Vehicle Appraisal Assistant & Client Intake VA for a US Auto Appraisal Firm (Full-Time, US Eastern Hours)

About us:

Auto Praise Vehicle Evaluation Services is an independent vehicle appraisal firm in South Florida. We help car owners, attorneys and lenders with diminished value and total loss claims, usually right after an insurance company has made an offer the owner doesn't trust. We also handle fair market value appraisals for various types of vehicles, including high end exotic vehicles.

I'm Daryl, the owner and appraiser. I've spent 30+ years in the automotive and insurance claims business, and I'm hiring a full-time assistant who starts on the phones and grows into a real appraisal assistant. You'll work as "Auto Praise Office," you'll help me gather the documents, pull the reports, and assemble the finished appraisals. You’ll also handle overflow phone calls, gathering client info and leads, and following up with clients and keeping track of their data and file status. This will be an appraisal assistant and systems operator position which is why the pay climbs higher than a typical receptionist role.

What you'll do

From day one:
-Assist in organizing client/lead intake, tracking and follow up.
-Answer overflow calls when I'm on another line or out on an inspection
-Log new leads from calls, texts, email s and our website form into our Google Sheets tracker
-Follow up with clients by text, email and phone using our templates and follow-up schedule
-Set up client folders in Google Drive when documents come in
-Organize google calendar with client data and scheduling for appraisal report work
-Prepare and send contracts (adobe sign) and invoices (QuickBooks) once a job is sold

As you grow (with training from me):

-Pull vehicle value and history reports (Black Book, J.D. Power, Carfax, Florida DMV records and other sources)
-Find comparable vehicle listings for appraisals
-Gather and organize the documents for diminished value and total loss cases
-Help assemble finished appraisal reports using the AI tools (Claude) we've built for this work

What you won't do:

quote prices, give vehicle values, or advise clients on their claims. That stays with me, and I'll teach you exactly where that line is.

Who we're looking for

-Clear, confident spoken and written English. You're comfortable on the phone with US clients, including ones who are frustrated about their claim. This is a required skill.
-At least 1 year of customer service or phone support for US clients. Insurance, auto, claims or legal support experience is a big plus.
-Some knowledge or familiarity with automobiles/vehicles is a plus but not required.
-Solid with Google Workspace: Gmail, Drive and especially Sheets
-Detail-oriented. In this work, a wrong date, VIN or file name causes real problems.
-Happy to learn new software, including AI tools
-You follow a process, and you ask when you're not sure instead of guessing

Schedule and setup

-Full-time, 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM US Eastern with a 1-hour unpaid lunch. That's 8 PM to 5 AM Philippine time, shifting to 9 PM to 6 AM when US clocks fall back in November.
-Your own computer, a noise-cancelling headset and a quiet workspace
-Reliable internet with a backup (mobile data or a second provider) and a plan for power outages
-Long-term role, direct hire. Not an agency.

Pay and growth

-$6/hr to start while you train
-Performance reviews at 30, 60 and 90 days, as you take on the appraisal assistant work (gathering documents, pulling reports, assembling appraisals), with raises up to $10/hr
-13th-month pay once you've shown you can handle the role
-Paid time off that grows with tenure, usable for holidays or personal time, your choice: 3 paid days after 6 months, then after your first year, 1 week of paid vacation, or 2 weeks for high performers
-You're free to take Philippine holidays off. Those come from your paid days, or are unpaid once you've used them. On the rare occasion I need you on the phone during a holiday you'd normally take, I'll pay extra for that day.

How to apply

-Start your application with the words "Auto Praise Office" so I know you read the whole post.
-Answer the screening questions below.
-Required: a 1 to 2 minute audio or video recording of yourself (Vocaroo for audio, Loom or a phone video for video). Introduce yourself and walk me through your relevant experience. Applications without a recording won't be considered. This role is on the phone a lot, so I need to hear how you actually sound, not just read typed answers. Be sure that your link opens without a login. If I can’t play it, I can’t consider your application.
-Attach a screenshot of a recent internet speed test.

Screening questions:

1-Tell me about your phone experience with US clients. What industry, how long, and was it mostly inbound or outbound calls?
2-Have you worked in insurance, auto, claims or legal support? If so, what did you do day to day?
3-Which Google Workspace tools do you use every day? Rate yourself 1 to 5 on Google Sheets and give one example of something you built or maintained in it.
4-A caller is upset because their insurance company offered too little for their totaled car. They ask you, "How much more can you get me?" Write exactly what you would say.
5-Can you work Monday to Friday during US Eastern business hours long term? Do you currently have another job?
6-What's your internet speed, and what's your backup plan if your internet or power goes out?
7-Have you used AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude for work? Give one example.
8-Why this role? Keep it to two or three sentences.