Help me get through a customer service job and transition into freelance writing.

May 23, 2010 6:55 AM

How do I leave my grinding, soul-crushing technical support job? I want to be a freelance copywriter and copyeditor, but I don't know how long it will take to build a solid business.

I'm a recent college grad. I went to a pretty good school and got a fuzzy degree. I've had other jobs post-graduation, but for the sake of anonymity, I won't list them here. I took a job late last year in front-line technical support, which I have hated since I started. I am introverted, I love to write (I have my sights set on an MFA in nonfiction writing), and I love working hard in solitude; this job requires me to answer the phone in a busy environment and talk to angry strangers all day long. I got this job because I have experience in telemarketing and am tech-savvy, but prior years of cold-calling and the stress of my current job have left me completely burned out on customer service. My team is understaffed and disorganized, and I am starting to feel numbed out and tired--not just body-tired, but really spiritually sick. I have always thought of myself as a gentle person, but I am appalled at how much I hate people now. I have cried on my way home from work. I have thrown up in the morning before going. I am not interested in helping anyone fix their stupid problems any more.

Needless to say, I have been thinking about quitting.

The catch is that I have $3000 of credit card debt I ran up during a period of unemployment last year, and only a very small savings. I've decided to stay at my job another 9-10 months to pay down the card and save like crazy so I can support myself for 6 months after leaving. I've been reading The Well-Fed Writer by Peter Bowerman, and The Copywriter's Handbook by Bob Bly, not to mention a big stack of books about copyediting and proofreading. I am well-versed in HTML/CSS and a number of Content Management Systems, so I think I have a leg up in writing for the web. I've been working on samples for my portfolio--fake brochures, ads, and case studies, which I actually totally love. I've also volunteered myself as a proofreader for all my friends in grad school, which looks like it will land me a nice pile of practice work. The self-promoting and marketing aspects of freelancing don't bother me at all; I'm totally cool with calling strangers and having a friendly chat about potential work. Professional networking between peers has a very different flavor and power dynamic from telemarketing and tech support/customer service.

I'd like to make a go of freelance commercial writing after I quit, but I'm worried about financial stability. I live in a large city in the US--in fact, one of the really big ones--so I am not worried about my potential client pool.

1. How long did it take you to become a successful freelance writer? "Successful" for me means "Earning $1200-$1500/month", as my expenses are very low. Is 6 months reasonable?

2. Even more important, do you have any tips for toughing out a crappy customer service job in the meantime? Teach me to love again, Metafilter.

I've read through the old AskMe posts on how to become a freelance writer; in fact, that's where I learned about the books I've been reading. I am not looking for tips on how to do it. I am looking for people who have done it who can tell me if I'm crazy, and I'm also looking for ways to survive my job in the meantime. If you want to talk to me directly, my throwaway email is [e-mail]. Thanks all.

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (11 answers total)

I do not know anything about commercial writing, but I advise you not to seek a career as a freelance copyeditor. It is a difficult field to break into even if you have contacts and friends and an excellent professional reputation in the business. Without all of those things, you will find it nigh impossible to get work, much less consistent and relatively well-paying work, as a freelance copyeditor.
posted by shamash at 7:34 AM on May 23, 2010

I'm guessing you have really good reasons for pursuing copywriting instead of technical writing, but since you love to write and need a way to survive your current job, have you thought about bringing technical writing to your job? Does your company have a knowledgebase to help your team answer customer questions? If it doesn't, shouldn't it have one? Couldn't you be the one to do this?

The benefits to this plan: Gradually changes your job into one that has more writing and less answering the phone, gives you portfolio items (for technical writing, but writing nonetheless), and gives a backup in case the copywriting alone doesn't cover your bills (as technical writing pays much, much more than $1200 - $1500 per month).
posted by Houstonian at 7:43 AM on May 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

Freelancing does require a lot of meet-n-greet, building contacts lists, asking for references from those you've worked for in the past, being willing to answer the phone during non-business hours, lots of things that introverts tend not to like. Expect to take about five years to build up a client list that makes your living comfortable. Also expect to take on a lot of work that you can do but isn't ideal. For instance, you know HTML / CSS and that's what a lot of folks need right now so you'd be doing a lot of web-site fixing with maybe a tiny amount of copy editing thrown in to fix the broken prose on Joe the Plumber's website. The successful freelancers I've known also tend to be the type to quit the job first and ask questions about how to pay the rent later.
posted by TeatimeGrommit at 9:10 AM on May 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

Please don’t hate me OP because this is probably not what you want to hear.

First, I am a relatively new freelance writer (1.5 years), but I met your criteria as "successful" even during the first month. I also started my freelance writing career by just quitting (none of this work part time/build up freelance work in during free time while working etc) and it worked out okay. However,

With the parameters that you list, I strongly suggest that you follow a different plan than quit your job and launch into a fulltime freelance writing or editing career. Perhaps follow Houstonian’s idea (great idea/get a specialty at your workplace). Or, if you live in a large city, get a job as a fulltime (or most of your time) writer. Don’t quit your job until you get this. Work at the new workplace as a writer for whatever amt of time that you need and then quit. However, 1) get a savings of at least 3 months if not more before you quit, 2) get samples that you can use for the industry, and 3) make contacts – all your coworkers/fellow writers/editors, etc.

I worked for ~2 years at jobs that had a large writing component. I am pretty sure that this is one reason that I am still working as a freelancer right now (because your contacts/former friends will think of you, recommend you, etc). In addition, I did have work lined up during the first few months that I was a freelancer and I was working all the time. I turned my projects in on time and followed all the requirements. The client then took 5 months to pay me. Had I not had savings it would have been over. I’m more savy now about putting the word “pay within 30 days” on my contract and having a conversation with a potential client, but I can’t emphasize how you will deal with slow payers. If you have credit card debt now you will not e in good shape.

In addition, working as a writer for one of my former employers really helped me. For example, I used my time in my former company to work closely with the editor and our editor even gave us a class. I looked closely at the rates that we were paid by other companies. Finally, I paid attention to procedures that were in place (this includes working on projects that don’t go well) - this will help you work with potential clients. In other words, I viewed my last work place as a training program for my freelance career - it wasn't as painful.

So I think that yes, it can be done (a person can earn that amt/month even when a person is just starting), but I don't think that you are in that place yet. Be patient and get a job/experiecce working for someone as a writer

I know that you don't want tips on "how" to do this, but I am also going to stress - pick something (a topic area, niche that you really like) and specialitze. That's another reason that I'm still working. I've had those bad months, but also really good months in terms of work and pay. I would never have that happen without specializing. That is another reason that you may want to do the technical writing aspect, etc.

If you want to talk shop, brainstorm, or ask for ideas before you jump, feel free to memail me. I’m still glad that I jumped and would do it again. I just think it may be better if you get a little more experience under your belt. Good luck.

posted by Wolfster at 9:11 AM on May 23, 2010 [2 favorites]

I would start looking for a different day job so that you can regain some sanity. You can still work on your freelance career, but if you can find a different job, you can keep the regular pay/benefits. It sounds like you've got a good portfolio in the works, so you can use this in support of that search. It doesn't hurt to send out resumes to test the waters!
posted by stefnet at 9:15 AM on May 23, 2010

I'm with Houstonian - is there any way you can spin your current position into involving more writing? Documentation for users, documentation for employees, monitoring a customer support forum and responding there? If you've been exposed to the technical issues for a while and have a good grasp on them, and you're a good speller (never mind writer) -- you are a rare treat for customers seeking written assistance! Your supervisor may not be thrilled with you asking for time off the phones, but if you find some sort of niche where the work isn't being done, and just start doing it, it might be easier to make the case to him/her.

As for tech support making you hate people... well. I did a few years working in a call center in high school and later did tech support, and yeah. There's only so much you can do when you're getting shot at by default. What I used to do to try and not just take abuse all day was to sort of make it into a game. Fall back on your language skills and your telemarketing sales experience: the bits about using words to manipulate, how to spin the benefits of things so it's all about the customer.

You say you're not interested in fixing their stupid problems anymore? Don't worry about their stupid problems, then. Don't invest in whether or not you can get it working -- realistically, some problems really are stupid and unfixable for whatever reason, so don't make those your barometer of happiness. Start thinking of the calls in terms of you and what you did. Sure, you still have to try and fix their issue -- but that's just the means by which you are going to play the language game. Step back from just responding, and really get into your words and phrasing and the mannerisms you can exploit -- things like smiling, which I think really does come through, or agreeing with the customer. A well-timed "you know, you're totally right" is a key tool in the phone arsenal. (See how I just used "you" twice there? Two points for me!) Think of support as what you're selling, and if you can convince them that they really need what it is you've got, even if what you've got is a request that they reboot their modem, then I think it might be easier on you. I really found comfort in working on using language skillfully. I can't change the post office, and I can't make their order arrive not late, but I can sympathize all day long about it. If the conversation is shouty and full of dire pronouncements of you and your company and everything you have ever breathed upon, stop listening to the shoutiness and start examining the words, and figure out how you can weasel in some sort of comfort. What is your "in"? The call is no longer about terrible injustices done to your customer, it's now just an exercise in how you can put words together in the best way possible to make them stop being bitter. It distances you a little from the immediacy of the conversation, which is really what I'm trying to pitch to you. That's why I said it's like a game, they're not truly interactions anymore, they're you trying to see if you can make someone do something -- if your customer remains shouty, OK, well, Pac Man got eaten by a really bitchy ghost. But if you can get someone to stop shouting or maybe even say "thanks" at the end of the call, you totally won one. You are the wordsmith! Look at you and your mad features-and-benefits skills, getting people to actually reboot instead of just yelling that they already did! Crazy! And mark it down on a tally sheet or glue a sticker to your notebook every time you convert a screamer. Stickers are awesome, and they are always there for you every time Captain Irrational is on the line. Good luck with it, and at least it's only another 10 months before you're free forever!
posted by sldownard at 9:18 AM on May 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'm going to let better-qualified parties answer the questions about freelance writing and focus on this one:

I love to write (I have my sights set on an MFA in nonfiction writing)

I'm speaking as someone who, fairly recently, got her MFA in poetry from a pretty highly ranked school. This should not be what you're setting your sights on. An MFA is a means-to-an-end, not an end. An MFA is what you get when you want funded time to write and interact with other writers. In fact, if you're writing at all now, while gainfully employed, I might suggest that you should think better of the MFA: if you're capable of writing while making a living wage, you're doing better than the vast majority of (fresh out of college and unaware of their greater job prospects) MFA students, who aren't capable, or believe themselves incapable, of writing while in a normal employment situation. This should be bullhonkey, of course--if you're going to be a living, working writer, you need to be able to live and work in addition to your writing until the time when you become financially able to support yourself with your writing. Because, frankly, you're going to find yourself in the exact same sort of situation upon graduating: you'll need a job; you'll need to take care of your living situation, have electricity in your house, and eat; and you'll need to be able to write while you're doing so if you're really serious about this Writing Thing.

And if you're considering a non-funded MFA, think again. Don't do it. Don't do it! It won't qualify you for most work any better than you are currently, mostly, and if you take a spot at an unfunded school, you won't be competitive for the adjuncting jobs you will be qualified for, because you won't have the teaching experience that many MFAs have. And you'll have tens of thousands of dollars of debt to contend with, to boot.

An MFA doesn't make you a writer. Writing makes you a writer. So I'd take a long, hard look at why this is your stated goal, and whether you can get what you want out of the degree. I'd caution you not to listen to places like the creative writing/MFA blogs that are out there, many of which are run by people who make money out of helping people with their portfolios, or who have created a platform for their other writing by raking in the google page hits for "MFA application advice." These people profit from an unfounded belief in young writers that MFAs are the only valid road towards becoming a real working writer. This is completely false, of course. But you won't hear them say that.

Feel free to MeMail me, of course, if you want more advice from the MFA frontlines.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:56 AM on May 23, 2010 [2 favorites]

I know nothing about becoming a writer, but I did work for a year in tech support. At some point, it got to be so frustrating that I would actually punch the wall of my cube during certain calls, and customers would ask, "What's that noise?" and I'd reply, "Oh, I think a printer is having problems."

Here's some things that got me through it. Some of it was kind of job-specific, but I hope some of it can apply to your situation.

1. We provided support through the phone and through email. The phone calls were by far the most time-consuming and soul-punishing. Whenever I could, I found an excuse to move an issue from the phone to email. "I think I know what the issue is, but I have to do a little research/testing/consult a colleague. Is it OK if I look into this now and send you an email in the next couple of hours?" Sometimes they said no, I need you to hold my hand through this, but it worked some of the time which was good enough.

2. If an issue popped up twice (or sometimes even just once), I'd write a knowledge base article about it. I don't know if your company has a knowledge base on its web site, but if it does once you do that, the next time you get a call or email about a particular issue, you can just say, "Oh, this is a known issue, and we've documented how you can deal with it. Let me walk you through getting to it on our web site." Again, sometimes they want you to basically read it to them, but even doing that makes the call a little easier than approaching it without a script. You can sort of tune out a little bit when you have something like that.

3. If you have a particularly galling customer that's really making you hate life, and you can't shunt him to email, find a reason to put him on hold, while you calm yourself down and pull your perspective out of their pathos. You need to look something up or consult an engineer or a colleague. While they're on hold, get up and go to the bathroom or take a few deep breaths and try to go back into the call as detached as possible.

4. If this is a computer-related product, get your manager to let you use LogMeIn or some other remote desktop tool for particularly hard-to-communicate-with customers. Sometimes, just doing something for the customer is far faster than describing to them how to do it.

5. If it's a "Hey, I want you to know that I'm a smart guy, and normally, I wouldn't have to call tech support, but..." kind of customer, put them to work. These guys are sometimes willing to do tests without much direction. Frame it with something like, "Hey, I wouldn't suggest this to most customers, but why don't you try looking into whether or not you get the same IP after messing with the options in this one panel." And they're more amenable to moving things to email.

6. If your company has a support forum, volunteer to be the person that is responsible for answering the questions there in exchange for fewer phone shifts. Like email, answering questions on online forums is way less intense. You can pitch this as "I can help X times more customers this way and cut the phone queue down." And that's probably true. Unfortunately, preventative measures are sometimes a hard sell to some managers.

7. Even if you don't have much in common with them, try talking to your fellow support people. You at least have your rough job in common, and commiseration does actually help you feel better.
posted by ignignokt at 10:05 AM on May 23, 2010

Tell your customers you understand them. As an introvert myself, I have no clue why this has such a massive effect on people, but it works. There's a very deep mechanism in humans that makes it impossible for them to be aggressive if you say you understand them. It's like magic, really.
posted by dhoe at 12:32 PM on May 23, 2010

God I wish I could favourite Wolfster's comment a million times. Heed her advice, it's great, great advice.

I'd like to make a go of freelance commercial writing after I quit, but I'm worried about financial stability.

If this is true, you are picking possibly the wrong career, and definitely the wrong way of going about it. Sadly for you, a portfolio of made up stuff won't get you the kind of jobs/work you're talking about. Real stuff will. So start finding small, paid jobs asap _and do it whilst you stay at a job (doesn't have to be this one) _that actually pays the bills_.

I'm not trying to shit on your dreams here, but I really want to highlight a fairly common misconception that seems to be out there (I blame people selling books and courses about this to make them money): there are very few copywriters in the literal sense of the word left out there. Very few.

The reason is specialisation: people want a speech-writer, they'll hire one. People want IT case study writers, they hire someone from a firm that employs a stable of them. People want production work from a video or something, they'll talk to a production agency. People want a brochure or what-have-you, they pay an advertising agency who will 9 times out of 10 have one or several writers on staff.

Even agencies that essentially keep their house writers on freelance arrangements; they have a select stable they have worked with for a long time, and it will be *hard* to break into it. A phone call and a coffee - unless the agency is run off their feet with work and you call at exactly the right time - won't do it. Word of mouth will do it, maybe. But you have to be a real writer with real chops, and no offence at all whatsoever, but you definitely are not there yet. You might be one day, but from a hiring perspective, you represent a huge unknown risk - regardless of your writing ability. Believe it or not, writing ability is not the be-all and end-all with freelancing; there are many other factors that come into play - sometimes into primacy - and hirers like to know you can ace those things too, because freelancers are expensive (even the cheap ones) compared to going in-house.

Oh btw, all of the above applies a trillion-fold to "proof-reading" and "editing" jobs. Ha ha ha ha. In all my years (only about nine, but still) of both freelancing, and working PR, I have never never never seen or had a job that was proof-reading or editing in the real sense of the word. I'm not saying they don't exist, actually, I effectively am. Forget it. People don't want to pay someone $200 to emulate a spell check and tighten up their grammar. It doesn't happen; they can get that in-house, and they would rather pay $300 and get the whole package.

I could go on, but I'll boil it down:

1. Get high quality work (paid or not) that - crucially - will be representative of the work you will want/expect to be paid for down the track. Note: editing theses is not this work; pick something where there is/will be a lot of demand, i.e. commercial writing.

2. Pick a specialisation. Doesn't matter what it is. In my opinion being a subject expert rather than a format expert is the way to go. Especially if you pick an opaque or hard to find experts in subject.

4. Don't quit your job for this, for the love of god, especially not when you're in debt.

5. I'm not saying don't do this, but be aware you will be entering a sector flooded by former journalists at the moment. Flooded. The closer you get to doing something like journalism, the more difficult you will find getting work.

6. Consider moving into writing from current or other jobs. Use your technical know-how to change your support job to a higher level support, or writing support documentation. Don't underestimate lateral steps.

6. Be aware that freelancing is not necessary the varietal and stimulating job a lot of people envisage. Doing it well is a lot like running any kind of small business. If you could see yourself running a small business, it might be for you. If that idea is repugnant, reconsider and try getting hired somewhere else.

Good luck. This can be done, but you need to spend less time reading those stupid copywriting books

(note to anybody reading: if every single freelancer in the country bought those books, the authors would lose money; they are not made for people who are doing/will do the job, they are essentially fantasy novels for people unhappy with their current jobs who fancy themselves as writers, and writing as a key to a sense of self-worth and happiness. If they actually worked, there would be hundreds of thousands of writers. Remember this. Writing is just a job, it is not a self-worth potion),

and more time around people who either do it for a living, or pay people who do it for a living. Don't hate me, good luck.
posted by smoke at 5:53 PM on May 23, 2010

its' tough. I have been almost precisely where you are and it's a long tough road.. but take heart there is a brighter future ahead.

First off, before dicing int o an entirely new (and uncertain) career have you considered a sideways move with your existing skills first? I have done the tele-support hell and I know only to well how soul sucking and mind numbing it can be. FAcing hostility from strangers all day every day takes a special kind of type of personality which not is not everyone's niche skill.

Have you considered moving to face to face (or desk-side) support for a team within a company?

technical support ( and dioagnostics) is a wide range in IT, and telephone support is just one strand. I am in no way telling you to give up on your copywriting aspirations, but leaving your current position entirely to fly with a small financial parachute for 6 months is a risky, risky choice.

Staying in your current position to clear credit card debt is a level headed move, but try to minimise the psychological and health risks of staying in a job you obviously hate.

Like i said, I have been pretty much were you are and I was lucky enough to leave that position and then go work fpr a small company (IT team of 3) doing desk-side support. That position helped me gain confidence in what I want to do, recognise what I'm naturally skilled at and also help me regain a positive attitude to work and helping people. I've now moved entirely away from IT support, and I am very very happy because the longer I stayed in that role, the more I disliked the people I was trying to help !

good luck I wish you all the best.
posted by Faintdreams at 4:44 AM on May 24, 2010