Rona Berry-Morin has been a telecommuting mom for two years now. Many moms seeking a telecommuting position find that it takes them weeks to locate and secure a good work at home job that fits their family situation. Rona reported that she was able to do this in just three days because of a strong call center background on her resume.

Rona found a home based position as a Virtual Customer Service Representative, or VCSR for short. As the title would suggest, she is able to provide customer service support for her company by connecting through the telephone and her computer.

Most customer service positions require you to have a hard phone line and a high speed internet connection, something to keep in mind if you are interested in doing similar work.

It is possible with time on the job and having proved yourself reliable that you can build up to a full time position with many companies, however Rona prefers to work part time, keeping her family her main priority. She enjoys the flexibility of her work schedule with her employer and the convenience of working from her own home. The lack of office politics is also appreciated.

The one area of telecommuting that Rona finds challenging is dealing with the occasional lack of communication from the client to the agents regarding policies and procedures. She found that the same complaint can be found in most call centers so it is simply to be expected and worked around.

Another challenge is staying motivated while working alone. If she were part of a ‘brick and mortar’ call center there would be weekly and monthly contests to motivate employees and encourage friendly competition. This helps to increase sales and call statistics.

Rona shared an important piece of advice for moms looking for a job:

“If you can, consider telecommuting in your primary field. I had 20 years of call center sales and customer service experience. I believe that’s why I had such quick responses to my applications. I also knew call center management and terminology very well so the transition was much easier versus me heading into an unknown field.”

So if you have a background in insurance or apparel or any other specialized area, seek out virtual opportunities in that field. Your experience will help you stand out as an applicant.