Work-at-Home Company Profile: West at Home

Call Center, Outsourcing

A division of West Corporation, West@Home is the virtual call center division of this Omaha, NE, outsourcing firm.

West at Home agents are employees, not independent contractors. They receive inbound calls and perform services like sales, customer service, billing, surveys, account management, and technical support. Bilingual call center and interpretation jobs may be available.

While West at home does not offer excused time for emergencies or paid time off, it does have a flexible scheduling system that allows employees to change shifts up until 24 hours before a shift.

West at Home agents are paid on a per-call or per-minute basis. However, since agents are employees, they must receive the minimum wage for their state, which may very well be the usual rate for an agent. If not enough calls come in for an agent to earn minimum wage on a per-call or per-minute rate, an agent will at least earn the minimum wage for his or her state. Agents are paid every two weeks via check, direct deposit or pay card. The company does not offer paid time off or pay for medical benefits. However it does give employees the option to purchase medical and dental benefits.

To apply to West at Home fill out its online application on its website. The application is quite extensive. Applicant's must have a minimum of a high school diploma or a GED but some college is considered favorably.

After the application is accepted, applicants will be invited (or not) to do a series of online skills and behavioral assessments. After that an offer may be issued.

After a preliminary offer is made applicants must pay $29.95 for their own criminal background check. This is not typical. Most companies--not applicants--absorb this cost; however, since an offer of employment is made conditionally based on the outcome this check, it is not necessarily unethical. There may also be a drug test before starting. Training is paid at an hourly rate.

Geographic Restrictions

West @ Home does not hire in all states. And even in the states where it does hire, it does not hire in all counties. Fortunately, early in the application process it asks for your state and lets you know whether you are eligible. As of February 2012, West was accepting applications from these states:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Florida
• Georgia
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia

Your state not listed? Find a Call Center Job in Your State or a Call Center Job in Canada.

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