I know a lot of people looking for work at home jobs would much rather type to customers than spend all day talking to them on the phone.
Answering emails sounds especially appealing because most of us already know how to do that, and it feels like the kind of work you could realistically learn.
The good news is that there really are remote jobs where you answer emails, respond to support tickets, or help customers through chat and other written channels.
Truly email-only jobs are harder to find, but I've been researching work at home jobs since 2010, and I do find companies hiring for this type of written support work.
What Is an Email Support Job?
An email support job is usually a customer service or customer support position where you help customers in writing. You may answer questions, troubleshoot problems, help with orders or accounts, document support tickets, escalate technical issues, or update help documentation.
Depending on the company, you might work in Gmail or Outlook or use customer-support software such as Zendesk.
Some jobs also require experience with tools or platforms such as Shopify, WordPress, WooCommerce, SaaS products, or technical-support systems.
The current openings I found below show how much these jobs can vary. The positions with disclosed pay range from $16 an hour for a part-time customer-support role to as much as $90,000 a year for more experienced or technical support work.
If you'd like me to send you more openings like these, you can subscribe to my free work at home email updates here. I send new remote job leads and other work at home information regularly.
Current Remote Jobs That Involve Answering Emails
This is really the reason I wanted to put this post together. I know there are people specifically looking for work they can do through email, chat, support tickets, and other written communication because they do not want to be tied to a phone line all day.
So I looked for current openings where written support is an important part of the job. Some are completely or mostly non-phone, while others may include occasional calls, so I've tried to make that clear wherever I can.
Always read the full listing before applying if avoiding phone work is important to you. Jobs can also close quickly, and I plan to keep updating this post with newer opportunities as I find them.
Too Good To Go – Bilingual CX Specialist, English and Spanish. Fully remote within Texas; part-time, 10–20 hours weekly. Answer customer questions entirely through email and chat. Requires customer-service experience and fluency in English and Spanish. Pays $16/hour. A Mac, training, PTO and a monthly home-office allowance are provided. Core working days are Sunday through Tuesday.
Medsender – Customer Support Specialist. Remote in the U.S. or Canada; full-time. Answer customers primarily through email and chat, troubleshoot problems, triage bugs and improve support documentation. This is specifically described as a non-call-center position, although occasional Zoom sessions are required. Previous customer-facing experience is helpful, but exceptional new graduates may be considered. Pays $60,000–$80,000 plus equity and possible bonuses.
Automattic – Happiness Engineer, Customer Support and Success. Fully remote and open internationally. Spend approximately six self-scheduled hours daily helping WordPress and WooCommerce customers through email and live chat. Requires substantial customer-support experience, hands-on WordPress or WooCommerce knowledge and familiarity with using AI tools for work. Pays $40,000–$68,000 in local currency. One or two weekend days are normally required each month, and the team is testing services such as customer-onboarding calls. Select the position from Automattic’s current openings.
Runway – Consumer Support Specialist. Remote across North America; full-time. Work through a high-volume queue of customer-support tickets, handle escalations and report recurring problems involving Runway’s AI creative tools. Requires one to three years of customer support, operations or technical experience. Pays $75,000–$90,000 in the U.S.
Skio – Technical Support Specialist. Remote; full-time. Manage customer-support tickets through email and chat, troubleshoot Shopify subscription problems and update help-center documentation. Occasional Zoom calls may be needed. Requires Shopify experience and at least two to four years of SaaS customer or technical-support experience. Salary isn’t disclosed, but benefits and equity are offered.
Tern – Support Specialist. Remote in the U.S.; full-time. Support travel advisors primarily through email and chat, troubleshoot technical problems and create support documentation. The work can also include live one-on-one training. Experience with accounting, payroll, reporting or other financial business tools is required; SaaS support experience is preferred. Pays $65,000–$85,000 plus equity and benefits.
STN Inc – Customer Support Engineer, Tier 1/Tier 2. Remote in the U.S.; full-time with rotating shifts. Handle technical-support tickets through the company’s support portal, email and chat, resolve common issues and escalate difficult cases. Requires at least two years of technical-support or network-operations experience, Linux and networking knowledge and experience with ticketing systems. Weekend, holiday and on-call coverage are required. Pay isn’t listed.
AIA Contract Documents – Customer Support Specialist. Remote in the U.S.; full-time. Answer customer questions through email, chat, social media and phone, manage tickets in Zendesk and document resolutions. Requires one to two years of customer-support experience; Zendesk experience is preferred. Pays $25/hour plus possible bonuses, company-paid health benefits, a 401(k) match and a work-from-home stipend. This position includes regular telephone support.
What Job Titles Should You Search For?
If you search only for “jobs answering emails from home,” you can miss legitimate openings because employers rarely use that exact wording.
I would also search for titles such as Email Support Specialist, Customer Support Specialist, Customer Support Representative, Chat Support Agent, Customer Experience Specialist, Customer Success Specialist, and Technical Support Specialist.
If you want to avoid calls, add terms such as “email,” “chat,” “ticket,” “written support,” or “non-phone” to your searches.
Still read the full description because a job title alone won't always tell you whether phone support is required.
What Skills Do Email Support Jobs Usually Require?
Strong written communication is the big one because customers need clear, helpful answers that are easy to understand.
Employers may also look for customer-service experience, accurate typing, good organization, problem-solving skills, and the ability to manage several support requests at once.
Knowing support tools such as Zendesk or other ticketing systems can help. More technical jobs may also ask for experience with Shopify, WordPress, SaaS products, networking, or other software related to the company's product.
Where I Would Look For More Email and Chat Jobs
If none of the current openings above work for you, don't assume this kind of job isn't out there. These openings can be hard to find because employers use lots of different job titles for written support work, and they can close quickly when they do appear.
FlexJobs is one place I would keep checking. They hand-screen their remote and flexible listings, and there are no ads or scam listings on the site.
I would search for terms like “email support,” “chat support,” “customer support,” “customer experience,” and “Zendesk” to narrow the results. Right now, FlexJobs costs $2.95 for the first 14 days!
Go here to search FlexJobs for remote support jobs.
Another Way to Get Paid to Answer Emails: Virtual Assisting
As a work at home virtual assistant, you can specialize in email management and offer this service to your clients. This can be a better option if you specifically want email work because you have more control over which services you offer.
There are many business owners who get more emails a day than they can handle. Some hire virtual assistants to organize their inboxes, respond to routine messages, follow up with customers, schedule appointments, and make sure important messages do not get overlooked.
You can work for yourself as a virtual assistant, or you can work for a company that hires virtual assistants.
If you work for yourself, you have more control over what services you offer your clients, which means you can make email and inbox management one of your specialties.
If you work for someone else as a virtual assistant, there's a good chance you will spend some time answering emails for your clients, but it isn't guaranteed. Each client will have different needs.
The following companies hire work at home virtual assistants on a regular basis:
My $10 e-book, Your Quick Guide to Working at Home as a Virtual Assistant, has a list of 50 companies that hire virtual assistants. It also provides more information on working for yourself as a virtual assistant if you would prefer to go that route.
Offer Email Management as a Freelancer
If you don't want a traditional customer-support job or virtual-assistant position, you can also offer email management as a freelance service.
Businesses may hire freelancers to respond to customers, organize inboxes, provide order support, manage support tickets, and handle other written communication.
You can usually set your own rates on freelancer sites, but it can be hard to get the word out about your services when other freelancers are offering the same thing.
Over time, good ratings and reviews from clients can make it easier to attract more work. Having customer-service, administrative, ecommerce, or technical experience can also help you stand out.
Consider the following freelancer platforms:
I'll continue updating this post as I find new opportunities so you can check back when you're looking.
Good luck, and I hope one of these leads works out for you!
Anna Thurman is a work at home blogger and mom of two. She has been researching and reviewing remote jobs for over 15 years. Her findings are published weekly here at Real Ways to Earn.