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Direct message before hiring

lenaellis
Community Member

This week, we will begin beta testing a Direct Message tool that allows Plus clients to reach out directly to freelancers they want to work with before they post a job. 

 

With the experience today, clients have to post a job before they can start a conversation with a freelancer, even if they have already found someone who might be a good fit through doing a search and reviewing their profiles. With the new beta Direct Messages, clients can start a conversation with a freelancer about their project’s scope, budget, timeline, and their availability without having to post a job first. 

 

Here’s how it will work:

(See example images below which are mockups or taken from the Enterprise experience.)

 

Plus clients will see a new “Send Message” button next to freelancers’ info.

 

direct message mockup4.png

 

 

When clients click on “Send Message”, they will see the Send Message form.

 

 direct message mockup2.png

 

Once a Plus client sends a Direct Message, a 1:1 Messages room with that freelancer will be created, and clients and freelancers can access that room by going to Messages. An email will also be sent notifying freelancers that a client wants to chat about their project. In the email, freelancers will be shown the client's number of jobs posted, star review rating and total spend. See example images below taken from the Enterprise experience.

 

Direct message mockup3.png

 

If a freelancer is not interested in speaking with the client about the project, they can ignore the Direct Message or can block the client in Messages. Ignoring a Direct Message will not affect the freelancer’s JSS/ responsiveness score or ability to be invited to jobs in the future. Blocking a client will prevent a freelancer from receiving messages and invites from the client in the future.

 

There is a limit on how many conversations a client can send. Plus clients are able to start 40 conversations within a billing period. This feature is already available for Enterprise and Business clients, they will continue to have unlimited access.

 

75 Comments
kochubei_valeria
Community Member

Hi Abinadab and Phyllis,

 

Thanks for sharing your concerns. Upwork Plus clients subscribe to Plus to get access to additional business tools, so we are testing this feature with them first.

abinadab-agbo
Community Member

I second the idea of being able to opt out of or into these kindsa DMs.

versailles
Community Member

Annette E wrote:

Also add a mandatory "willing to pay XX" on the client side + an option for freelancers to opt out of receiving messages from potential clients who is not prepared to pay the freelancer's fee.


You don't want that. If I'm messaging you about a job it means that I don't know what it entails and how much it's gonna to cost. Upwork makes us put a figure into the budget field for fixed price jobs, which is stupid enough, please do not promote this. Clients are not expected to know the costs of their projects.

 

Talk with clients and say no thanks if you don't want to work with then.

 

 

shetani
Community Member

Oof I like this feature. Upwork's job posting form is awful - I'd love to see some metrics regarding how many clients leave a job in draft mode and never publish it because they can't be bothered with answering so many questions. (I'd also love it if Upwork would get rid of the budget requirement on fixed price job posts and categorize jobs automatically rather than asking clients to figure that stuff out)

 

I personally don't see any downsides to this.

 

A) the client is a Plus client so you have at least some assurances and safeguards from e.g. freelancers just DMing other freelancers under pretenses of hiring, or from scammers flying under Upwork's radar and "offering real jobs" through DMs

 

B) The client doesn't have to answer 35 questions and figure out all the specifics of their project before they can get in touch with a specialist. They can literally just fill out a "contact form" and get in touch with you -- isn't this what we all do on our websites anyway? "Hey, leave a name and a message and I'll get back to you"?

 

C) When the client knows he's sending a direct message to a specific, real person, chances are they'll actually write a whole lot more details about their project than they would bother to write in a job post. They most likely won't just send "Hi, this job was posted from a mobile device, sorry for typos."

 

As for opt-out, I don't get why you'd want this option. Isn't your goal to be contacted? It's literally like a contact form on your website, you don't have to respond to the message, and you can even straight up block the client from reaching out to you again.

 

To each their own I guess but thumbs up from me!

alphazomgy
Community Member

Is there a filter we can use to set which clients are able to send us direct messages?

 

For example, what if I only want to be messaged by clients with a verified payment method or clients who are from China? 

gilbert-phyllis
Community Member

Annette E wrote:


Michelle T wrote:

Instead of messaging me, I'd rather the client be required to provide additional information on a job posting. Job sites require more information than what I"ve seen on the postings here. For example, I've seen simple postings like: "I want new branding and a website." Nothing more than that. Also, I'd rather my messages be tied to a job posting because it's better for negotiating the details of a contract later on. With this method, you really have no idea how many freelancers the client is interviewing. I have enough proposals where the client doesn't hire anyone so I don't need messages that never turn into job postings. 


Also add a mandatory "willing to pay XX" on the client side + an option for freelancers to opt out of receiving messages from potential clients who is not prepared to pay the freelancer's fee.

 

 

 


No, thanks. I prefer to do my own negotiating, which involves helping a client understand the value I bring. If they initate contact, then presumably they've checked out my profile and know what price range I operate in. If they are coming in to offer me a fraction of my rate, it will take no time at all to rebuff them. I'll happily field a lot of those types if there's also an occasional live one.

VladimirG
Community Manager

Hi Alexander,

 

Thanks for your question. This feature doesn't include an option to filter clients beforehand based on the factors you mentioned. You can archive the message room to stop a client from contacting you, however, archiving the room doesn’t stop the client from contacting you again in the future. If you’d like to stop all messages from the client, you can choose to block them. To do so, select the extended menu (3 dots) in the Messages room with that client, and selecting “block.”  Note: When you block a client, you will not be able to receive invites from them in the future unless you unblock them.

edele4ka
Community Member

I'm wondering how it should work for Agencies.
Does Upwork add Agency owner to the "1:1" chat as for invites?
Does Freelancer have an ability to add Business Manager to the 1:1 chat with the client? 

cartrellgeneral
Community Member

I am not interested in being contacted prior to the job being posted. Too many low ball clients have wasted my time with invites in the past. I definitely don't want them reaching me by message. I don't care if all I have to do is block them once contact has been initiated. I don't want to hear from them in the first place. An opt-out feature would definitely be nice.

e_luneborg
Community Member

I like this new feature. I've had clints sending me invites before and adding a lot of info or questions in the invite itself, and tell me to disregard anything in the job post, as they just had to write something to post a job, just to be able to contact me. So if they can skip that part it would be really nice! 

 

Thanks Upwork! 🙂