Phone support
Phone support specialists can help you deliver better customer service by providing real-time support over the phone.
So how do you hire phone support specialists? What follows are some tips for finding top phone support specialists on Upwork.
How to shortlist phone support professionals
As you’re browsing available phone support consultants, it can be helpful to develop a shortlist of the professionals you may want to interview. You can screen profiles on criteria such as:
- Industry fit. You want a phone support specialist who understands your industry so they can troubleshoot issues unique to your business’s products and services.
- Project experience. Screen candidate profiles for specific skills and experience (e.g., working at a call center using Zendesk Talk).
- Feedback. Check reviews from past clients for glowing testimonials or red flags that can tell you what it’s like to work with a particular phone support specialist.
How to write an effective phone support job post
With a clear picture of your ideal phone support specialist in mind, it’s time to write that job post. Although you don’t need a full job description as you would when hiring an employee, aim to provide enough detail for a freelancer to know if they’re the right fit for the project.
An effective phone support job post should include:
- Scope of work: From fielding phone calls to offering tech support, list all the deliverables you’ll need.
- Project length: Your job post should indicate whether this is a smaller or larger project.
- Background: If you prefer experience with certain industries, technologies, or customer service tools, mention this here.
- Budget: Set a budget and note your preference for hourly rates vs. fixed-price contracts.
Ready to fill your digital call center with remote phone support agents? Log in and post your phone support job on Upwork today.
PHONE SUPPORT SPECIALISTS FAQs
What is phone support?
Phone support plays an important role in a business’s customer relationship management (CRM). Many people still prefer to speak in real time with customer service representatives over the phone. Offering customer support over the phone can be a great way to stand out in an increasingly digital workplace.
Here’s a quick overview of the skills you should look for in phone support professionals:
- Phone support
- Customer service
- Customer support tools (e.g., Salesforce, Zendesk, Zoho Desk)
Why do you want to hire phone support specialists?
The trick to finding top phone support specialists is to identify your needs. Are you looking for a customer service representative to staff your digital call center? Will you expect them to also perform other clerical duties such as inputting information into a CRM tool? The cost of your project will depend largely on your scope of work and the specific skills needed to bring your project to life.
How much does it cost to hire a phone support specialist?
Rates can vary due to many factors, including expertise and experience, location, and market conditions.
- An experienced phone support specialist may command higher fees but also work faster, have more-specialized areas of expertise, and deliver higher-quality work.
- A freelancer who is still in the process of building a client base may price their phone support services more competitively.
Which one is right for you will depend on the specifics of your project.
How long should you contract a phone support specialist to complete your project?
As difficult as it is to estimate how long you will need a phone support specialist, budgeting time is very important to keeping your project on track.
Be prepared to budget more time for more-demanding phone support projects. For example, offering basic customer support covering shipping and order information is typically less involved than offering technical solutions for a software product in real time.
What are the steps involved to hire phone support specialists?
Here’s how to hire phone support consultants in four simple steps:
- Identify your project needs, whether it’s answering phone calls or offering tech support.
- Define the scope of work and write a detailed job post. Be specific about deliverables (e.g., answer phone calls and file technical support tickets).
- Review proposals and shortlist potential phone support specialists for unique skills needed to bring your project to life (e.g., speaking Spanish).
- Interview phone support talent to gauge whether they’re the right fit for your project.