Customer Service

This position is to handle calls and emails for a house cleaning booking agency, along with other admin duties.

Customers will call in to get a price estimate, book a cleaning, change a schedule, request a new cleaner, or have a complaint.

You need to be able to be friendly, efficient and resolve client issues.

You will be communicating with the house cleaners via text message offering them jobs, clarifying schedule and relaying customer information. Many of them speak Spanish.

Multi-tasking is a critical part of this job. You will have open customer booking requests, while waiting on cleaners to accept the jobs, before you can add to the schedule and send confirmation emails. There may be multiple open booking requests at a time so task management is important as you will get interrupted between tasks.

Scheduling requirements:
You must be available Monday-Friday 8am-5pm Pacific Standard Time USA, and available weekends just to screen for emergency calls, to work and be responsive to client and cleaner needs. You would be billing our agency based ONLY on time worked during those hours using a time log. I am anticipating between 15-20 hours of billable hours per week and can grow into full time. The first few hours of the day are structured as you have tasks to complete, the rest of the day is just responding to emails and calls as they come in with down time. Can turn into a full time position over time if you’re interested.

Start Date: ASAP

Workspace Requirements:
Must have quiet work environment for phone consultations with clients. Must have high speed internet.

Software:

We are currently using RingCentral, Google office suites, Launch27, and Active Campaign (training provided)

You will be asked to answer the following questions when submitting a proposal:

1. What past project or job have you had that is most like this one and why?
2. Why do you think you are a good fit for this particular project?
3. Do you have any questions about the job description?
4. Tell me your experience that demonstrates your ability to manage tasks and multi-task.

VA Assessment Template

A customer asks if you offer a specific cleaning service and you do not know the answer. It would be best for you to do which of the following? (highlight your answer)

1. Tell the person what you think the answer might be.
2. Refer the person to your supervisor.
3. Inform the person that you don’t know but will find out.

A client calls to book a cleaning session and you see from his/her client history that they have used Dash of Clean a couple of times throughout the year. What does your conversation look like with this client?

A client calls and tells you of many complaints he/she has about their cleaner and your services. What do you do? (highlight your answer)

1. Assume that he/she is just blowing off steam and ignore the complaints.
2. Check into the legitimacy of the complaints.
3. Ask for advice from your supervisor on the best way to handle the person.
4. Regard the complaints as accurate and take immediate steps to correct them.

A customer calls and is raving about how wonderful your company is and how your services have given her more time to be with her family and enjoy her house. What would your conversation look like with this client?

Assume that you are taking a telephone message for a co-worker who is not in the office at the time. What information about the call do you give to your co-worker?

You’re helping a computer illiterate friend setup his Internet connection over the phone. He is just not getting what you are trying to explain. How much time do you spend explaining it to him? (highlight your answer)

1. I’d work with him for as long as it takes.
2. 10 minutes or so; I’d go through it once as quickly as possible and then hang up.
3. About half an hour; I’d make sure he understands at least the basics.
4. None at all; I’d get frustrated the first time he says “I don’t understand.”

WeMaid starts offering a new service for our clients. What do you do to spread the word about this new service?

What would you do when conversing with clients or cleaners who have a less extensive vocabulary due to a language barrier:

A client has just booked a basic cleaning session over the phone with you, but you have not yet told her about our additional services. What does the rest of your conversation look like?

A client is interested in using WeMaid but says that she is not sure if she can afford it. What does your conversation look like with this client?

Sample VA Interview

Name:                                                             Phone:                                                Date:

Basics

How long have you worked as a Virtual Assistant?

What’s your background and experience with this type of work?

How many clients do you have and what does that work load look like?

How quickly do you usually respond to emails during your working hours?

Are you available take inbound customer service calls during your working hours? Or, how quickly can you dial back missed calls?

What % of incoming calls will be answered without going to voicemail?

Will you be available to work between 8am-5pm PST?

Do you speak Spanish?

Does your work area allow for quietness and high speed internet?

Let’s say your computer suddenly crashed during business hours. What would you do?

Are you comfortable with being recorded on the phone on the office line?

What is your hourly rate? Are you comfortable with billing based on time worked?

Can you commit to the work dates outlined in the job post?

Task Management Ability

Can you give me an example of situations where you get interrupted during a task or have to do multiple open ended tasks at once and how you are able to manage it?

How do you stay organized when you have multiple open tasks, where you cannot take the next step until a third party completes their portion?

Let’s say your inbox is flooded with messages. How do you prioritize which ones to respond to first?

How do you handle a situation when you may not know how to complete a task?

Customer Service Ability

What do you do when a client has trouble articulating their needs in this example:

            They tell you they want a house cleaning, but not explaining what specific tasks they want completed?

            They are calling in with a complaint, but isn’t specifically asking for how to resolve the issue for them?

Tell me about a time you proactively addressed a client’s need.

Scheduling Experience

What is your experience with scheduling that would be relevant to scheduling house cleaning service appointments for clients and cleaners?

What is your experience with scheduling for recurring type services?

If you have a client who is interested in setting up biweekly cleaning service, what would you be checking the calendar for to see if you can accommodate this client’s request?

Communication

How would you keep your VA clients in the loop with your work, situations you run into or your accomplishments for a given period?

How do you know when you should be tackling a task on your own vs when you should be checking in with your Manager to address an issue?

Can you email me a list of 3 references I can contact about your work?

Do you have questions about the job?

OFFICE NOTES:

Did VA sound pleasant?

Was VA succinct?

How was their phone quality?