Most small business owners are very busy people who don’t have a lot of extra time on their hands. They will gladly outsource some of their daily tasks to a telecommuter. One of these time-consuming tasks is scheduling appointments. The appointment setting is a perfect occupation for a telecommuter. The employer does not necessarily need a full-time employee to schedule their appointments, but at the same time they need someone who is available most of the working hours in case their clients call or to make calls at different times of the day.
A telecommuter is the perfect candidate for this position. As a telecommuting appointment scheduler, he can work within his employer’s schedule appointment setters. If he needs some calls to be made in the morning and then wants you to be available for callbacks in the afternoon, you are there to help. Best of all, you are not limited to just one employer or client. He can easily work as an appointment scheduler for multiple business owners at the same time. This will allow you to earn a full-time income while allowing each employer to pay you for only a few hours per day or per week.
Scheduling appointments is something you can easily do from home. All you need is a phone and some way to get organized. A computer with Microsoft Outlook or an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of your clients’ schedules would work just fine. You could even do this with a nice paper calendar at first.
You must have good phone and writing skills to work as an appointment coordinator. Previous experience as an administrative assistant or secretary is not necessary, but it is definitely an advantage when it comes to the skills you need and when you are reaching out to potential employers or clients. You also need to be fairly organized to be able to keep up with multiple appointments for multiple clients each day.
As an appointment scheduler, you will spend a lot of time both on the phone and in email. He will communicate with his clients (the small business owners) on a daily basis and then spend the rest of his time contacting his clients, scheduling and then confirming appointments. Of course, you will also keep your own clients or employers informed of any changes or cancellations throughout the day.
If this is something you are interested in doing, here’s how to get started. Determine your hourly rate. You have to take into account the current rate for a task like this in an office environment and then increase it from there. Your employer does not have to provide you with an office, a computer, a telephone, or any other equipment. You are also very likely an independent contractor, which means you don’t have to pay any of your benefits or taxes. You will be responsible for all this, take that into account when determining your rate.