Note: Convergys was recently purchased by Concentrix. You can get the most recent details here.
Looking for your next work-from-home opportunity? Here’s a new one that’s been hiring a lot lately: the Convergys Work From Home program. This is essentially a home-based call center job, but with some key differences that we’ll cover today.
Convergys offers three roles for work-from-home jobs: Sales & Service, Technical Support, and Customer Service. You’ll have access to employee benefits, and more.
If any of this jumps out at you, keep reading!
What Is Convergys Work From Home?
That’s the long name for the Convergys program for at-home jobs. With Convergys, your primary role is to receive phone calls in whichever role you’re in, whether it’s tech support, customer service, or sales. You choose which role you’ll have when you apply.
Convergys is hired by Fortune 500 companies to handle their customer service needs. Your role would be to be that customer service rep who hears your problems, answers your questions, and helps you find solutions.
- Learn more about at-home customer service jobs in my ultimate guide.
- Here’s what happens when you take inbound sales calls.
Benefits of Working at Home with Convergys
There are some great benefits with Convergys that other at-home customer service jobs and the like won’t offer. You have access to full-time or part-time hours, depending on what works best for you. There’s paid training, which is great. You’ll also have access to employee benefits like health care coverage and paid vacation.
One of the other unusual aspects of working with Convergys is that you won’t need a dedicated landline phone. In fact, you won’t necessarily need a phone line at all! You’ll definitely need access to a phone for training, meetings, and other “staff” aspects of the job, but you can use a mobile phone for those. All of your work will be done over what’s called VOIP, which just means it’s internet-based phone (like Skype).
Your startup costs are lower than other call-center jobs, too. Your training is paid, and you won’t even have to pay for your own background check. Many companies will make you pay for that before you can start working for them, and while it’s not a huge expense, it’s certainly a relief not to be responsible for it!
The Catch With the Convergys Work From Home Program
There are actually a couple of catches. The primary one is that Convergys won’t hire residents of some states. There are 35 states that do qualify, though, so you have a decent shot if this is something you want to go for.
You’ll also need to be available to work any shift, 7 days a week. You’ll be assigned a shift, but your assignments may vary. If you’ve got a house full of noisy people on weekends, for example, Convergys might not work for you because you won’t have the flexibility you’ll need.
The other catch is that there are some very specific technical requirements, and part of the application process involves testing your computer. You’ll need to do the application from the machine you plan to use for work, and you can’t use a Mac or a Chromebook at all. There are also reports that no one else can use your internet connection while you’re working, so if that’s a problem, you may need to get a dedicated connection just for work.
Pay Expectations
While the convenience and the benefits of working at home for Convergys are greater than most of the other phone gigs available to you, the pay probably isn’t all that great. Convergys won’t publish their hourly rates, but they do offer performance bonuses and access to other wage increases, as well as tuition reimbursement.
According to Glassdoor, hourly rates are around $10 per hour. Sales roles may include commissions, and tech support might get slightly higher rates, too.
Payments are made every week or every two weeks through direct deposit, depending on what role you’re in.
There are certainly more lucrative ways to work from home, but if you just want something stable to bring in a little money and you don’t mind working with phone calls, the relatively low pay might be fine for you.
Other Requirements to Work from Home with Convergys
Aside from the technical requirements, you’ll also need to have a high school diploma or GED, and they also look for at least a year of customer service experience. They want you to have a monitor that’s at least 17 inches, and you’ll also need the standard quiet, distraction-free work environment for receiving your calls.
There are three shifts available — daytime, evening, and overnight. You’ll be able to work your shift with full-time or part-time hours, with part-time going as low as 16 hours per week. You’ll also need to be available 7 days a week to accommodate the Convergys client’s customer service schedule (though you certainly won’t be working all of those days/hours). Shift bids occur every few months (which is typical for this type of work), so you can try to get a shift that you like more if the one you start with isn’t for you.