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No feedback contracts no longer impact Job Success Score (JSS)

mitchell-jason
Community Member

I am excited to announce a new change to the Job Success Score (JSS). We know that JSS is a hot topic. This post aims to provide transparency into the changes and answer any questions you might have. 

 

On November 8th, 2020, we updated the JSS calculation process to exclude contracts that ended without feedback. Before, if a freelancer or agency had a large number of contracts that ended without feedback, those contracts could have negatively impacted their JSS. 

 

What is JSS?

Your JSS measures and reflects your Upwork clients’ satisfaction with the projects you complete for them. You can view your score on your My Stats page and learn more about JSS here.

 

What does this mean?

We removed projects where clients didn't leave feedback from consideration in the JSS calculation in November. This means that it will no longer negatively impact your JSS if a client does not leave feedback at the end of a project. Note that, as a result of this change, a small set of professionals no longer had enough outcomes with different clients to earn a JSS. To minimize this impact, we reduced the minimum number of distinct clients required to earn a JSS from 3 to 2. 

 

What’s the problem with including contracts that end without feedback in the JSS calculation?

Picture a contract where a professional and a client work together, and at the end of it, the client does not leave feedback. Before the change, if the professional already had a high percentage of completed contracts without feedback, the professional’s JSS could have been negatively affected.

 

The original design was based on a study that found clients who had negative experiences would often avoid filling out the feedback form altogether instead of giving negative reviews. More recent analysis suggests this may no longer be true. As a result, we are changing the calculation to reflect today’s reality. 

 

How does this change affect you?

  • If you had contracts before the change where a client did not leave feedback counting against your JSS, you may notice a boost in your score from this change. 
  • If you do not have sufficient outcomes from at least 2 distinct clients, you may no longer meet the threshold for JSS, and you may see your JSS go away. Getting more jobs can help minimize this impact. 

What’s next?

This is just one of several changes we’re planning to implement in the coming months, so stay tuned!

 

This post itself is in response to your feedback that you want to be informed when changes are made. Thanks to everyone who has offered feedback on JSS communication through our customer surveys and social media, through the Upwork Community, and directly to our team. Be on the lookout for more changes to JSS and other aspects of the Upwork experience in the near future. 

 

We are all looking forward to this next chapter together! 

956 Comments
jonilead
Community Member
So sorry this happened to you. There is so much wrong with this platform.
For example, search for someone by their exact name and have to hunt
through pages of other freelancers whose names aren't the same to find that
person. Their algorithm is fraudulent, especially for people who work hard
and devoted a career to this platform. It is NOT in favor of hard working
freelancers.
jonilead
Community Member
Re-hire the Elance product strategists to get this platform in order.
mhrmahdihasan
Community Member

@Lucio Ricardo Really I respect your opinion.

But, it's true. some times clients tell us they were happy to work with us and give us a 5* public review, but they give us poor private feedback. and some times I confirmed he/she was really happy with me. and the work was 100% perfect but they gave us poor private feedback. it could be, that was his/her ego or low understanding about private feedback policy.

 

so, the formula of private feedback is really worst for freelancers. So, i want to request to Upwork development team for finding a better solution. cause, a freelancer knows every single JSS percent is how much painful to increase.

Thanks

drfrye
Community Member
The exact same thing happened to me. I lost my Rising Talent badge two days after earning it. After contacting Upwork support three times, they FINALLY admitted that it was due to negative private feedback. This particular client left me a 4.8 rating publicly, but decided to throw me under the bus in private. She even hired me again for a different contract before I knew what happened! I think the private system really needs to go. I’d like feedback to my face, not behind my back. Private feedback is not at all constructive. What can I do better next time? Only Upwork knows...
jonilead
Community Member
I have been telling Upwork about this private feedback thing for years. It
should not factor into JSS because clients abuse freelancers this way.
79ac6ee8
Community Member

Me too. I am so annoyed by this private feedback. If Upwork clients are not happy with the work, then they should let us know. I am more than happy even to return their money. But getting replies like the work is great and everything and still getting bad "private feedback" and 5* rating is not fair for the freelancer. 

 

What am I supposed to do if the client is saying on my face that your work is great? Even when I ask them that if you want, I am more than happy to edit it for you, but still, they say no, the work is flawless and give 5* rating publically but privately, just ruining the freelancer's profile.

The unfair treatment should stop, and I agree with this. There should not be private feedback. Feedback is for the public to view. The whole point of reviewing or leaving feedback is for other clients to know how the freelancer is performing, not how the freelancer is being betrayed and manipulated by the clients. If I don't like a client, I have the guts to tell them in their public feedback, and I will not leave private feedback to pretend.

jonilead
Community Member
Most of the Upwork staff dictating these changes, and frankly the majority
of Upwork's senior managers, have never worked on the platform. Even still,
with all of the complaints they've received even from Top-Rated,
long-standing freelancers about this private feedback, nothing has been
done about it. Freelancers have been voicing these concerns ever since the
Elance transition to Upwork, and the concerns have fallen on deaf ears.
Instead, they come out with other patronizing features and ignore the real
changes needed that have caused freelancers to leave the platform. Private
feedback is in NO WAY helping clients and freelancers or improving the
platform. It's manipulative!
BojanS
Community Manager

Hi Mike,

 

Before this change, if too many clients did not leave feedback for you, it could negatively impact your JSS. However, after this change contracts with no feedback will no longer impact JSS. I'd like to note however, that there are other factors that are and will continue to be included in the calculation such as long-term relationships for example. Additionally, the score will continue to be calculated for six-, 12- and 24-month windows and the best score out of these moving time windows will displayed on your profile and updated about every two weeks. Here you can learn more about this.

 

Thank you!

4revisions
Community Member

Thank you, Jason.  An excellent change in policy, one that will more fairly represent those of us who work very hard to make sure our clients are happy, but do not ask for reviews.  As you've recognized, the reason clients don't leave a review is not necessarily because they aren't happy.  Sometimes (as so many of us do) they simply have what I think of as "review fatigue" - they are tired of being asked.  And, for many people, having to write a review (beyond checking boxes) is an onerous task ... not everyone feels comfortable expressing themselves.   

    I know in various surveys I've received I've addressed this issue and I have to assume there were many others who did also, which is why the policy has changed. I hope you feel confident that this change will be good for eveyrone here at Upwork. For me, it's already meant two things (in just one day): an increase in invites and my feeling more comfortable about my profile which is now back up to 100% JSS.  It means I will focus more on finding work here rather than in other places.  

     So, thank you for hearing us and for making this change.

Lesley

jasontorpy
Community Member

This is a good change. I talk about 5-star satisfaction throughout engagements. Clients are often happy but as often as not, they get what they need and go back to their business. I don't hate that, and I'm glad I'm not punished for it.