How do I find another WFH role where I don't have to speak to anyone?

[jhftc]

Although my job at the moment is customer service based, it doesn't involve having to 'speak' to customers either verbally or in person as it's all done online.

I've been working from home, in the comfort of my own surroundings and it's been absolute bliss compared with every other job I've had. Previous to this I'd had a really tough couple of years, both personally and professionally so this has helped me immensely.

Unfortunately the dream is over - they're moving us all to a call-centre role instead, so I need to find another job.

The reason I applied for the role in the first place was the lack of direct customer contact. I can't work in the role they're offering, it's just not suitable for me and they're offering no alternatives.

I've been looking in all the usual places for around 8 weeks without any luck, my applications have been either ignored or rejected. Internal job applications are hopeless due to the number of other people from our department who will be applying, most of whom have more experience than I do.

I'm open to retraining, but would need to find free or funded courses due to our financial situation. I've looked at apprenticeships but can't afford the drop in pay.

I so badly want to keep working from home in the long term; I can't stand office politics and bickering anymore, I've just had enough of it all.

I'm not a confident person overall, I prefer to just kind of fade in to the background if I'm honest.

Is there anything I'm missing, that might be suitable?

Following, sounds like what I want too. Good luck!

I wonder if one of those chat box roles might suit you? You know the ones where you type your query and then wait seven mins between every sentence while the typist cuts and pastes the same sentences to twenty other people before replying inadequately to each one……

What industry are you currently in and what is your previous experience? It seems the WFH options are fewer than they were and probably quite competitive

This is actually what I do at the moment, I'm basically a Live Chat agent. Although I hope I do it a lot better than you've described (I've had the same experience myself when contacting other places though!)

I’m sorry I can’t help you op, but just wanted to say that I’d also love to wfh full time - and all the better if I never had to speak on a bloody phone or have to interact very much with people.

I find most conversations and meetings nowadays to be non productive, whereas conveying the information in an email and then allowing me to get on with whatever actions are contained within is the most sensible and productive use of time.

All the interactions and small talk that pops up is mentally exhausting for me.

This role is in banking, previous experience is really a mix of admin/office type roles and physical roles. But not qualified in anything specific unfortunately.

What are all the usual places that you’ve looked ? I’m on a FB group that only features WFH role for example

You mean the AI chatbot?

Really? What industry do you do it for? I don’t enter into queries with them anymore as it’s bad for my blood pressure. I wait and ring customer service instead so I’m not really surprised your company is going back to phones.

But can I ask how many people you reply to at the same time? Are you secretly happy when people give up and close out of the chat box mid query. Does anything happen when negative feedback is received or do people not care?

No that isn’t what I meant.

Have you tried your local county council for admin roles? A lot of those are WFH these days.

But most organisations, if they haven't already, are replacing the human being responding to those livechats, with AI. Which is presumably why the OP no longer has a role.

I'm checking daily on places like Indeed, CV Library, WFH Hub on FB, the Charity Jobs website.

Google is full of spam jobs, and Reed seems to have a lot of junk on there too.

Found a couple of other websites, I think Flexa and Welcome to the Jungle but they seem to concentrate more on management roles so they're not much use for me.

It was only around 18 months ago I was going through the same process with job searching, it's feeling very Groundhog Day at the moment 😔

Maybe read the thread. The OP has already covered all your incorrect assumptions.

See I'd have thought I was asking for the impossible before I found this role, which makes it all the more frustrating that it's being taken away.

It's been a real breath of fresh air, just being left alone to get on with my work. I just hope I find something similar eventually, I can't bear the thought of going back to all the workplace nonsense again, it almost broke me last time.

Check your local council and social housing provider websites. I work for a large organisation similar to these and there's a significant portion of WFH roles or mix of part wfh and part office/out on the road.

What?

It's exactly what the OP alludes to in her first post.

They're moving all staff to a callcentre - so on the phones rather than online chat.

Presumably they are either closing the online chat facility entirely (unlikely) or replacing it with AI (most likely).

Would wfh on the phone really be awful for you? It sounds like office politics is the real issue (it was for me too, I can’t describe how much I disliked colleagues, unnecessary ‘middle’ managers, people scrambling for promotions, clock watching, gossip, commuting).

It's for the banking industry, and all of the response times and feedback are really closely monitored. I'm usually chatting to around 4 people at once, so don't really get people closing the chat before their issue is resolved. They're not getting rid of the chats and going back to phones, but outsourcing the chat roles instead and making us move to telephony, which has been a real kick in the teeth.

Try the telephone work from home at least?

It will be infinitely better than returning to the office.

Oh it absolutely would be awful, I'd take the office politics over working on phones any day which says a lot! I had to take calls in a previous role and hated every second, and that was just occasional customers contacting us. I can't imagine doing it all day constantly.

I’m looking for something similar. I have Patulous Eustachian Tube, which makes speaking for any length of time uncomfortable and tiring.

I’d do any old shit as long as I can do it from home. Telephony is awful but if I can do it in my pyjamas then fine. Beggars choosers and all that.

I WFH in a local gov role but started office then asked to move to WFH. You’ve a right to request flexible working now.

I feel you op. I was wfh for my own business for 10 years. It was bliss. Now I'm part time in another job aswell working with people. It drains the life and soul out of me. There is something about constantly having to be "on" and observed that just drains me of all my energy.

I'm on the work from home Facebook group that has lots of jobs listed on there worth applying and see what happens. Lots of us looking though.

It's a sad world that ai is replacing so much. I was in graphic design/illustrator industry and that has completely changed due to ai.

OP, I am 100% certain we work for the same organisation.

the sad fact is that the customers are currently oblivious to what is happening and how the customer service is going to plummet (it already is).

In terms of wfh jobs, tbh they’re a lot less now, even the companies who do some wfh do have some need to be in the office.

I would keep looking internally though, other agents are applying for and getting other jobs, so while I totally get that telephony is an awful idea, you could still start it and move forward once something new comes up.

To the poster who said that these functionalities are being replaced by AI, they’re not. ost of them are being replaced by companies outsourcing abroad.