The Work at Home Toolkit: What You Need to Get Started

Accurate depiction of telecommuting from the Oatmeal.

Today I wanted to go over a few tools you'll need in your kit if you plan on getting started working from home.  Some things are self explanatory like a phone and a computer, others are a little harder to buy at wal-mart like time management skills.  

This is by no means an exhaustive list, you may find out that you need only the bare essentials, or add another 100 things to this list, but I think this is a good start.

A Computer

Self explanatory.  If you are reading this post, you have one.  You don't need a top of the line gaming rig to work at most home-based jobs, but you do need something that is reasonably up to date and capable of multitasking.  At the average call processing job you'll have to run a program that manages the incoming calls, another that accesses the company interface that allows you to process those calls, a web browser to access reference material (possibly in several tabs), an instant messaging program to ask questions, and possibly a virtual desktop interface.  If your computer hangs up while you are listening to itunes and playing bejeweled you may need to upgrade.


In addition software compatibility can be an issue.  Backwards compatibility for windows operating systems is usually great as long as the version you are using came from this century.  However, companies are often rather slow to upgrade internal systems when a new OS version comes out, so if you are an early adopter you may need to keep that old operating system around either on a different machine or a dedicated work partition until they catch up to you.  In addition, very few home-based jobs are Mac friendly.  Nearly all require windows to operate, and even if you run a windows install via an emulator, if you find yourself in need of the company IT department they may flat out refuse to troubleshoot when you tell them you are running windows on Bootcamp.

An Internet Connection

This is another obvious one.  You need a high-speed internet connection.  Ideally a cable line, but good quality DSL at a minimum.  If you do not have an actual download speed of at least 2 mbps you will have issues and may not pass screening tests.  

Cellular and satellite-based connections are rarely stable enough for long term telephone-based work, and even if you manage to pass screening tests with those sorts of connections you are setting yourself up for heartache and unemployment when dropped calls and attendance issues pop up down the road.  However, some web based work like "search engine evaluator" may work.

A Phone

You need a good, old-fashioned corded phone with a headset jack for any telephone-based work.  Personally, I use a Panasonic Business Phone.  It wasn't too expensive and the big, labeled buttons that I can hit easily while it sits next to my keyboard where a big plus for me.  Avoid cordless, they will inevitably run out of juice in the middle of your shift and that just sucks.

You'll also need a no-frills, dedicated phone line.  No call waiting or voicemail as these can potentially cause problems with the interface the company uses.  These days both digital and analog phone lines are acceptable, but VOIP is not.  Don't expect to skate by with skype, the software most companies use doesn't play well together with skype's interface, and there are often sound quality issues.  

A Headset

You need a headset that can plug into your phone.  Again, I went with panasonic for this with a Panasonic Over The Head Headset.  It was cheap, light, and is still going after over two years of abuse.  Don't be tempted to try and use speakerphone instead of a headset, and find one that is comfortable since you'll be wearing it for hours.  Again, avoid cordless.  You'll be on the phone constantly for long periods of time and batteries have a way of running out at the worst possible times.

A Desk & Comfortable Chair 

You need this.  As much fun as it may seem to sit in your bed with your lap top and get paid, just don't.  If you have never worked a clerical job before you don't know how much difference a comfortable office chair and a desk at the proper height makes for back and wrist pain.  

You'll be seated and typing for long periods of time.  Sitting up straight with lower back support and keeping the keyboard at the proper height make worlds of difference.  It's hard to deal with difficult people when you are in pain, and trust me, as a telephone customer service operator you will encounter difficult people.  Pick your battles, buy a comfortable chair.

Office Supplies / A Printer

You should always have a pad and writing utensil handy.  Phone operator jobs often require a lot of multitasking.  On top of that things often change such as greetings, promotions, and policies - so take notes.  It's often easier to jot something down rather than forget it, and when dealing with customers you can note their name or other details quickly to earn brownie points with them and management.

In addition, the interface used to actually conduct your work is usually designed by the IT guys rather than the operators.  Their idea of efficiency and your idea of use friendly usually don't mesh.  A quick "print screen" can often make your life much easier.  At nearly every job I have worked at I end up with my own custom reference book of disparate screenshots of the company website stapled together for my personal use.

A Work Space

This calls back to the desk & chair point, but takes it one further.  You need a space in your home designated for work.  Ideally it is a space behind a door where you can isolate yourself from noise, friends, and family members.  Although your job is real, and you may take it very seriously, it's hard for your family to resist asking you where they put their keys, or blabbing about the joke they just heard if you're sitting there on the couch.  Most companies have strict rules about "noise pollution" from your work environment.  A barking dog or screaming kid could be hazardous to your job security.

There's also a powerful psychological effect for you if you have the ability to set up a dedicated office at home.  That way you can still "go to work" instead of just heading to the kitchen table to help get you primed and ready to be productive.  I also suggest having a dedicated user desktop setup for your job, particularly if your work computer and your home computer are the same machine.  Logging off of "home" and onto "work" helps to reinforce the mental separation between work and home.  I recommend leaving the work desktop free of bookmarks, links, and video game icons.

Time Management Skills

I could write a whole article on time management, particularly for jobs that are task based rather than shift based, but for this entry I am speaking primarily about phone operator jobs where you will log on and work a set shift.  You'll be amazed at how easy it is to be late to work when work is across the hall.  The number one offense that gets people fired from work at home jobs is failure to meet attendance guidelines, and the bulk of attendance issues are from being late, not missing work.  

If you lived across town you wouldn't set your alarm clock for 10 minutes before you were scheduled to work so don't do it even when your commute is 20 seconds.  Due to the nature of the job your attendance is tracked automatically by the system.  If they say log on at 8:30 and you log on at 8:31 the system pings you as late and you accrue an attendance violation.  

Arrive to "work" early.  Sit down at your work station with your cup of coffee and check your email / facebook / whatever while you begin opening up the programs that you need to log onto work.  Most places allow for you to log on 5 - 10 minutes early.  Take advantage of that.  It means extra money at the end of the week, and you don't have to be in a frantic rush.  Network congestion can often cause an issue for company systems when a ton of people are trying to get into the system at the same time, don't let that trip you up.

Speaking of Facebook, don't get caught in the trap of the internet and lose track of time during breaks.  Set an alarm for yourself.  If you don't have a cell phone handy there are tons of web based sites that can help you out with this.  

Realistic Expectations

For a lot of work at home jobs the pay is low and the benefits non-existent.  The benefits are that the jobs is usually more flexible than traditional employment and you can save a lot of money on eating out, gas, and even clothes.


Going into a work at home job for the first time is a culture shock.  Working as an independent contractor means that you may wake up tomorrow unemployed regardless of your quality of work.  Even as an employee you are essentially a serial number to most employers.  Your boss has never seen your face and you may only interact with them via instant messenger.  This means that psychologically you aren't "real" to them.  Turnover is high at home based positions so managers don't often make an effort at actually getting to know the folks they have working for them.  


Without a face to attach to the names you basically become a collection of stats like average handle time, recall percentage, and attendance value.  What this means for you is you can never get comfortable.  If you have a bad week you get a warning that your average handle time has climbed above acceptable numbers.  You can tell your boss had a death in the family and you'll get things back on track soon, but on week two your stats are still out of line so he files termination papers and moves on with his life.  To him you're not Sherry, the funny gal from the customer service department, you're faceless employee number 442 who has received 2 warnings in the past six months for the same issue.


Can you make a career working from home?  Certainly, but it's not easy.  Most companies pull promotions from their brick & mortar call centers due to the nature of the job and the extra weight carried by folks who they interact with in person every day.  Some are better than others about promoting from within their work at home ranks, particularly as technology gets better and face-to-face meetings easier to moderate via webcam, but these positions are the exception rather than the norm


If you are seeking advancement the only way to set yourself apart is raw performance.  Networking may sometimes play a limited role, but when the order comes down to promote four new managers from the work at home crowd the computer runs the numbers and spits out the names of twenty top performers and they go from there.


All that aside, I have truly loved working from home the past two years.  By reclaiming hours a day from commuting it's given me back my time.  I was untouched while gas prices spiked over $4 a gallon and I have saved thousands of miles of wear on my vehicle.  I've gained freedom and met people all over the country, some going on to become good friends.  Best of all I get to go to work wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and a beard that would put a hobo to shame.