time so you can focus on more complex issues.
Other benefits include making it easier to update product information and reducing the need for repetitive tasks. You’ll save time and money by using self-service help desk software that provides resources like FAQs, how-tos, tutorials or forums where customers can ask questions and get answers from others who have similar problems or interests.
9. Social Media Management Tools
Though customer service has been mostly relegated to the phone or email, social media has emerged as an important platform for customer support. Social media is a place where people go to share their experience with a company, good or bad, and brands that fail to respond will be held accountable by existing customers and potential customers alike.
In fact, for many consumers, social media support is no longer a “nice-to-have” but rather an expectation of modern customer service. According to Sprout Social – a social media management tool (more on those below) – 69% of US consumers use social media as a customer support channel, with 61% saying they have used it in the past six months alone.
It makes sense that businesses need tools to effectively provide customer service via social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. But what exactly are these tools? Social media management tools are platforms used by individuals and teams within an organization to manage its brand presence across multiple networks including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
These tools typically offer features such as campaign scheduling, network integrations, and analytics reporting. Let’s take Sprout Social for example; it’s just one of many options out there for social media management tools in this crowded space. You can read more about Sprout Social here or check out other options here.
Ready to increase your earnings from freelance customer service work? Our guide on how to make more money from your freelance customer service work provides practical tips and strategies to maximize your income potential in the field.
Final Thoughts
Many people dream of freelancing so they can avoid some of the more frustrating parts of office culture, like boring meetings or a lack of flexibility. However, those things are still possible with freelancing—and so are other challenges, like managing customer support.
Thankfully, many great tools and services have been developed specifically to help you stay on top of client needs and keep your customers satisfied. Because customer support is an essential part of running any business successfully (freelance or otherwise), it’s important to make sure you’re putting effort into this aspect!
Regardless of the type of freelancing you do, customer service is an inevitable part of your business. It’s not always easy to strike a balance between making yourself available for clients and getting work done, but it’s critical to your success.
The right tools can simplify and streamline this process, allowing you to offer prompt and effective support while still focusing on other important aspects of your business. Take some time to find the best tools for your needs and don’t be afraid to experiment with different options until you have something that works well for you!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources that you may find helpful:
Best Apps for Freelancers: Discover a comprehensive list of top apps that can boost your productivity and streamline your freelance workflow.Short description: This article provides a curated collection of the best apps specifically designed to support freelancers in their daily tasks and help them stay organized and efficient.
Tools for Freelancers: The Ultimate List: Explore an ultimate list of tools and resources catered to freelancers to optimize their productivity, manage projects, and enhance collaboration.Short description: Find a comprehensive compilation of tools and resources suitable for freelancers, covering various aspects such as project management, time tracking, communication, and more.
Freelancing Tools: The Essential Apps, Software, and Services: Dive into a curated collection of essential apps, software, and services designed to empower freelancers and enhance their work efficiency.Short description: This resource provides an extensive list of essential tools and services that freelancers can leverage to streamline their workflows, manage tasks, and ensure productivity.
People Also Ask
What Are The Best Freelancing Sites?
The most popular freelancing websites are Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, PeoplePerHour, and Guru. In general, Upwork and Fiverr tend to be more for short-term projects than for ongoing work, whereas Freelancer, PeoplePerHour, and Guru tend to attract more candidates looking for long-term relationships with clients.
What Does It Mean To Be A Freelance Worker?
A freelance worker is someone who works independently from home (or other location) rather than in an office or workplace setting. The term “freelance” is derived from Middle English: freelance; meaning lance not bound to a lord (as in feudalism), hence free man. It may also come from an older French meaning “knight of hire.”
What Is The Best Customer Service Software?
The answer to this question depends on what specific aspects of your customer service department you want to focus on. For example, if you want a tool that allows you to have live chats with customers, then a live chat software might be the best option for your needs. If you need something that can help make sure your team doesn’t forget about any incoming tickets, then an email management tool might be a better choice.
What Is The Best Way To Hire A Freelancer?
The best way to hire a freelancer will depend on what sort of customer service you’re looking for, and what skills you need. Less experienced customer service professionals may be fine for general customer questions, but more specialized cases may require someone with experience in that area. Here are some good places to begin your search for freelancers:
- Upwork (formerly oDesk)
- Freelancer
- Peopleperhour
- Guru
- What are the best freelancing sites?
Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr are popular sites to find freelance help, while LinkedIn is a good option if you’re looking to hire someone who has worked in customer service before or has experience in specific areas like auto repair or fashion. You can also use Craigslist’s “Gigs” section to post ads for freelance jobs.
What Is One Tool That Every Freelance Customer Service Professional Should Have?
A virtual office! It’s so important to be able to have a place you can go to get away from the distractions of your home office and even more importantly, it’s crucial to have a way to separate your work life and home life. That way, when you’re “at work,” you can really get down to business, and when you’re at home, you can relax and enjoy time with your family or friends.
What Is The Most Important Skill For A Freelance Customer Service Worker?
Time management! Even when you’re working from home, you’ll still have deadlines, clients who want certain things done by certain dates, and other pieces of your job that require being super organized about how you schedule your day.
What Is The Best Thing About Being A Freelance Customer Service Professional?
You get to be your own boss! You dictate what projects you take on, which clients you work with, what kind of hours you keep, etc. So if you’re looking for work that lets you choose exactly how much (or how little) control over your job that you want to have, this might be helpful.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.