Are you looking for remote chat agent jobs where you don’t have to talk on the phone? Keep reading; this post has you covered.
Back when I was in college, I worked for a telemarketing company. While the gig itself was flexible and paid well, it exhausted me. More often than not, people did not want to converse on the phone (which I get), so I would have to deal with their anger, irritation, and lots of curse words and hang-ups.
Over time, I dreaded going in to work. After college, I worked for Medicaid, doing prior authorization for nursing visits and home medical equipment. Again, I was on the phone for long periods dealing with disgruntled providers — no fun!
While many work from home jobs are phone-based, the Internet has opened up a new breed of customer service that does not require being on the phone.
In fact, live customer service chat is becoming increasingly popular every day. Some of these online chat agent jobs require background knowledge of a specific area, and many of them require you to type a certain number of words per minute, so make sure you read all of the fine print before applying.
What are the requirements for being a remote chat agent?
To become an online chat agent, most companies require applicants to have a high school diploma or GED, excellent written communication skills, and a fast and accurate typing speed. Many companies also require at least one year of customer service experience; however, there are some companies that will hire beginners without any experience. You’ll also need a computer or laptop, a hard-wired, reliable internet connection, and a quiet place to do your work.
18 remote chat agent jobs you can do from home
Remote chat agent jobs are in high demand. There are usually more applicants than there are open positions. If you’re set on being a chat agent, you’ll need to check with these companies frequently to see if any new openings arise. If they offer email job alerts, I highly suggest signing up for them so that you don’t miss any new openings.
1. ACD Direct – Agents
ACD Direct hires independent contractors for a variety of call-based positions; however, they are constantly expanding their offerings, and they may occasionally have non-phone positions. Existing agents will get priority for the non-phone positions, so you’ll need to spend some time on the phone before being eligible for the non-phone gigs.
- ACD Direct does not hire in the following states: California, Delaware, Massachusetts, Louisiana, West Virginia, Wyoming, Vermont, or South Dakota.
- Must pass a criminal background check.
- ACD Direct gets a 3.2-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
2. Chatdesk – Chatdesk Expert
Chatdesk is a New York-based company that hires freelance customer support agents to handle inquiries via social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), and TikTok), email, text, and chat. Shifts are flexible, and you can work days, nights, and weekends. For these entry-level roles, you’ll need the following:
- At least 18 years of age.
- Excellent communication skills and attention to detail.
- Your own computer and internet access.
- Chatdesk gets a 4.4-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
3. Concentrix – Home Agent
Concentrix provides business solutions to a wide variety of companies, and sometimes, they contract with companies that need remote chat agents. These positions tend to fill fast, so you’ll want to check with them periodically for openings.
- Online chat associates are responsible for providing basic to complex customer and technical support.
- Hires in most states in the US, as well as global locations.
- According to Indeed, the average pay is at least $15.18 per hour; these are W2 roles.
- Concentrix gets a 4-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
4. Foundever – Customer Service Agents
Foundever, formerly the Sitel Group, hires full-time and part-time W2 employees to provide customer service to brands from around the globe.
- Many jobs include phone work, but they do occasionally have chat, email, and social media positions available.
- The average pay rate is $16-$18 per hour, according to past job openings.
- Foundever hires beginners with a high school diploma or GED.
- Some positions are location-dependent.
- Foundever gets a 3.8-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
5. Guitar Center – CHAT Agent
Guitar Center occasionally has full-time remote and hybrid job openings for remote chat and sales agents. These positions tend to be location-dependent, and agents must have the following qualifications:
- Applicants need to be music lovers and have a passion for helping people.
- You’ll need a high school diploma or GED and at least two years of experience.
- You must be able to type 30 words per minute (WPM).
- Use the keyword remote when you’re searching on their website.
- Guitar Center gets a 3.1-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
6. Hopper – Travel Experience Agents
Hopper hires full-time agents with at least two years of experience using a global distribution system (Sabre, Apollo, or Amadeus).
- In this role, you’ll assist customers using email and chat.
- Hopper offers a competitive salary and extensive benefits, including health insurance.
- They hire employees from all around the world.
- Hopper gets a 3-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
7. InboxDone – Inbox Managers
InboxDone hires US-based freelancers to manage email, social media, help desk tickets, and other administrative duties. For these part-time positions, no experience is needed, but you should have excellent communication skills, be detail-oriented, and have a high level of empathy and emotional intelligence. In these roles, you can work from wherever, and you’ll have a flexible schedule.
- The starting pay rate is $17 per hour, plus paid holidays and bonuses.
- You’ll need to provide your own laptop and internet connection.
- InboxDone gets a 4.9-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
8. LiveChat – Support Hero
LiveChat occasionally has remote job openings for support heroes (chat agents). The pay rate for this role is unknown.
- You’ll need fast and accurate typing skills, at least 40 WPM.
- Must have a perfect command of the English language.
- LiveChat, owned by Text, receives a 3.9-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
9. LiveWorld – Social Media Agents
LiveWorld hires part-time social media agents to perform tasks like social media moderation, customer support, engagement, and monitoring.
- Must have 2-3 years of experience in online moderation and strong typing skills.
- Must have the availability to work some nights, weekends, and holidays.
- I heard from one reader that this position pays minimum wage.
- LiveWorld gets a 3.7-star rating on Glassdoor.com
10. ModSquad – Mods
ModSquad contributors specialize in digital engagement, such as moderating content, chatting with customers, managing communities, handling customer support, and updating social media accounts.
- In this role, you’ll work as an independent contractor.
- You can create your own schedule and pick the projects you work on.
- Currently, it has contractors in 90 countries around the world who speak 50 different languages.
- According to Glassdoor.com, the average pay is $17 per hour.
- ModSquad gets a 3.2-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
Related Content: Remote Forum and Chat Moderator Jobs
11. OutPLEX – Customer Service Reps
OutPLEX occasionally hires online chat support agents in the US, Columbia, and the Dominican Republic. Agents may need to make phone calls to resolve issues. For these positions, you should:
- Be able to type 30-50 WPM with zero errors.
- You’ll need a high school diploma and a Windows Operating System.
- Must have excellent spelling, grammar, and communication skills.
- The average pay is $17 per hour, plus benefits.
- OutPLEX gets a 4-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
12. Robert Half – Customer Support Agents
Robert Half is a staffing agency that often has remote job openings for customer support and social media agents who handle inquiries via chat, email, social media, and text. For most jobs, you’ll need excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and good time management skills.
- Positions are location-dependent.
- Robert Half has remote temporary, permanent, and contract positions.
- Salary varies based on many factors.
- Robert Half gets a 3.8-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
13. SimplrFlex – Experts
SimplrFlex hires independent contractors to answer help tickets online. No phone work or interview is required. Just register for an account, complete 10 test tickets to showcase your written communication skills, and then give them 1-10 days to review your application. If you pass the test, you’ll be invited to fill out paperwork and complete a criminal background check. With SimplrFlex, you can log in anytime to make extra money answering tickets.
- Does not hire in the following states: CA, IL, MA, NY, UT, VT, WA, or WI.
- Payments are distributed via PayPal or Venmo.
- SimplrFlex gets a 3-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
14. Site123 – Sales Chat Specialists
Site123 hires US-based remote sales chat specialists to assist customers via chat and email. To apply for these roles, you’ll need to submit a resume to [email protected].
- Must be tech-savvy and understand the website builder field.
- You need to have proven experience in sales and customer service.
- Must be knowledgeable of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
- Site123 gets a 4-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
15. SiteStaff – Chat Hosts
SiteStaff hires experienced chat hosts who are able to handle 3-4 ongoing conversations at the same time.
- You must be located in Denver, Colorado.
- Must be able to type 65-75+ WPM.
- You must have excellent punctuation, grammar, and spelling.
- Bonus points if you’re bilingual.
- SiteStaff gets a 3.3-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
16. The Trevor Project – Chat and Text Counselors
The Trevor Project is a resource for LGBTQ youth who need emotional support. They hire online chat and text counselors to help LGBTQ youth around the clock.
For these positions, you must:
- Have excellent, fast, and assertive communication skills.
- They hire in the United States and Mexico and are open 24/7, 365 days a year.
- These are W2 positions that come with benefits.
- The Trevor Project gets a 2.5-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
17. Wayfair – Chat Sales Agents
Wayfair hires remote workers from the US, Canada, Germany, India, Poland, the UK, China, and Ireland. For these remote chat jobs, you’ll need:
- Typing speed of 45 WPM.
- Two years of sales or service experience.
- Must be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, handling multiple chat messages at once.
- The position comes with hourly pay and monthly bonuses, and your equipment is provided.
- Wayfair gets a 2.9-star rating on Glassdoor.com.
18. Upwork – Chat Support Specialist Jobs
Upwork is a freelance marketplace where freelancers can connect with companies that need their skills. With Upwork, you can create a profile that showcases your skills and expertise, and you can also browse freelance assignments on the site and submit bids for gigs that you’d like to work on.
One chat agent job I found was for a chat agent to answer questions about insurance via text, email, and through their app, and the pay rate was $12.50-$22.00 per hour.
Upwork does charge a fee for using their platform, and rates can be seen below:
- $0-$500 in earnings – 20% service fee
- $500.01-$10,000 in earnings – 10% service fee
- $10,000.01 or more in earnings – 5% service fee
Since Upwork isn’t the hiring company, be sure to educate yourself on common work from home scams. You should never pay for equipment (check-cashing scam), buy gift cards, accept payments off of Upwork, or give out personal information. Read these scam prevention tips before getting started on the platform.
Other ways to find online chat jobs
If you’re browsing the web and notice that a website has a live chat agent box function, look on their career page and see if they hire remote chat agents. Some companies use third-party employers to fill their chat agent positions, but others hire in-house. Some chat agent functions are automated through artificial intelligence (AI), but it’s worth exploring to see if the company might be hiring. You can usually find a link to the company’s career page in their website’s footer.
Other avenues to explore are business process outsourcing (BPOs) and staffing websites like Bold Business, Conduent, Kelly Services, Randstad, and Adecco. Not only do they have remote job openings, but you can also find those one-off job opportunities for chat support agents.
Can you tolerate a little phone work?
If you’re looking for more chat agent jobs, check out FlexJobs – they have many options. Just make sure that you thoroughly read the job description. Many live chat agent jobs require phone support, so if you’re against being on the phone, you’ll want to ensure that the position is 100% online chat, email, and social media.
If you are OK answering some inbound phone calls, companies like 5CA, Amazon, Apple, NexRep, Omni Interactions, Smith.ai, SupportNinja, and Wrrk offer home chat jobs that combine phone, email, chat, and social media work.
Get paid for sexting?
One word of caution: phone actresses’ chat agent jobs are sex chat operator jobs. I want you to know what you’re applying for if you run across these job postings. I do not cover this opportunity or phone sex jobs on the site. If you’re interested in working from home as a chat sex operator, WAH Adventures has a list of hiring companies.
Best online chat support jobs
If you’re still not finding your dream online chat job, check to see if you can sign up for job alerts from your favorite companies and job boards. This way, you’ll be the first to know about current chat job openings.
As more companies go online with their businesses, more remote chat agent jobs will become available, and I will continue to update this list as new ones pop up.
Be sure to sign up for our newsletter, where we share other online chat jobs that we find!
Do you have a remote chat support job? Which company do you work for? Drop us a note; we’d love to hear from you!
Originally published January 21, 2015. Content updated January 2025.
