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Liveops Reviews: The Best Virtual Call Center Gig?

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On this website, I have mentioned so many companies.  Some big, some small.

One company that comes to mind that I mention a lot that I haven’t reviewed yet is a company by the name of Liveops.  It’s a virtual call center that works with a ton of clients, so you never know who you’re going to work with, but from I read, most are in the health, insurance and retail sector.  Picture Liveops almost like the middleman, where they provide the call center reps for companies that need them.

If you like the idea of working from home and working when you want, then this may be a company to consider.

Liveops Company Review

In this Liveops review, I will talk about the company’s history, what you can get paid as well as how you can apply.  I will also walk you through the application process as to what’s expected of you during the hiring process.

Near the end, I will gather some online reviews, as well as provide my own, so that you know what you’re getting yourself into.

As with all of my reviews, I always remain non-biased, I’m always 100% honest and would never recommend a company that I wouldn’t sign up.

What is Liveops?

Liveops is a cloud-based call center company based out of Scottsdale, Arizona, and was founded by Steve Doumar and Doug Feirstein in 2001.

As I write this, it is said to be the largest work-at-home call agent workforce, employing more 20,000 people and processing more than one billion minutes of customer service interactions.  They have worked with some prominent brands, such as TurboTax, AAA and Uber, to name a few.  This list continues to grow to this day.

If you’re interested in any type of at-home work with this company, it will involve making and/or receiving calls.  This is something I will get into next.  Let it be known that this is, indeed, a very legitimate company and provide a decent income if you’re looking to work from home.

As an agent, you will be considered an independent contractor, so you won’t work as an “employee.”



The Work

As mentioned, Liveops is a cloud-based call center, which means, yes, they need representatives like you who take incoming calls as well as making calls in some cases.  What you do will depend on the job scope and the client you’re working for.  Since they have contracts with various companies and programs, they will pass these contract duties onto you.  In some cases, you could provide roadside assistance, whereas in other cases, you could try to sell something.

From what I read, the company seems to work with a lot of insurance companies, healthcare providers and even offers roadside assistance.  In some cases, your duties will involve providing general customer service or even answering inbound sales calls.  The jobs seem to be aplenty, but they all vary, so your experience could be much different than someone else.

If you apply to work with Liveops, your job will involve using the phone, so if you’re uncomfortable with that thought, then, unfortunately, this isn’t a job for you.  In this case, I would recommend checking out the many non-phone work-from-home jobs as I researched more than 100+ companies hiring remote workers today.

If you are hired, you will be considered as an independent contractor, and they will offer you a six-month contract to start.   Being an independent contractor has both benefits and downfalls as well, which you may or may not be aware of.  As a huge perk, you get to work whenever you please since being an independent contractor allows the company to give you the control.  However, on the other side of the coin, you won’t receive any employee benefits, which means no health insurance, no guaranteed hours, no 401ks, etc.

The company does ask that you commit to at least one 30-minute work session whenever you do decide to work, but you will get to set your own hours.

The Pay

In my research, your pay will depend on which client you work with as they will be different.  Some clients will pay a flat rate per minute of talk time whereas your sales positions pay solely commission.

How much should you expect to get paid?

If you work with a client that pays you by the minute, plan on making about $0.25~ per minute or up to $15 to $20+ per talking hour.  Agents who left a review on Glassdoor, for instance, noted they made an average of $14 per hour, while reviewers on Indeed said they averaged $29,211 for the year.  Remember, this is the average and you can make much more dependent upon the client you’re working with.

If you get paid by commission, this can greatly vary as it will be dependent upon your sales skills.  On average, be prepared to average $12 to $17+ per hour, sometimes much more.  Glassdoor reviewers said they made up to $22 per hour if working on commission only.

No matter who you’re working with, you will always be paid by the talk time, which means as long as you’re talking to a person on the other end, you will get paid per minute.  This is the case with all of the positions except for the commission-based jobs.

To be safe, I would recommend budgeting $10 to $14 per hour to start or about $200 to $300 per week, part-time.

How many hours can I work?

Since you’re an independent contractor, as mentioned, you’re free to work as many hours as you wish, but they do ask that you schedule your time in 30-minute blocks.  You get to choose the times that work best for your business and life.  In some cases, however, certain clients do request a certain minimum call and/or hour requirement to stay active in their program.

When you schedule, you can’t just log in and click on the hours you want to work.  Instead, the company uses what’s known as a “ShiftBoard,” wherein you will have to compete with other Liveops contractors to get the hours you want.  There is no guarantee you will get the hours you want as only a certain number of shifts open and many go within seconds, so you will have to be fast.

While there is no requirements during your six-month contract period as to how many hours you work in total, the official FAQ does note that this can affect your performance stats, which can lean to your contract not being renewed.

When do I get paid?

Unlike a lot of the at-home companies I mention that pay you at a certain time or when you request it, Liveops asks that you submit an invoice using an online system.

Once your invoice is submitted, the company will pay either via paper check or direct deposit, whichever option you choose.

Payments go out twice a month, usually around the 1st and 15th.

Do I get paid for training?

The company does a good job providing training, but you will not be compensated for your time when completing any sort of training program.

However, even though you don’t get paid for your training time, you can increase your chances at more opportunities as you become certified in other areas.

It does not cost anything to take part in training.

The Requirements

If you’re liking what you have read so far, then you may be interested in applying.  However, like any company, there are requirements you have to agree to before you even apply.  That way, you’re not wasting anyone’s time.

To qualify, you need to meet the following minimum guidelines:

Certification

In order to start working, you must complete a certification course.  As mentioned, this training session isn’t paid for, but it will help you get hired and take advantage of other opportunities if you choose to take additional courses.

Aside from the mandatory initial training course, Liveops also offers additional certification courses as well as product knowledge programs you can take in order to qualify for other clients.  If you’re not currently attached to a client, then you may have no choice but to study in order to receive work.

The Equipment

To succeed, you will need a few things to be considered, including a dedicated phone line, a corded headset, a computer as well as a solid wired internet connection.  As I write this, the Liveops system is not compatible with Apple products so you will need a Windows operating system.  As a final note, some companies may require a landline, but this isn’t required to start.

As for your computer settings, you must meet the minimum specifications as stated here.  This includes Windows 8.1+, at least 1GB of RAM, a 1 GHz Intel Pentium P4 processor or better, Internet Explorer 11 or Firefox, as well as a monitor capable of displaying at least 1024 X 768 pixels.

While it’s not equipment, per se, they do ask that you work in a quiet room inside your home, free from any distractions.

Personal Information

As with just about any job online, Liveops expects you to provide a social security number or an employer identification number (EIN) in the case you don’t want to provide your social.  An EIN is very easy to get and only takes minutes to do on the government’s website.

You will also need to be at least 18+ years old, live in the United States and perform a background check.  One big negative is that it appears you will have to pay for your background check when applying since you’re deemed an independent contractor.  This will cost you $45. While I always state that you should never pay for an online job opportunity, there’s an exception in this case as it seems to be mandatory in order to get hired.

Reviews of Liveops Online

Liveops employs thousands of agents, so that means there’s plenty to be said online.

As in all of my reviews, I love to break down what other people are saying, all of which I do here, broken down by both the pros and cons.

The Pros

As an independent contractor, you get to choose your own schedule, meaning flexibility.  This seemed to be one of the best parts of working with the company.

They work with several companies, meaning your income potential is unlimited in a lot of cases.

It’s a great way to supplement your income, but it could be hard to turn it into a full-time income.

A great starter job that requires no experience, making it a wonderful option for college students, stay-at-home parents, etc.

Support seems to be hit or miss, but it appears you can always chat with a supervisor if need be.

You get to work at home.

The Cons

The pay can be lower in comparison to competitors.

As a contractor, you will receive no benefits.  You are responsible for everything, including paying your own taxes.

I did read quite a few reviews in regards to training and support as many felt they weren’t ready for the job when they took in their first call.

You do have to pay for a background check, which is a negative to most.  99% of your jobs never ask you to pay for a background check, but for some reason, Liveops is one of them.

If you don’t have the proper equipment, you will have to purchase it in order to be eligible.

It’s hard to get weekday morning/afternoon hours as this seems to be most in demand.  Most of the open/in-demand hours appear to be during the nights and on weekends.

The training is unpaid and is necessary to work with most clients.

Some can be uncomfortable with sales calls as you will have to sell the product to earn your paycheck.

Even while on schedule, it doesn’t mean you will receive a phone call.

NOTE:  To read more in-depth reviews, I highly recommend you check out these Indeed and Glassdoor reviews as they have hundreds to browse through.

Applying to Work With Liveops

Now that I think I covered almost all angles, I will talk about how you can apply to the job if you were interested.

To start the process, you will want to look for the “Become an Agent” button to start the application process.  You can also click this link to be taken directly to the application.

When you land on the official hiring page, they will first ask you to check the requirements to ensure that reside in a state where they accept applications.  I covered most of this above, but you can learn even more about these requirements via the link mentioned prior.  As long as you meet these requirements, then you’re encouraged to apply.

Next, you won’t apply directly to Liveops; rather, you will have to browse through the most current opportunities, which will look something like this:

Depending on the time of the year, there could be 20+ listings, whereas sometimes there may only be a few options, such as when I was writing this.  Take a glance at this list and see if any of the options capture your interest.  If so, you will want to follow the link to start the application process.

If you do see a job listing of interest, click on the job title to be taken to the job description as well as an “apply online” link.  Most of everything on the job description page will be everything I discussed here, such as the requirements, what the job entails as well as what’s expected of you.

The whole application process will consist of five parts, which will include filling out a candidate profile, form, answering questions as well as signing documents near the end.  If you have a LinkedIn account and/or a resume, you can also upload/link these accounts to make the process quicker.  You will also have to submit a voice audition as well as pass a credit check/background check, all of which you have to cover.

If you have been in the hunt for jobs right now and have been applying, then it will be similar to that of applying to many of your online corporate-like jobs.

When will I start?

If you get the callback and they want to hire you, then you will first have to go through your training process, as mentioned.  The training will depend on which client you’re working with, but from my experience, you should be prepared to train/wait about two weeks before you see your first paycheck.

Final Thoughts

If you want flexibility and want to work from home, then Liveops is a company to consider.  Hands down, it’s one of the biggest virtual call centers and considered to be one of the best.  As long as you don’t mind talking on the phone to make your cash, then at least apply and see what it’s like.  Worst case, you can stop logging in and they will simply not renew your contract.  Yes, I know you will have to invest in training as well as the background check, but this is honestly the only way to know as we all have our own interests/differences in life.

In the end, Liveops is a 110% legitimate opportunity and is a great starting point, especially if you have no experience.

I hope this guide helped you better understand Liveops as well as how to apply.  As always, if you have any questions or you even want to add your own comments, then you’re more than welcome to do so in the comments below!

For now, check out the listings and start applying if you want to start working in the comforts of your own home.

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Tom Nathaniel

Hi! My name is Tom Nathaniel, and I created LushDollar to help share my honest thoughts on everything money. You won't find gimmicks here. It's the Internet's most honest money site after all. I graduated from Arizona State University, and I have worked in the finance industry since 2006, consulting with multiple Fortune 5000 companies.

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