As you can now see, choosing to become a live chat agent was a great decision. It puts you in pole position to make top dollar in a market with thousands of jobs. But what does it mean to become a live chat agent? What will you do, and how will you do it? We’ll answer those questions in this lesson.

Once hired as a live chat agent, you will usually work from your own home—or from anywhere else you choose. As long as you can get online, you are good to go. So you may want to spend a few hours at a local cafe, pop round to visit a friend...or just settle onto your sofa with a cup of Joe and some cool music. It’s up to you. You have the freedom to do things your way, as long as you get the job done.

You will need to use a laptop, as you may have several chats open simultaneously. You could do this on your phone at a pinch, but you will find it much easier using a desktop machine. Your company will provide you with the software you need. In most cases, you don’t need to download anything. You simply get online and log in with the details provided.

Once you have logged in, you will signal that you are ready to start work. Then you are on your way. Thanks to the company’s training program, you will know what to do and how to do it. Better still, the work is not only rewarding financially but good fun, too.

Here’s how things work in a typical live chat system. Once you log in, you will be able to see who is waiting for help. Next, you can browse through the queue of people waiting and select someone to engage with. This will usually be the first person in the queue—the one who has been waiting for the longest time (hopefully no more than a minute or two).   

Once the chat has started, you can ask the visitor how you can help. You will find that most of the time, the questions people ask are simple ones. For example, people will want more information on the products or may have questions about how to pay, when the item will be delivered, etc.

You will have a Knowledge Base to assist you, so there’s no need to panic if you get a question that looks difficult. The Knowledge Base is a library of all the information you need to help people. You will nearly always find the answers you need in there. If you are still stumped, you can ask your colleagues for advice.

As with any job, your first day may seem a little nerve-wracking, as you have a lot to learn. But you will soon pick things up. Then you will find you can answer 9 out of 10 queries off the top of your head.

Remember that your Team Leader is always on hand to help you. So if anything doesn’t make sense, or you don’t know what to do, just reach out. You will get all the help you need to keep things flowing smoothly. 

When it’s time to finish for the day, you simply log out of the system. The hours you have worked are recorded automatically, so you can get paid at the end of the week.

Of course, the best part about finishing work is that you don’t have to face a grueling commute. No more spending an hour stuck in traffic or trying to squeeze onto crowded trains or buses. Instead, just stretch out on the sofa and relax—another day’s pay in the bank and a long evening of leisure ahead of you. 

There are worse ways to make a living, right?