Somebody emailed me about West at Home today, asking if it is a legitimate opportunity. Yes, it is just that - an opportunity. West hires independent contractors, not employees. West at Home Agents are paid per minute of talk time - some people are comfortable with that, while others aren't - if you're squeamish about a part time income, paid by the minute, then West may not be the opportunity for you.
Here's a bit of the information we've profiled on West from the Little White Ebook of Homeshoring Jobs:
West at Home / Work at Home Agent / West TeleServices
Scheduling: Depending on client projects that you work - some people work up to 100 hours a week. Available shifts are posted by West. It is up to the contractor to monitor the schedule and pick up hours they want to work.
Training/Experience: Training is unpaid and provided for every client project you work on.
Compensation: Pay rate is usually in "talk time", which means by the minute. The per minute rate can range from .17c to .30c a minute. A Full Time (30-40hr) contractor could expect to make $200-500 a week depending on call volume. West At Home employees are paid on a biweekly basis and Direct Deposit and/or Pay Card options are available immediately
Employment Page: http://apply.westathome.com/
Main Page: http://www.westathome.com
Yahoo Group for Agents: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/WestWorkAtHomeAgents/
WAHM Forum for West: http://www.wahm.com/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=84
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Is Work at Home Agent a Scam? (i.e. west at home)
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8 comments:
Hello,
I've been reading the west at Home website. From what I can grasp from the website, West at Home agents are employees, ont contractors. Everything on their website supports this.
I just started working for West and yes you are their employee not a contractor. You also do get paid min. wage for training (which is all done online). And it is based on talk time, sometimes its slow sometimes not. It seems like a fair deal so far considering i am taking calls in my pjs.
So, what exactly does and Agent DO, while talking on the phone? Do they just take calls like a customer service person for a product? Or do they have to make calls from a list of people who signed up for interest in a product and then try to sell them on the product or service? I need more precise details about what an agent does before making an informed decision.
Thanks!
I just got accepted to West. I would like some feedback from anyone that has been working for them for any length of time before I start.
Thanks!
I work for West....first of all, you are indeed and EMPLOYEE, not a contractor. You fill out an application, and if they do consider you, you have to pass a background check and get new hire paperwork filled out and notarized. From there, they give you a "skill". A "skill" is really what client you will be working for through WEST (i.e. Virgin Mobile, H&R block, Pizza Hut, etc). Once you are assigned a skill, you have to take training online for that skill, which you are paid minimum wage for, and if you complete the training, THEN you become an active employee and can start taking calls. This is the best explanation you're going to get because every skill has different terms, pay rates, and call flow processes, so any information beyond what I just gave you may not apply to you because you may get a different skill than me. Bottom line, they pay AT LEAST minimum wage if you do not receive enough calls to make at least that much. Many programs offer incentive (commission) options also, so it's possible for you to make on average 9-11 dollars per hour, and if you're really good, people in some programs can make an average of 20 bucks an hour. Hope this helps.
I too am a West at Home agent. I have been working for West for more than 13 months now. It is not someplace you are going to get rich, but you will be able to contribute to your household bills.
The skill I have been assigned is DR...Direct Response. I take orders for prod and svs. The computer screen gives you all of the scripting and you enter the info and answer their questions. If you don't have the answers, you refer them to customer service and provide them the phone number.
Mostly my shifts pay 15 cents a minute. Sometimes there are shifts that pay more, but not as a norm. Each shift is 30 minutes long. You pick your own hours. I normally make min wage as my talk time for the week does not normally break that level for me. I work all hours of the day and night. If you want slow shifts, nights are normally slow, if you want fast shifts, days are usually fast. You chat with a very diverse population and have to be able to understand what they are asking.
West does offer insurance for the at home agents now, it is not high quality, but if you have nothing, it is something.
All in all, I am so grateful that West started using work at home agents. I am partially disabled from a devestating car accident and can't afford to do nothing until I can get approved for social security. This is a great opportunity for someone stuck at home.
If you are thinking that min wage is not much, consider this......you do not have to pay for gas or car insurance, no traffic snarls, no fancy clothes, and no packing a lunch or eating out! Then at the end of the year, you can write off part of all of your expenses on your taxes. It may not be much, but when is the last time you were able to do that working for someone outside of your home?
West is a totally legitimate company, takes taxes out of your pay check, and min wage is whatever min wage is in the state that you live in.
Good luck, and enjoy being at home!
: Hi , I Fould your link in bing.com ,Nice Blogs You write I have Bookmarked itwork from home
Okay so let me get this right.... If you work from 10pm to 6am and you only get 5 calls thay will pay you min wage for the whole 7 hours?
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