DENVER -- A local company is expecting to hire thousands of people who can work without ever leaving home.

Forget just about everything you're heard about working at home. This is a job that involves no selling. It's all about taking phone calls.

But of course, on a busy day, you may take a lot of them.

The day before Valentine's Day, Martha Libby's phone is going nonstop. Mostly of the phone calls are from anxious boyfriends and desperate husbands wanting something special for someone special.

Although she's taking calls for 1-800-Flowers, the only flowers near her are the ones in her back yard. That's because Libby works from home.

"Today, I started my shift at 6 a.m. and I was in my pajamas," Libby said.

Libby's an agent for 1-800 Flowers but her paycheck comes from a company in Golden called Alpine Access.

"We have approximately 5,000 Colorado-based employees," said Allanna Kelsall, vice president of Alpine Access.

Alpine Access runs call centers for major retailers such as Office Depot, J. Crew, and 1-800 Flowers. Call that toll-free number, and Alpine Access directs it to Libby or one of hundreds of other agents around the country.

"We're very proud to be offering jobs to people who don't typically get into the work force -- disabled individuals, retirees, stay-at-home moms," said Kelsall.

Agents like Libby draw regular paychecks, not commissions.

They also get to pick their working hours and days. Alpine Access looks for people who are self-reliant.

"It helps to know the difference between a stargazer lily and calla lily, a tiger lily and a Peruvian lilly," Kelsall said.

The hourly pay is about $9 an hour. Taxes and Social Security take a bite out of that but Libby said the paycheck is bigger than it might seem.

"My income is pure income because I don't have to pay commute expenses, gasoline, car maintenance, clothes," she said.

And, of course, she has fringe benefits.

"Well, it certainly is more comfortable. And my husband is retired so I get to spend more time with him during the day. And I get to do something I really like," Libby said.

Alpine Access is one of a handful of telephone service companies that hire agents to work from their homes. Agents need to be computer savvy, have high-speed access to the Internet and a quiet room to work without distraction.

Alpine Access expects to hire 6,000 part-time agents this year and while some of them work year-round, many will work just a few days, weeks, or months at a time.

Additional Info:

To apply for a job with Alpine Access, go to AlpineAccess.com.
Here are the contact details:
Alpine Access, Inc.
1536 Cole Boulevard, Suite 350
Golden, Colorado 80401
Phone: (303) 279-0585

The company said very few of its job applicants ever show up for interviews in person, that most of the people it hires are hired via the Internet. Significant points to remember:
There's no selling. The calls come in from customers or people who want information.
Employees work on an hourly rate and can usually pick and choose the hours, days and duration of their work schedules
Some of the work is seasonal, meaning employees are hired for set periods of time with a definite end date.