Take Calls From Home With VIP Desk

VIP Desk is a company that hires virtual customer service agents to take calls from home for a variety of different companies. There are a few different positions you can take on with VIP Desk — you can be a brand ambassador or get involved in their concierge services. From what I can tell, they hire brand ambassadors most often, and these are Independent Contractors. If you are hired for their Concierge Services, you’re generally hired as an employee, meaning you can get some benefits! I should probably just go ahead and warn you that unless you’ve done this type of work at home before, you might want to give VIP Desk a pass for now. The application process, getting yourself set up, and actually doing the work is probably a bit involved for a home call center newbie. If you’re an old pro with this type of work or feel very confident that you can handle it, then by all means read on!

How much does VIP Desk pay?

The pay for VIP Desk jobs is not listed on their website, but from what I can gather, it is consistent with most other virtual call center companies, so you can probably expect something around $9 to $12 per hour, give or take. Sorry, I know that’s pretty vague. The amount you make might also depend on the companies you’re taking calls for. Additionally, you can get bonuses for working during peak hours and for good performance. Unfortunately, I don’t have any info on when they pay or what method they use.

What is the difference between a brand ambassador and a concierge service provider?

As a brand ambassador, you’re an independent contractor and you’ll be paid for your active minutes of talk time. Concierge service providers get paid an hourly rate regardless of how much time they are on the phone. Brand ambassadors have several different responsibilities, including helping customers with billing issues, answering questions about different products, and other things. Concierge service providers do things like set up reservations and help out with scheduling and planning events.

Are there any fees to get started with VIP Desk?

From what I understand, you have to become incorporated if you sign up as an Independent Contractor (Brand Ambassador), and this could cost around $100. However, if you go the Concierge route, you are an employee of VIP Desk and do not have to get incorporated. I’ve also read two different things on the background check — some things I’ve read say that paying for it is your responsibility, and other things I’ve read indicate that VIP Desk pays for it. If you end up having to pay for your own background check, you will probably be looking at around $50.

Does VIP Desk require a credit check?

Unfortunately, yes they do. If you know you have seriously bad credit, you may not get hired. I think you can get hired with less than perfect credit, but I don’t think it can be terrible. This is something that I really don’t like that companies do, although I sort of understand why they feel they have to. Customer service agents are handling sensitive information (credit card numbers, etc.) from many different people, and I guess they feel better about trusting people who have good credit with things like this than people who have had or have financial problems. I feel like it’s a little judgmental, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Some companies just require it, and it’s very common with home phone jobs.

Is training paid?

You’ll be paid for your training if you get hired as an employee. Training is not paid for Independent Contractors. The training period generally takes about two to four weeks to complete.

How many hours per week are you required to work?

This also depends on the companies you’re taking calls for, but the majority require a minimum of 25 hours per week.

What kinds of benefits do employees get?

If you’re an employee and not and Independent Contractor for VIP Desk, you can get 401K, paid time off, and medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.

How does scheduling hours work?

VIP Desk tries to work with you and your schedule. You can let them know what hours you’re available to work, and they’ll try to schedule you for those times. However, Brand Ambassadors are often required to work weekend hours.

How do you apply?

To apply, you can visit their website and fill out an application. You’ll be given a pre-screening interview with lots of various questions to answer, and you should answer these as honestly as possible. The purpose of this pre-screener is so they can be sure that you’re a good fit for various opportunities that come up. Background, education, and previous experience requirements also vary depending on who you are taking calls for. For example, as of the date of this blog post, they are hiring for Brand Ambassadors to take calls for Eddie Bauer, and for this position a college degree is not required, but is preferred. They also want you to have some previous sales experience. You will also be asked to submit your cover letter and resume through their website after you have answered their pre-screening questions. You will be contacted if they think you are a good fit for the position you applied for. They make it clear that they cannot contact everyone because they get so many applicants. So this means that if your application isn’t considered, you probably won’t ever hear anything back. It could take several weeks for them to get back to you regardless. You can apply for other opportunities if anything else shows up on their job board that you’re interested in. If your application and resume are considered, you’ll be contacted by VIP Desk on the phone, and you can ask them any questions you have about the job at that time.

Is any equipment required to get started?

You need an up-to-date computer with a landline (can’t use a cell phone or VOIP phone). The landline has to be corded with unlimited long distance and no extra features like call waiting or anything like that. You also need a noise-canceling headset and a quiet environment to work in because VIP Desk does not want any background noise. To see a full list of what they require, you can visit their FAQ page .

Does VIP Desk hire people living outside the US?

They occasionally hire people in certain provinces of Canada, but in general, no, they only hire people within the US. If you are in the US, they don’t have positions available for people living in Montana, DC, Rhode Island, Idaho, North Dakota, and Wyoming.

What do other people say about VIP Desk?

The reviews are mixed. As with just about anything, I’ve read both good and bad reviews. I would suggest reading the user report here at Glass Door as well as looking through these threads on VIP Desk at WAHM. There are plenty of people at WAHM who have lots of experience with the company and have shared what they know.

I will admit that I was hesitant to list VIP Desk here because of the potential start up costs. I generally don’t like reviewing things that require you to pay money out of your own pocket to get started because chances are you’re probably here to read about ways to make money, not spend it. However, it’s one of the more popular companies like this out there and I continue to hear a lot about them. They are legit and aren’t trying to scam you, so I figured I’d go ahead and do a post on them. Of all the complaints I have read, one of the biggest is that they are a very large company with lots of employees, and because of this, seem people feel very under-appreciated. If you’ve never done home customer service work before, VIP Desk might not be the best place to get your feet wet with it because all the startup requirements, lengthy training, etc. might seem a little overwhelming to a newbie. I would say that VIP Desk is probably a better company for people who have done this type of work in the past who are already familiar with how it works to consider. If you’re new to doing call center work, a good one to check out that I recently reviewed is Working Solutions.

You can view the current openings with VIP Desk and apply here if you are still interested!