New talent badges are now available!

Federico D · Jul 7, 2020 09:34:13 AM

Woo hoo! I now have the Top Rated Plus status! I am so excited, I feel I have been Knighted. I will now go for the Top Rated Plus Plus Plus Plus status.

Not really, I'm not bothered.

Richard R · Jul 7, 2020 10:12:03 AM

Congrats! I have just been sent the same email. I thing the next "promotion" will be Freelance Plus Squared. Now UpWork, where is my free UpWork Tshirt .

Md Kaosar A · Jul 7, 2020 10:14:51 AM

Congrats

Scott B · Jul 7, 2020 10:55:40 AM

If you could, please add one additional perk to the list. That is the ability to take a pre-sale call via whatever communications channel the client wants. Surely if we have done enough to earn these additional badges, we have done enough to demonstrate that we aren't taking payments off platform and we don't need help protecting ourselves from the evil doers. I do know the restriction doesn't apply to enterprise clients, but it does for everyone else. Something to consider.

Janean L · Jul 7, 2020 11:06:46 AM

I heard from a number of Upwork freelancers that they had received email notifications saying that they are now designated "Top Rated Plus," even though these freelancers cannot yet see the badge on their own profiles. Significantly, potential clients can see the designation.

I did not receive such a notification, despite the fact that my earnings and stats clearly make me eligible (indisputably) as "Top Rated Plus" according to the metrics outlined.

A few minutes ago, I called Upwork Support to ask about this. A very pleasant young man checked into this, and confirmed that my numbers and profile make me eligible for the program. However, as he 'splained to me, Upwork is implementing this program "over time." (Guess it takes a while for the central computer to run these complicated numbers?) So, I am not to be among the lucky first wave chosen for the badge.

Naturally, I asked when I might receive the coveted email. Alas, the CS person did not know that. He could offer no idea at all. Not even an educated guess.

I feel like one of the sad little green stuffed alien toys who populate the claw machine, in the old "Toy Story" movie. As my companions are lifted out by the magical mechanism who chooses the Select Ones, I am left on the bottom of the machine, staring up sadly and calling out in a piteous voice: "The Claw... The Claw..."

I breathlessly await my own Selection. Based on whatever random [inscrutable? opaque?] criteria Upwork uses.

Tiffany S · Jul 7, 2020 11:22:57 AM

Janean L wrote:
I heard from a number of Upwork freelancers that they had received email notifications saying that they are now designated "Top Rated Plus," even though these freelancers cannot yet see the badge on their own profiles. Significantly, potential clients can see the designation.

I did not receive such a notification, despite the fact that my earnings and stats clearly make me eligible (indisputably) as "Top Rated Plus" according to the metrics outlined.

A few minutes ago, I called Upwork Support to ask about this. A very pleasant young man checked into this, and confirmed that my numbers and profile make me eligible for the program. However, as he 'splained to me, Upwork is implementing this program "over time." (Guess it takes a while for the central computer to run these complicated numbers?) So, I am not to be among the lucky first wave chosen for the badge.

That's ridiculous. Unless Upwork is making a point of making it very clear to clients that this is just being rolled out and not everyone qualified has it yet (I'm sure they're not, and that wouldn't fully mitigate, anyway), you're now being compared unfavorably with other freelancers because they have a badge that says they're more top rated than you...even though it's a lie.

There's no justification for rolling out something that clients will use to compare your value with that of other freelancers on a staggered basis.

Valeria K · Jul 7, 2020 11:53:46 AM

Hi Janean and Tiffany,

I'd just like to clarify, the badge IS showing on Janean's profile when clients noted in the original announcement view it. All freelancers who meet the requirements listed here will have the badge.

The emails, however, are being sent gradually throughout the day, so it's possible Janean hasn't received her email yet. I'll check on the email situation with the team.

~ Valeria

Janean L · Jul 7, 2020 12:01:09 PM

Thank you for checking, Valeria. This is most perplexing, because the CS rep in question actually took the time to check with his "Team Lead," who told him that I would not be receiving the email, and was not yet part of the program. I gave particular credit to the information provided, because the CS rep asked for my email in order to check on my inclusion in the program. (I assume that perhaps he used my email to see whether or not I was on the notification list...?) By contrast, he (and his Team Lead?) seemed to use my Profile information to verify my eligibility for the program.

The confusion regarding both (1) timing of the program's implementation, and (2) timing of notifications seems to have percolated through at least two tiers of Customer Support.

Thank you again for checking on this. I await notification.

Valeria K · Jul 7, 2020 04:45:54 PM

Janean,

I'd like to circle back and confirm that the email notification has been sent to the email address we have on file for your account. I checked and double-checked that. Could it be that you set up your email to filter some emails from Upwork? Could you please check under spam or "promotion" areas of your email?

~ Valeria

Janean L · Jul 8, 2020 08:16:34 AM

Janean,

I'd like to circle back and confirm that the email notification has been sent to the email address we have on file for your account. I checked and double-checked that. Could it be that you set up your email to filter some emails from Upwork? Could you please check under spam or "promotion" areas of your email?

Valeria -- I greatly appreciate your effort. I have checked my email. While I have many emails from Upwork, including (but not limited to) notifications regarding Job Invitations, Messages, Payment Confirmations, and New Jobs Posted by Indeed Clients, I have found NO notification of Top-Rated-Plus status in my inbox, my spam folder, or (less likely, because this would have required an active deletion by me) my trash folder. A search of the term "Upwork" in my email has produced no such notification.

Thank you for checking. I remain mystified.

-- Janean