At present, call centers are such a booming business that they require more than the traditional approach to customer service. To add to a big number of actual call center agents housed in cubicles and working in shifts, there's also a growing population of Virtual Customer Support Agents who work from home on a full-time or part-time basis. Among them, the most consistent workers earn $9-$14 an hour, while top performers make as much as $20.

Step 1: Be competent with the tasks you're expected to do.

Since you'll be into business outsourcing, be knowledgeable on the nature of virtual call center jobs. Most of your job functions will either be telephone-based, web-based, or both. You'll reply to customers from all over the world and respond to their needs in behalf of the company you represent.

If you're going to be a good company representative, know more than the company rules and regulations. Be well-versed on policies which apply as well as on questions which are frequently-asked. These make you competent in addressing urgent complaints and finding immediate solutions. In other words, you'll be an essential part of the solution to the problem and never the headache itself!

Step 2: Develop the skills which make you competitive!

Aside from being competent in your grammatical abilities, be competitive through your listening skills. These impress people more than your native-sounding English accent. Besides, customers hate it when you give mechanical answers and deliver scripted replies repeatedly!

Thus, at the heart of all your competitiveness would be your ability to communicate effectively. Show that you care enough to create results! Otherwise, you'd sound like another bored agent with a dissatisfied customer at the other end of the line.

Step 3: Invest in the equipment and workspace.

First of all, invest in a phone line dedicated exclusively to inbound customer service calls. Not just your ordinary landline, this phone should have features like caller ID, call waiting, and voice mail.

Other than a phone, invest in a personal computer with a steady internet connection. After all, there's such a thing as non-voice customer support wherein you engage customers in web chats and online inquiries.

In terms of office supplies, you might need more than pen and paper. It also helps when you have memo boards and post-its to give you important reminders. If you handle a number of accounts, reduce your clutter by organizing them into files.

And since you want to come across as a professional despite your home-office setting, you'd want to eliminate all sources of background noise such as babies crying, neighbors arguing, or dogs barking. Understand that, devoted as you are to your family, you should also be dedicated to your clients.

Thus, your workspace should be as much a part of all your equipment. Situate it in a place that's quiet, peaceful, and free from distractions. Otherwise, when you're irritated and distraught, it would be just as upsetting to your callers.

Step 4: Call, apply, and get hired.

To get hired, you can either apply in person or contact the call center online. Although you can get away with a high school diploma or a college degree, you'd still have to undergo in-house customer service training. Conducted online at your own hours, these are company-specific modules which orient you about the service you'll work with.

Before you start working, you'll also need to fill up web questionnaires and pass online interviews. Since they're sourcing out Virtual Customer Service Agents to whom the job can be outsourced, they're just making sure that your skills match the company's specific needs.

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