Phone Handler Wanted

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I'm rewriting this job description as Family Communications Manager, as I've gotten a bit more clarity on what would be most useful to us. The information below is now somewhat off the focus of what we are looking for, though it may still have some useful details.

Old Description

(Written by Woozle) We need someone to make (and occasionally answer) phone calls, partly for stuff related to Sandy's kids (especially Josh) and partly for stuff related to vbz.net. Additional light secretarial work is a possibility.

What We Want

• Ability to make and receive phone calls, keep track of details, etc.
• Must be friendly, trustworthy, and reliable
• Computer experience a plus; not required
• Experience with kids is a plus, not required -- but ability to handle kids being around (and sometimes loud) is probably a must. If you were interested in doing childsitting as well (either concurrently or as a separate gig so the two tasks don't interfere with each other), that would be a huge plus. We do our best to keep the kids under control when they are around (especially if phone calls are being made), and sometimes they won't be around, but inevitably there will be times...
• Ability to handle paperwork (tax forms, etc.) a plus

Details

We seem to have a large number of phone calls to make. We are also both highly phone-phobic. We use email whenever we can, but sometimes people just don't respond to email, or insist that a phone call is the only way to do things, or don't have an email address. (We also will go in person rather than making a phone call, but this is time-consuming and not always possible.) So we work up the nerve to make necessary calls whenever we can, but unfortunately the number of phone calls we are able to talk ourselves into doing is never enough to keep up with the accumulating list.

We also could use some help dealing with paperwork (taxes, filing, scanning); this is optional, but could be a way to up the number of hours to something more cost-effective for you.

Calls Needed

This is just the current list; it changes regularly. Things get busier at certain times of the year, too -- e.g. in October through December, the volume of orders and inquiries at vbz.net increases rather dramatically; January and February are deadline months for summer activities for the kids;...

• Home insurance: Sandy's mortgage requires homeowner's insurance. We got as far as having someone come out and do a quick inspection of the house, but then they never got back with us. The mortgage company didn't say anything for over a year, but now they're going to force the insurance (probably at a much higher rate) if we don't get it within 60 days (the notice was sometime in December, I think, so we basically have until the end of January). done
• Josh, Sandy's autistic son: endless problems getting him signed up for services which are supposedly available (and from which we could all benefit)
• vbz.net occasionally needs to contact a customer about a declined credit card; customers also occasionally call to ask questions or place orders. I (Woozle) cringe every time that phone rings, although I've been pretty good about answering it. If someone were available to answer it during certain hours, I could make that official on the vbz website and we might even get more business -- thus making it possible to hire a phone person for more hours (and/or a higher rate), etc.

Rates

This is where I'm at a bit of a loss. We can't afford a whole lot right now, but we don't actually need very many hours per week. I don't want to offer too low a rate and get someone who really isn't up to the task, but obviously we don't want to go too far in the other direction either. Sandy is on a fixed income and I only make a little bit, highly variable, from sales at vbz.net. So suggest a rate, or a range.

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