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ForumsThe following is a paid review. However, it completely of my own opinion and is not influenced by being paid.
PaidSupport.com is a web platform that connects computer experts like us to customers who are in need of phone support. As a technician, you can supplement your existing income by signing up and listing the areas you specialize in like computer repair, hardware, software, wireless and PDAs. You then set the hours you are available to receive a call and then enter your real phone number. PaidSupport.com will give you a 800 number with an extension so people can call you directly. The PaidSupport.com website will list your details and will show you as available for help if its between the hours you set. If the customer calls while you are unavailable or outside your set hours, they have the option to schedule a future appointment with you.
As for getting paid, you can specify a flat rate, a per minute rate or a combination like $10 for the first 5 minutes and $1 for every following minute.
PaidSupport.com handles all the billing involved because the customers have to specify a credit card during signup and when you finish helping the customer, the fee will be transferred to your account minus PaidSupports cut of 30% profit (30% if they supplied you the customer, 20% if you supplied the customer from your own site) and $0.10 per call minute. It appears that PaidSupport have allowed for the ability to introduce other plans so you may be able to lower those figures if you pay extra outright or something. On the 25th of each month you’ll receive your choice of a check or direct deposit as payment for your previous months earnings.
If you don’t have your own means to accept payment per minute for support calls, you can also use your special unbranded number and place a special button on your site supplied by PaidSupport if you are willing to let PaidSupport take their 20% cut.
From a customer perspective, when the client needs some phone support, they go to the site and are shown a list of computer experts that are currently available to take a call. If they need an answer to a very specific problem like a Microsoft Excel problem, they can choose that topic and be shown a list of technicians who have marked themselves as Microsoft Excel experts. Once they have settled on a technician they can press start call, it initiates the call and once the call has finished the client is charged appropriately.
Another feature that is interesting is PaidSupports Affiliate Program that allows you to earn a 10% ongoing commission from every support call on all referred members. Basically, that means if a client calls your current business with a problem outside your scope, refer them to PaidSupport and you’ll make 10% of the profit if they use the service. If they use the again at a later time, you’ll get 10% of the profit again for as long as they keep calling. Not a bad way to cash in on clients you would have turned away without making a cent.
PaidSupport.com is a very new site (earliest press release I could find was dated April 20th 2009) so don’t expect your phone to be ringing off the hook as soon as you sign up but as they increase in popularity you can expect more calls.
If you would like to supplement your income, check out PaidSupport.com. If telephone support isnt your thing, check out the affiliate program anyway to cash in on clients you would usually just turn away.
Brings back flashbacks of the couple years I spent doing phone tech support (ugh!). But maybe as a supplemental gig and not full-time like when I HAD to do it for a living. Plus the affiliate program sounds cool. Thanks for the option!
I think isn’t a bad thing, but it’s not a GREAT thing either. I’m sure we’ve all read on technibble about how people (techs basically) do NOT like doing phone support.
I think we could make it not as annoying if we can login on the customer’s PC while we give phone support, which makes it less painful for both tech and customer, but even then so, sometimes it’s just simpler, faster, and less painful for everyone to have the tech just fix it themselves either remotely, on-site, or in-shop, depending on what it is.
I’ve found that whenever the customer is directly involved in the process of fixing something, it’s always slower and more cumbersome than if the tech just does it themselves.
This phone support site isn’t a bad thing though because you may get some income from places you otherwise would not, and maybe your business is down in this down economy. I can see both the good and the bad in it.
Well unless PaidSupport pays a ton of money in advertising the customers won’t be able to find their site anyway. And even tho you might be able to specify prices you want to charge it will be hard to compete with people that are listed at $1 per minute…so that is $60 an hour…then minus the cut PaidSupport takes. What are you left with?
If you are set on doing phone support for “your area then you can do remotes yourself and not need another company taking cut.
Sounds pretty pricey to me… I don’t know about 20-30% margins for hosting a pbx with a call pay per use function. Gotta give it to them for trying to make $… but I’ll leave this for the “Pizza Techs”.
I just signed up for a new Expert account! They have a great interface and excellent web call buttons with a phone number. While I see they take a portion of the revenue, I don’t mind it since it’s business I would have never have had those customers in the first place! Everyone deserves money since they are doing alot of the advertising. I just sent them an email and they were extremely responsive.
Jeremy
This is US only right? I’m in Australia and I wouldn’t mind doing a 7-10pm shift to gain a bit of extra cash after my normal work day.
I checked them out yesterday when I got notice they were following me on Twitter.
I suppose it might be legit (didn’t check to see if it’s actually working in Canada or not). I’d like to hear from one or two people that have done some work through them.
USA telephone numbers only, guys. I’d love to apply for this apportunity to expand my business but I have no USA telephone number.
Mu business is in Fortaleza, Brazil.
Thanks for the write-up. I noticed they requested to follow me on Twitter today.
I don’t have the patience for telephone support. I would consider being a paid support tech if it had remote control capability.
I’m seeing a wide range of pricing. I’d bet the $5/call techs are getting all the calls vs. the $40/call techs.
The affiliate program is interesting. What happens if a customer is not satisfied with the support they receive – or if the tech was not able to solve their problem? Can they get a refund?
“I’m seeing a wide range of pricing. I’d bet the $5/call techs are getting all the calls vs. the $40/call techs.”
It may do pretty well here in the US. When I was working phone support I couldn’t tell you how many people were thrilled to not be talking to someone in the Middle East (no offense meant to you Middle Eastern techs). We used to get calls from customers that sometimes even knew we wouldn’t support their issue, but they would try us anyhow just to avoid the accent barrier. So I know just for that fact, there will be people willing to pay.
But on the other note, the cheap techs will definitely beat out the pricier techs. Unless it becomes widely known that the cheaper techs can’t fix a sandwich, then the tables may turn.
To give more consistent value-added service, PaidSupport.com should provide the online connection between the customer and technician.
I wonder what steps they are taking to prevent criminals from using their service to access unsuspecting people’s computers. Maybe I am a bit paranoid but this looks like a hacker’s dreamland – - someone paying them to give access to their computers.
ugh. as soon as i see the word “affiliate” in anything…
I signed up for them, and even with a US phone number (from Skype), unfortunately if you are outside of the US it still won’t work for you, as you need a Social Security Number to get paid, which is a bit of a shame.
If anyone knows of any way to get paid without one (like the way Google Adsense does, where if you are outside the US you agree to handle your own tax within your country), that could possibly work, but there is no option for it.