Arise Work From Home Review – Is This Opportunity Right for You?

Online money making opportunities come in various forms. Most that we know sell products while some actually offer services. In this Arise work from home review, we’ll find out what the job is all about and what kind of income you can expect to make in the virtual space.

What Is Arise?

Arise is an established company that specializes in operating virtual call centers through cloud-based technology. With over 20 years of experience, they engage with remote agents to manage customer services such as sales, marketing, technical, email and chat support for large corporations.

The concept is built around reducing employment costs by outsourcing these tasks to individuals who can work flexible hours thus providing for better customer assistance. At the same time, it also helps companies to cope with the increased sales load during major shopping or traveling seasons where business activities are expected to be at the highest volume.

The type of clients that you’ll provide services for are from the following industries;

• Cruise Lines
• Office Supply Chains
• Tax Preparation Companies
• Timeshare Companies
• Emergency Roadside Assistance
• Cable Companies
• Home Services & Warranty Companies
• Travel Companies

In short, Arise acts as an intermediate that links reputable companies with virtual agents through their system solution. It is a licensed corporation that offers legitimate work from home opportunities. However, when working in this type of client-business ecosystem, keep in mind that you are hired as an independent contractor so there are pros and cons involved which we’ll discuss later.

Who Is Suitable For This Job?

Anyone who has the desire and to work from home in the customer service industry can consider applying for this job. This include stay at home moms (or dads), people with disability, military spouses, veterans as well as retirees.

The nature of the job is mostly desk-bound and will involve a lot of communication through a phone with multiple customers over several hours. In most cases, you’re likely to sign up as a customer representative agent first. As you become more familiar with using the system or who knows, maybe you are interested in starting a micro call center business, you can always apply to become an independent business owner (IBO) by partnering with the Arise platform.

As an IBO, you’ll be hiring and managing a team of agents working under your company as well as providing training for them to excel in customer services. It’s certainly a lot more commitment, but you’ll get to work with more Fortune 500 companies/brands and earn a bigger revenue stream for the long term.

However, if you are not ready for such a big leap, just register as an agent first which is what I’ll be explaining throughout this review.   

The Basic Requirement

The preliminary requirement for this job is that you must be 18 years of age or older and legally resides in the US, UK or Canada. The others would be to have basic computer and communication skills. It also helps a lot if you are a highly motivated person.

In terms of equipment, you’ll be needing;

• A set of computer/laptop that meets the platform’s technical requirement.
• Headsets to connect to the PC
• High speed (hard wired, not Wifi) internet
• A separate landline telephone dedicated to receiving incoming calls from customers
• A designated place at home that has a quiet environment

How Much Does It Cost?

Many people tend to think that it’s a scam if you need to pay in advance for work that you haven’t delivered. However, the situation here is different from Arise because you’re actually spending on basic qualification, education, and services that benefit a job skill.

So here is the fee breakdown you can expect when becoming an independent call service agent.

• Background check = Between $8 to 30. The purpose is to ensure that you don’t possess any criminal records.
• Client Course Program = Between $25 to $249. In the online training led by instructors, you’ll learn about the company’s products/services and how to tackle different customer situations. Each course can last between 3-5 weeks to complete.
• IBO Service fee = Starting from $25, charged twice per month (after you started earning). The fee helps with the operational costs and varies according to the call center company that you sign up for.  
• Arise Service fee = $19.75 twice a month for each client (after you started earning). This fee is compulsory as Arise provides the support and technology for you to run the job.  

Needless to say, you are also responsible for investing in the equipment needed to conduct the job efficiently. This includes buying headsets ($35 to $100) plus paying for the internet (about $60 per month) and telephone charges (about $18 to $35 per month).

The Enrollment to Work Process

When registering as an agent, an Employer Identification Number (EIN) is required, hence you’ll need to sign up under a call center company if you don’t have a business entity already. Arise does provide a list of companies on their website, but here are the ones (based in the US) that I found to have good reviews and ratings.

• GirlCity
• KMG Professional Services
• Virtual Work Agency
• Nita Talk LLC
• SMS Virtual Solutions

Alternatively, you could also search on Facebook by typing Arise Virtual Solutions (or similar keyphrases) to see if you can locate any groups that have large and active followers within your region.

When interested, you’ll contact the company via their website or Facebook page to fill out the application form. You will need to sign a few documents and within 1 to 3 days, you should be able to log into the work portal and gain access to the client opportunity board. From there, you’ll choose a client program that you wish to service and undergo the necessary training program which could last about 30 days. During this time, you wouldn’t be earning any revenue just yet.

Once certified, you can start working immediately and the contracts usually last for 30, 60 or 90 days period after which you can choose to renew or move onto other client programs. Your performance as a customer service provider will depend on your level of commitment during a contract and this will serve as a reference for future clients to consider you (or not) as their representatives.

How Much Can You Make?

The money that you can make very much depends on the type of industry that you are servicing, the number of hours committed per week and the complexity of the tasks. Some clients offer bonuses and incentives when you hit a certain threshold so that’s something to watch out for.

Typically, one could make between $10 to 14 per hour or $200 to $1300 biweekly and you are expected to provide for services for at least 15 hours per week. The payout is made on the 1st and 15th of every month either through direct deposit or a check by mail. Out of this income, remember that two service fees (one to the IBO and another to Arise) will be deducted from the payout.

If you earn more than $600 in a calendar year, which you most likely will, you need to handle your own taxes. The IBO will provide the necessary forms, but you may need to hire a professional if you are not familiar with the tax procedure.

The Pros

1. One of the biggest perks working from home is the flexible hours and not having to commute. You’ll have more personal time, more control over your earnings and also save on gas.
2. Although it’s an added bonus, no experience is necessary as long as you are willing to take up training and learn as much as you can. Eventually, you’ll get used to dealing with the customers on the phone.
3. There is a lot of supportive networks (mostly Facebook groups) in the IBO community that you’re signed under. These people are experienced and can help to resolve problems that you may face at work.
4. Some IBOs provide special vouchers and military discounts (up to 50% for the first client course) that can help to reduce training costs and other expenses. And some even offer free background checks.
5. Essentially, there’s no need to acquire new clients because Arise has contracted relationships with big companies. Once certified, you are almost always guaranteed a position and can start working immediately. All that is needed on your side is to learn how to use their technology to service clients whenever there are program opportunities.
6. Say if you are not satisfied with the current IBO, you can switch to another call center company at any time. You just need to apply for removal before joining the new one.
7. Some IBOs offer referral incentives, which means, when you recommend someone to join as a call agent with the company and they complete their first 30 days servicing a client, you’ll earn anywhere between $25 to $50 per referral. So it’s nice additional pocket money to have if you have friends or family members who are also keen to work from home.

The Cons

1. Although the program is opened for US residents, Arise currently does not accept applicants from certain states like California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Wisconsin.  
2. When there’s work flexibility, it doesn’t mean that you can go on a long holiday or work whenever you like. You need to plan and organize your time because any inactivity without notification to the IBO can result in your account being terminated.
3. The initial investment is estimated to be about $250 to $500 and for some people, this could be a big upfront cost. Plus, you’d only get to work after completing a certification so there’s a bit of a waiting period before you can actually make any money through the system.
4. One thing I found lacking is that searching for a reputable IBO isn’t easy. The list provided by Arise lead me to mostly outdated business websites that don’t offer much helpful information. It makes me wonder if they are still operational or not. There was only a handful that looks professional, yet I am pretty sure there are other call centers out there who are using the Arise platform.

So, Is Arise a Good Career Opportunity?

If you are looking for something that’s legitimate and like to be a representative of big companies servicing customers at flexible hours, Arise is a good program to partner with. The hourly rate is not bad and the job can teach a lot about communication and computer skills to add to your portfolio.

Having said that, there will be a limitation to how much an agent can earn because there are only so many hours in a month that you can commit. However, if you incorporate a call center company, the income potential would be bigger as you have many more agents working under your team. Every IBO was once an agent themselves until they decided to step up to the next level so that’s something to consider for those with entrepreneurial blood.

Well, it’s been a long review and I hope you’ve found some values here. If you are interested in more work-from-home opportunities OR interested to build a strong online presence for whatever business idea you have in mind, don’t forget to check out my recommended training platform for more online marketing and website building tips. Hope to see you there!