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This post has been sponsored by Working Solutions.
Tax season can be stressful, and is hardly what most people would call fun. So, if you had the opportunity to make it easier for other people—while working from home—wouldn’t you be interested? That’s just what Working Solutions has to offer right now. If you’ve got customer service experience and you’d like to help other people utilize software to prepare their taxes, check out the opportunity I break down for you below.
About Seasonal Tax Jobs
This independent contractor position is for customer service representatives to work in a virtual call center and assist customers with their tax-preparation software. Representatives will take inbound calls from customers preparing their tax returns via either phone or video calls.
They will provide personalized support geared to the tax-preparation software being used, along with traditional customer service and product technical support. Types of calls could involve product inquiries, tax-software questions, and locating previous years’ returns. Representatives will be working in a fast-paced environment and it’s important they quickly assess customers’ needs and direct them to the correct team for resolution.
The typical customer service skills are required in this position: representatives must have top-notch communication skills (both verbal and written) and a positive attitude that embraces flexibility and solutions. They must quickly adapt to change and adopt new processes.
Research is required within Working Solutions’ systems as representatives navigate various available resources and locate answers for their customers’ concerns. Every customer should feel as if his or her needs are the top priority, and that starts with a sincere desire to help on the part of the customer service representative.
While this is a seasonal job that will only last through April 2019, there is the possibility of continuing work for high-performing customer service representatives on other programs.
Requirements
The great thing about this position is that there aren’t too many requirements to qualify. You just need one to two years of experience in a high-volume, customer-service position. If you’ve worked in a call center previously or even a retail store for at least a year, you’ve got it.
Working Solutions told us: “While this is a tax support customer service opportunity, agents do not have to know anything about taxes.” They’d like you to have experience using accounting or tax software in the past; for example, by preparing your own taxes.
They also say not to sweat the whole video call thing. “While a portion of the calls will be video chat, the agent’s face won’t be prominent on the screen,” they explained. “It’s simply to help direct customers to learn how to use the tax software. If someone really wants to help people, this will be a great opportunity for them to not only be able to learn a new skill but feel good about helping the customer accomplish something.” You may not be able to make tax season fun, but you can definitely make it a bit easier.
You should also be pretty good with using computers for this job—be familiar with computer operating systems (like Windows or Mac OS), understand how to install and uninstall programs, and know how to download apps and products in various internet browsers.
Beyond that, it’s just the usual requirements for work-at-home customer service. Be proficient at data entry, have good problem-solving skills and be organized with great time-management skills. You should be a critical thinker who can learn on your own and someone who can empathize with the customer. You should also be able to adapt your customer service strategies to the situation at hand and the customer’s attitude.
While this is a United States-based position, the company is unable to contract with customer service representatives who live in California, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.
Application & Onboarding Process
To apply, visit the job listing page. You’ll be invited to join the Working Solutions talent community before you can apply. You can sign up with your email, or using your Facebook, LinkedIn, or Microsoft accounts. You’ll be asked to indicate your interests and experience by checking boxes next to items, such as “Contact Center Customer Service,” “Healthcare Customer Service,” “Medical Billing,” “Event Ticketing & Sales” and more.
Next, they’ll invite you to upload your resume before finally filling out a profile with your personal information, such as full name and address. Once you finish, they’ll give you a link to start the assessment for this work-from-home opportunity.
From this point on, you’ll be shown a series of videos and games that will help you learn about Working Solutions while they determine whether you’re a good fit for the company and this client program. They advise that the whole process should take about 45 minutes to complete, and there will be opportunities to save your progress and pause as necessary.
Once you complete it—and you must complete all steps in the process to hear anything— the company will be in touch. In fact, they told us: “Applicants can expect a response within 24 hours of completing their assessments.”
If you make it through their screening, you’ll need to complete an agent profile, run a system tech scan to make sure your computer equipment matches their requirements, and speak with a talent specialist.
If you are offered work on the program, you must then pass a background check that includes verifying your Social Security number, checking the National Sex Offender Registry report and a criminal history check.
Once you’re officially working with the company, it should take about one hour to set up your technology for the job. You’ll then have education classes to prepare you for the work, which last for five days plus ongoing support once you’re taking calls.
Schedule
This opportunity has several scheduling options to choose from, you select what works for your schedule. Customer service representatives can work a minimum of 10 hours just during peak time as a seasonal agent or you can make it a full-time gig and work as many hours as possible. A third option is to schedule hours to supplement your full-time job and work just 15 to 20 hours. It’s up to each customer service agent to decide what’s best for his or her schedule.
Operating hours for this program are from 7a.m. to 7p.m. central time, Monday through Sunday. Since this position is in the customer service industry for tax preparation software, you can probably depend on the contact center being open every day—with evening, weekend and maybe even holiday work hours potentially required. Peak times fall between the weeks of January 26 to April 15.
Working Solutions’ FAQs do detail that, as an independent contractor, you can set your own hours—within the program’s requirements. If you perform well and show up consistently, you may be given priority scheduling.
Pay and Other Benefits
Pay rates are not detailed on the job listing. Working Solutions’ FAQs advise that each program pays differently: “Agents have earned the equivalent of anywhere from $9 an hour to $30 USD an hour, depending on the program.” Those who choose to work 25 hours or more during peak times on the tax support customer service program may qualify for an increased pay rate and incentives.
Once you start working with Working Solutions, you can request your first payment after you’ve completed 20 hours of work. The company offers a variety of payment methods to its independent contractors. They include online payment options, which means you could expect to receive payment more quickly than you would on a traditional pay schedule.
Contracting with Working Solutions offer some perks, such as discounts at computer retailers. They also have a referral program—you can make $150 for each person you refer who meets all requirements and is successfully brought on as a contractor.
What are People Saying about Working Solutions?
Working Solutions has hundreds of reviews on Glassdoor. They were also on Glassdoor’s list of the 10 Best Companies for Working From Home and FlexJob’s Top 100 Companies with Remote Jobs in 2018.
Positive reviews cite the company’s stellar work-from-home programs, including the ability to create your own schedule. And, of course, the other work-from-home perks like not having to spend much on clothes or gas, and not having to deal with commutes or coworkers. You’ll also encounter many people who find management to be supportive and who also feel valued by the company.
If you think this Working Solutions’ seasonal position might be for you, don’t hesitate to apply now! They’re gearing up for tax season, which is right around the corner.
