Working from home is not a scam!

I read a post on the Allstayathome blog that really ticked me off ... it was about how misinformed a lot of people still are about working from home, even though blogs like Allstayathome, as well as the other blogs I have listed on this site, provide information about legitimate work from home opportunities.  Working from home is a reality, people, not a scam.  Yes, there are work at home scams out there - that's why it's important to do your homework when you're considering a work at home opportunity.  For more information on this topic, check out the post on Allstayathome.

What do you have to rant about?

As you can all tell, I haven't had anything to rant about lately, which is good, but unfortunately it means I also haven't had any updates for this blog.. LOL.  So for right now I'm doing an open post that I hope will generate some ideas for me... what work from home related issues do you have to rant about?

Be courteous to the people you talk to

This is something else that seems basic to me... be courteous when talking to people on the phone, especially when you're applying for a product or service.  When I talk about being courteous, I'm not just talking about watching your language, either - I've actually had instances where I've been on the phone with someone and they've asked me to hold on while they take another call.  I know people don't like to wait forever to talk to someone - neither do I - but remember when you call someone to order a product or service, there are often other people waiting on hold, so unless you absolutely have to take a call, please ask the person that's calling you if you can call them back in a few minutes.  It will make things go much faster for both you and the person you're talking to.

Be prepared!

To me, this is basic - something we should have learned in school.  Being prepared is so important, especially if you're calling to order something, or to put in an application for something.  Places that take phone orders or applications are often swamped, so it's very important that you have the information they need.  Obviously things like your name, address and phone number are easy - but depending on what you're ordering or applying for, you may need to provide your social security number or credit card information, so if you don't know that information off the top of your head, be sure you've got it ready when you call.

Rant - When You Say You're Going to do Something, Do it!

I recently got a call from an agent complaining because he'd put in a request for an applicant to be called - the interviewer who took the request said that the applicant would be called right away - however the agent called back later to say that the applicant hadn't been called and it had been 30 minutes since the request was put in.  The interviewer should have called the applicant right away if they needed to be called right away, or else told a supervisor that the applicant needed to be called right away if they weren't able to call the applicant right away.  If the interviewer was unable to do either of these things, they should not have told the agent that they would be called right away.   Not following through on something like this can hurt a company's reputation, so when you say you're going to do something, or that something will be done right away, be sure to follow through.