Smith.ai is a customer service company with a focus on providing virtual phone and web chat teams for various client firms. They seem to mostly cater to smaller businesses and one-person companies that are looking to expand their customer service capacity without having to hire a large number of new on-site employees.
Most of Smith.ai’s receptionists and agents are remote workers, and the company has fairly minimal requirements compared to many other similar firms, which might make it a good fit for those who are just getting into this line of work.
As a virtual receptionist for Smith.ai, you’ll be spending your days answering phone calls and fielding web chat requests.
From what I can gather, you probably won’t be working for just one client company at a time, which means you’ll need to adjust to frequent changes in context from one call to the next. Each client company will presumably have its own unique set of guidelines, and some might even provide a specific script you’ll need to follow.
If you’re a quick learner and don’t mind a job that keeps you on your toes, you might really enjoy this work, but some others might find the constant need to change gears too stressful and mentally taxing.
Pay Rate
The starting pay is $15 per hour for U.S.-based receptionists and $16 per hour for those who manage to land a bilingual English/Spanish position.
For Mexico-based agents, the starting rate is $11 per hour. If you perform well, there’s potential to get a raise, and the company offers a solid benefits package that includes paid training and healthcare benefits for agents working 30 or more hours per week.
They also have an employee referral bonus of $150 and several team award opportunities.
Scheduling With Smith.ai
Smith.ai offers both full-time and part-time positions, and they have a fairly flexible scheduling scheme, but it’s not the kind of job where you can work whenever you choose.
At a minimum, you’ll be expected to work 25 hours per week, including one Monday shift. Shifts are scheduled in 2- to 5-hour blocks based on the business needs of Smith.ai and its clients, as well as your availability.
Smith.ai operates 24/7/365, which gives agents flexibility to work a variety of hours, including evenings and weekends.
Comments I’ve read from current and former employees make it sound like there’s quite a bit of wiggle room on this, and it’s probably possible to have your schedule adjusted at the last minute if you have an emergency situation or something important comes up.
Requirements To Apply
This job has a fairly low barrier to entry compared to many other remote customer service positions.
You need to be a 40-word-per-minute typist, and you must have some past experience answering the phone for a living, but they don’t require a specific number of years or anything, and there are no mandatory educational minimums.
Applicants must have authorization to work in the United States or Mexico and be able to pass a background check.
A personal desktop or laptop computer is required with the Google Chrome browser installed, a minimum of 8GB RAM, and a display resolution of at least 1024×768.
Your internet connection must meet the company’s minimum requirements: less than 50 ms ping, greater than 10 Mbps download, and greater than 3 Mbps upload. Smith.ai provides links to Speedtest.net and Twilio Network Test to verify this.
Like most phone jobs, a headset with a microphone is mandatory, along with a quiet location in your house that can serve as a home office.
Smith.ai Application Process
When you apply, they have an online software routine that will ask you a bunch of different questions—most are fairly typical things, such as your location and what hours you would prefer to work. Applicants also complete a typing test and a short recorded audio interview.
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of information available about how long it takes to get hired, the number of interviews, or any other specifics.
Smith.ai clearly states that they never charge application fees or request banking information during the hiring process. They also never coordinate employment through social media, so any such messages are scams.
Feedback
Based on the high Glassdoor rating (4.7) and the glowing reviews from current and former workers, Smith.ai is apparently a really great company to work for.
Almost all the reviews I read were absolutely overflowing with praise. Most workers were particularly impressed with the firm’s scheduling scheme. Apparently, they’re very flexible with the rules and try their best to set up your shifts in a way that fits your lifestyle.
Another thing that came up frequently in the reviews was the company’s team-oriented focus.
Even though you’ll be working from your home, this is the kind of job where you still feel like part of a larger group. Workers go out of their way to help each other, and the management is apparently easy to communicate with.
I couldn’t find many negatives at all in the Glassdoor reviews, but a few people did mention that you need to be open to constructive criticism.
The management team is very detail-oriented. They’ll be checking your work on a regular basis and providing feedback to help you improve, but it doesn’t sound like they’re overly harsh or punitive.
One thing to keep in mind—this seems to be a very hectic job, with a huge number of calls coming in every hour, so you’ll need the ability to stay cool under pressure and effectively manage stress.
How To Get Started
If this Smith.ai review has you interested and you want to join the Smith.ai team, go here to read more about the job and put in your application.
If you’re looking for more companies with similar job openings, check out this list of over 20 virtual assistant companies.
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Good luck to you!
Anna Thurman is a work at home blogger and mom of two. She has been researching and reviewing remote jobs for over 15 years. Her findings are published weekly here at Real Ways to Earn.
