FAQs Arise UK THE BASICS 1. What is Homeshoring? 2. Who is Arise? 3. What are the benefits of becoming a Client Support Professional with Arise in the UK? 4. What does the work involve? 5. What is a CSP? 6. What is an IBO? 7. Are there any limitations on the type of incorporated entity I can use? 8. Are we responsible for our own taxes, or is this handled automatically? 9. How does Arise pay its IBOs? EARNINGS AND HOURS 10. How much money can I expect to make? 11. How many hours can I work? 12. How do I get paid? 13. If I have booked hours and no calls come through, do I still receive payment for that shift? 14. Am I guaranteed a certain number of hours? 15. Is it possible to take time off? 16. Do I get paid holidays/sick leave? 17. How much tax will I have to pay on my earnings? 18. Can I change my schedule at short notice? 19. Can I service calls for multiple clients? 20. Can I service outside the UK? 21. How long are the contracts with Arise? Do they vary? 22. What are the reasons for why Arise might terminate a contract? START UP COSTS AND OTHER EXPENSES 23. Are there any start up costs involved? 24. Will there be other expenses involved once I begin? 25. How much is the Arise Monthly Service Fee? SETTING UP A LIMITED COMPANY 26. Why do I need a Limited Company? 27. How do I set up a Limited Company? 28. Do I need to set up a business bank account or can I use my personal account? 29. When and how do I get results during and after completing the Admissions process? 30. How do I contact the Arise Admissions Department? 31. Why is a Background Check required and what are the deciding factors in passing? THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS 32. What experience do I need before I can apply? 33. What does the Admissions process involve? 34. I already have a background check, can I use it? 35. If I have any convictions, will this stop me from continuing with the Admissions process? 36. I received my disclosure back from Disclosure Scotland. What do I need to do? 37. How do I gain access to CSP101? 38. I have completed Admissions, what is the next step? 39. I failed part of the Admissions process. What is my next step? 40. No classes are available. What should I do? 41. I have seen a class on which I would like to enrol. What next? 42. Where and when are classes held? TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS 43. What are the technical requirements? 44. How do I contact Arise technical support? 45. What type of phone line do I need? 46. Do I need a headset to take calls? 1
47. I have a telephone line that I do not use, can I use this line? 1. What is Homeshoring? THE BASICS Homeshoring is the name given to the practice of transferring service industry work out of offices and call centres to home-based workers. The New York Times described homeshoring as "a sibling of offshoring, but while offshoring uses agents in call centres based overseas, homeshoring literally keeps agents at home, where technology has enabled them to work effectively". 2. Who is Arise? Arise is the only homeshoring organisation in the United Kingdom whose business model depends on people just like you: entrepreneurial self-starters who have a desire to manage their own time and workload. Thousands of Independent Business Owners have affiliated with Arise, because we make it easy to find rewards for your hard work, service well-known brands, and balance your career with your personal life all from the convenience of your home office. Please take a look at our social media sites for more news and information: www.facebook.com/arise.intl www.twitter.com/arise_intl http://blog.arise.com/uk/ 3. What are the benefits of becoming a Client Support Professional with Arise in the UK? Once you become a Client Support Professional, you will have: The flexibility to service Arise s clients from the comfort of your own home at the times that you choose. The ability to set your own schedule in half hour increments and to plan your work around your personal life and other commitments. 4. What does the work involve? You will choose the client you wish to service. The work typically consists of taking inbound calls involving customer service. There can be an element of sales involved. Current opportunities are visible on the Arise portal during the Admissions process. Opportunity announcements are also sent out via email to those who have completed Admissions. Please take a look at these in detail before expressing interest, as they will give you further information about client specific certification classes and an idea of the kind of work involved with the specific client. 2
5. What is a CSP? CSP stands for Client Support Professional. What that means is an individual who has gone through the initial assessment steps (detailed in the What does the Admissions process involve? section, below) and who has successfully completed the CSP101 Basic Certification programme. Once an individual has CSP Certification it means they are ready to set up as an IBO (see below) and be matched with a client. 6. What is an IBO? IBO stands for Independent Business Owner. An Independent Business Owner is simply a person who owns an incorporated entity (for example, a Limited Company) and operates their business through it. You can read more details in the Setting up a limited company section. 7. Are there any limitations on the type of incorporated entity I can use? You must join or form a Limited Company. You may want to consult your accountant for information on how to proceed. Alternatively you can contact one of the following Accountancy Firms that are keen to work with UK CSPs http://www.arise.com/potential-accountancy-firms/. You also may research how to form your own incorporated entity on your own. 8. Are we responsible for our own taxes, or is this handled automatically? As the owner of your corporation you are responsible for your own taxes as well as any for your Client Support Professional employees. 9. How does Arise pay its IBOs? Independent Business Owners are paid Service Revenues by Arise via direct deposit into their corporate bank accounts once a month on the 9th (covering the entire month). If the 9th of the month falls on a weekend or public holiday, the funds are made available the next business day. Arise provides Independent Business Owners with a report each payment period. The report is broken down by the fees attributable to the services performed by each Client Support Professional employee of your corporation. REVENUE AND HOURS 10. How much money can my IB expect to make? Independent Business Owners receive payment from Arise UK for services rendered in any one of three ways: per call, per talked minute, or per hour. All of these methods should result in an average hourly revenue of 6 to 11 per hour. Of course, revenue will vary from client to client, and some opportunities will include a bonus or incentive for achieving established targets. 11. How many hours can I service? 3
Every opportunity will have a minimum number of hours that each CSP will be required to service per week. This will depend upon the actual needs of the client. The minimum requirement can be as low as 10 hours per week, but this will vary from client to client. Some clients might also require that a small amount of hours be serviced at weekends. 12. How must my IB get paid? Independent Businesses partnering with Arise UK will receive revenue in any one of three ways: per call, per talked minute or per hour. You will find payment details for the individual client in the relevant Opportunity Announcement. Payments are processed monthly, on the 9th of each month or the nearest working day thereafter. Payments are made by direct deposit into the IBO s business bank account. 13. If I have booked hours and no calls come through, do I still receive revenue for that shift? Arise manages the call volume by making shifts available to a different number of CSPs depending on the volume of calls expected for a particular shift, to ensure that all CSPs receive a high volume of calls when servicing. CSPs can expect to be on calls between 85% - 95% of the time they are logged in our system. 14. Am I guaranteed a certain number of hours? Hours are posted weekly and you will book your schedule on a first-come, first-served basis. For this reason, Arise cannot guarantee a minimum number of hours; however, CSPs do not usually have any difficulties finding the hours that they require to work. You can certify for more than one client to ensure a maximum number of hours is available to you. 15. Is it possible to take time off? While the Statement of Work (SOW) will specify the minimum weekly commitment for the application, Arise understand that on occasion, you will not be able to service due to emergencies or other commitments. You should advise us that you will not be servicing for a period of time and will not book any shifts for the period in question. Please keep in mind that as an independent contractor, the decision not to service is yours; however, failure to meet the contractual metrics may negatively affect the IBO s standing. If you are not servicing for 30 consecutive days or more, you might be required to complete the certification class again. 16. Do I get paid holidays/sick leave? Arise is not an employment opportunity. CSPs can take time off but will not receive Service Revenue for the time not servicing. As an independent contractor, the decision not to service is yours; however, failure to meet the contractual metrics may negatively affect the IBO s standing. 4
17. How much tax will I have to pay on my earnings? How much tax you pay will, of course depend on how much you earn. Unfortunately, Arise cannot offer financial advice. However, there are some great resources out there to help you with your tax questions. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/index.htm http://www.taxaid.org.uk http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/tax Arise have identified some accountancy firms across the country who may be able to advice IBOs. See our website for further details. 18. Can I change my schedule at short notice? You can release hours at short notice if necessary. We ask all CSPs to release hours no less than 48 hours in advance. If hours need to be released at shorter notice, this is possible, however it may affect your metrics. Additionally, we provide all CSPs with the ability to swap shifts if a successful swap occurs then there is no negative impact on your metrics. It is also possible to book extra hours at short notice. 19. Can I service calls for multiple clients? Many CSPs are certified and service the calls for multiple clients. However the CSP cannot enrol on two client certification courses at the same time and can only service one client per interval. 20. Can I service outside the UK? Arise UK offers service opportunities in the United Kingdom only. Arise UK is currently not available outside of the UK however the opportunity to service outside UK and/ or to service in another language from within UK may become open in the future. Arise is interested in agents who can speak more than one language. Please be sure to reflect which languages you speak on your profile. Please check our website regularly or become a fan of our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/arise.intl to keep updated on Arise announcements. 21. How long are the contracts with Arise? Do they vary? The standard contract length with Arise is 4 months and will only vary if a CSP is terminated prior to his/her contract end date. 22. What are the reasons for why Arise might terminate a contract? The most common reasons a SOW is terminated are not meeting the minimum SOW service level requirements. Priority Commitment is the most common reason. If a CSP does not meet this requirement for 30 days or more, then the CSP s SOW is in jeopardy. 5
START UP COSTS AND OTHER EXPENSES 23. Are there any start up costs involved? There are no sign up fees payable to Arise, but as with starting any new business, there are costs involved. Agents can determine which of these costs are tax deductible by contacting a reputable accountant. Some potential accountants can be found on the Arise website. The list of costs will vary based on the equipment you already have; providing you already have a computer and a broadband connection. Other start up costs will include: Background Check 25 CSP101 Basic Certification Course 15 Limited Company Up to 40 Dedicated Phone Line 30 to 125 (Many of you will have this already) Telephone keypad & headset Up to 50 Client Specific Certification Course These cost from 50 upwards, but are sometimes offset by a certification bonus payable on successful completion of the course. We ve put together a PDF document to help you get more information on the equipment you ll need, you can download it at: https://portal.arise.com/localization/en-gb/workstation_requirements.pdf 24. Will there be other expenses involved once I begin? Your estimated monthly operating expenses will be: Dedicated Phone Line - 11 from BT/Virgin Media (Once again, this is likely to be a previous fixed cost to many of you). High Speed Internet from around 17 (Like the telephone, many of you are already incurring this cost now without the offset of income). Accountant s fee 25 (if you do not take care of this yourself) Arise UK Monthly Service Fee 20 this will be deducted from your monthly IBO payment prior to the direct deposit. 25. How much is the Arise Monthly Service Fee? The Arise UK Monthly Service Fee of 20 will be deducted from your monthly IBO payment prior to direct deposit. This fee covers the use of Arise s technology systems. It is the choice of the IBO (Independent Business Owner) whether or not to pass this on to their CSPs. The Monthly Service Fee is only payable once you start servicing. If you earned less than 20 in the month, you will not be charged the service fee. SETTING UP A LIMITED COMPANY 26. Why do I need a Limited Company? 6
The Arise model is based on a business-to-business model and we only contract with Limited Companies, whose owners we call Independent Business Owners. You will not be employed by Arise, but instead you will run your own company and work alongside Arise to build your own business. 27. How do I set up a Limited Company? If you already have an existing Limited Company of which you are the principal owner, you may use this to contract with Arise UK. If you don t have a Limited Company you can establish one through Companies House. Their website is: www.companieshouse.gov.uk You may also set up a Limited Company by going through a company formation agent. You can find links to several company formation providers on: http://www.arise.com/uk-how-arise-works Alternatively you can contact one of the following accountancy firms who are keen to work directly with IBOs and can help you set up your own limited company: http://www.arise.com/potential-accountancy-firms You also have the option of operating under an existing Independent Business Owner that is already contracting with Arise, in which case you will not be required to set up your own limited company. You can also email AriseUKinfo@arise.com to request a copy of the Small Business Owner s Guide. You may find this guide helpful in establishing your Limited Company. www.pcg.org.uk/cms/index.php also has a good database of information on starting your own company. 28. Do I need to set up a business bank account or can I use my personal account? If you operate under your own limited company, you will be required to set up a business bank account in the name of your limited company. Your accountant may be able to advise you regarding setting up a business bank account. Arise cannot process payments to a personal bank account. You will need to provide us with the banking details before you can be contracted. ADMISSIONS FAQ 29. When and how do I get results during and after completing the Admissions process? At the end of each section, you will receive an e-mail message informing you of your results. Please be sure to check your SPAM mail or JUNK mail folders because in many cases your ISP may mistakenly mark them as spam. 30. How do I contact the Arise Admissions Department? You may contact Admissions by sending an e-mail to AriseUKAdmissions@arise.com. 7
Or you may call 01312002100, 9AM to 6PM GMT 31. Why is a Background Check required and what are the deciding factors in passing? Arise and its clients have high integrity standards and, thus, no one can become a Client Support Professional if they are convicted, pled guilty or pled no contest to a felony or certain misdemeanour charges (such as fraud). Some clients have more stringent standards with respect to being eligible to service their particular account. The UK Background Check is conducted by Disclosure Scotland. When your residential address is in the UK and you have lived there for 12 months or more, you can apply for your background check online. If you have lived at your current address for less than 12 months you will have to apply by completing a paper application form that can be downloaded from Disclosure Scotland's website. Disclosure Scotland processes 90% of background check requests within 14 calendar days and charge 25 for the service. You pay Disclosure Scotland directly using a credit or a debit card. THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS 32. What experience do I need before I can apply? Successful agents with Arise tend to have a combination of a clear speaking manner with a selfmotivated desire for good customer service. Agents need to be PC literate. The Admissions process includes online assessments as well as live telephone assessments to establish the candidate s suitability. 33. What does the Admissions process involve? Your first step in becoming a Client Support Professional with Arise UK is to complete an online profile, if you have not done so already. Please also ensure that you have fully completed your credentials. We would recommend reviewing the Arise UK workstation requirements prior to beginning the Admissions process. You can find them in the following PDF document: https://portal.arise.com/localization/en-gb/workstation_requirements.pdf Once you have completed your profile, you may begin the Admissions process. The Admissions process is comprised of: Information Session: The Information Session step contains a short presentation, which each applicant is required to view. This will ensure candidates fully understand the entire Arise process. Voice Assessment: This step gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your voice quality, you will be asked to call a phone number and submit a quick recording. P.A.S.S. Assessment: Once we have reviewed your Voice Assessment, you will be notified by e- mail and instructions to arrange a telephone assessment with one of our Admissions specialists will 8
be available to you on the Dashboard when you log into your Arise account. This interview will assess whether you have the relevant competencies required to become a CSP with Arise. Background Check: Arise UK and its clients have high integrity standards. All candidates are required to provide us with a copy of a clear Criminal Record Background check. You will be directed to the Disclosure Scotland website to order a Basic disclosure. It takes approximately 14 calendar days to receive the results. You will need to supply Arise with a copy of this document to complete the Admissions process, however you can also temporarily move through to the next stage (CSP101) using only the Application Reference Number which is provided by Disclosure Scotland upon application. This ensures no delay in completing the Admissions process. Some clients have more stringent standards with respect to being eligible to service their particular account and will perform internal checks. Most traffic violations do not constitute a disqualifying event. Arise reserves the right to remove any CSP from an application if an updated background check comes back with a disqualifying event. If you already possess and can provide evidence of a clear DSC check or a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check that has been completed in the last 3 months, we are able to accept that. CSP101: CSP101 Basic Certification is an online, self-paced certification program that covers the skills and knowledge necessary for an individual to perform customer representative services from a remote location. You can access the CSP101 through the portal once you have received the order reference number from your background check. You will have seven calendar days to complete the course after you have enrolled and will be able to access the course 24 hours a day, seven days a week during your seven-calendar day enrolment. Limited Company: Arise only contracts with Limited Companies, which are owned by Independent Business Owners (IBOs). Should you have an existing Limited Company of which you are a principal owner, you may use this to contract with Arise UK. Limited Companies can be established through Companies House. Their website is: www.companieshouse.gov.uk. Alternatively you can use a reputable accountancy firm. (See http://www.arise.com/potential-accountancy-firms) You may also set up a limited company by going through a company formation agent. You can find links to several company formation providers on: http://www.arise.com/uk-how-arise-works You also have the option to operate under an existing IBO that is already contracting with Arise, in which case you will not be required to set up a limited company yourself. Client Security Check: Certain clients request additional information on CSPs to run internal security checks prior to giving full and live access to their internal systems. On a small number of occasions, they may refuse a CSP access to servicing their account. 34. I already have a background check, can I use it? Arise will accept an existing disclosure if it is less than 3 months old from the date you start the Admissions process. If it was not issued by Disclosure Scotland, please scan and e-mail it to AriseUKAdmissions@arise.com or fax it to: 00353 6568 40013. 35. If I have any convictions, will this stop me from continuing with the Admissions process? 9
Any unspent conviction reported on the background check will prevent you from proceeding with the Admissions process. Driving convictions would not generally be taken into consideration. 36. I received my disclosure back from Disclosure Scotland. What do I need to do? You can send us a scanned copy of your background check issued by Disclosure Scotland. You may email it to us (AriseUKAdmissions@arise.com) or fax it to us (00353 6568 40013) 37. How do I gain access to CSP101? Once you have ordered your disclosure, you can use the disclosure application number to gain access to CSP101. This is done by clicking on Enter Background Check Number and entering the disclosure application number (without the first 2 zeros) in the box provided. This will give you access to CSP101 immediately and you do not need to wait for the document to be returned in order to proceed. 38. I have completed Admissions, what is the next step? Once you have successfully completed all the Admissions steps you can express interest and enrol in a Client Specific Certification Course. Most courses cover client specific applications, policy, procedures and systems. Details of these classes can be found by logging onto the Arise portal once you have completed Admissions. 39. I failed part of the Admissions process. What is my next step? If you are unsuccessful during the Admissions process, you will be notified via email and your profile made inactive. If you wish to reapply, you will need to wait for 90 days before your account can be reset. Once the 90 day period has elapsed, please contact us to request for your account to be reset. Your account cannot be reset before this period has elapsed. 40. No classes are available. What should I do? Classes are announced based on the business need of our clients. CSPs that have completed the Admissions process will be notified of new classes by e-mail. CSPs should also check the portal regularly. 41. I have seen a class on which I would like to enrol. What next? Once a class is announced on our portal that you would like to attend, you will need to enrol and in most cases pay the enrolment fee. This is a client specific payment that varies depending on both the client and type of class, and is sometimes offset by a certification bonus payable on successful course completion. Client certification class lengths vary from client to client and are typically a few days to 8 weeks long, depending on applications. 42. Where and when are classes held? All Certification Classes are held online with a combined approach of instructor led and self-paced curriculum. You will attend class from home. The opportunity announcement will specify when the classes are held, however, we typically schedule classes to start at different times of the day to accommodate as many candidates as possible. They usually take place in the evenings and can 10
also be held in the morning and/or afternoons. Full attendance is required for the duration of the class if you miss a class, you will be dropped from it and will need to re-enrol in a subsequent class; you will also be required to pay again as your dropping out will have prevented another candidate from attending the class. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS 43. What are the technical requirements? We have put a PDF document together, which outlines all the technical requirements. You can go to the below address to download that document: https://portal.arise.com/localization/en-gb/workstation_requirements.pdf 44. How do I contact Arise technical support? When you are logged in the portal, click on Contact Support at the top of the screen, and select Live Tech Support Chat. Technical support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 45. What type of phone line do I need? To service clients, you are required to use a standard analogue phone line similar to those provided by BT and Virgin. The telephone line should have no functionality such as Call Waiting, Voice Mail, or Caller ID. VoIP/Mobile phone lines are not suitable for servicing Arise clients and are therefore prohibited. 46. Do I need a headset to take calls? Yes. You will need 2 headsets. A VoIP headset (to complete the Admissions process) and also a Telephone Headset (to service the calls hands free). You do not need to use a specific brand, but we recommend using a good quality brand such as Logitech, Plantronics, Sennheiser or Creative headsets. 47. I have a telephone line that I do not use, can I use this line? If you do not use your existing telephone line for personal use during your working hours, you can make it your dedicated telephone line. You will need to ensure that there are no functionalities such as Call Waiting, Voice mail or Caller ID on the line. 11