Replacing 5-Star Average Feedback with Job Success Score

garnorm · ‎08-14-2015

Hi all,

We remove 5-star average feedback entirely, and display only your Job Success score throughout most of the Upwork site. 5-star feedback given per contract will remain displayed on your Work History.

We’re making this decision because we’ve seen Job Success scores help top performing freelancers win more contracts. This means clients are having better experiences and coming back for more, which in turn benefits the marketplace and generates more opportunities for freelancers overall. The score helps freelancers at all levels stand out from the competition by presenting clients with a complete picture of their differences. This is an opportunity to help freelancers continue to grow their businesses that we can’t pass up.

Additionally, you can learn more about Job Success score and how it's calculated in our help article.

magicitsdone · ‎09-06-2015

The old adage still applies------ "If it's not broken, don't try to fix it!"

Elance is a comfortable, well-designed platform.

If the individuals who "bought out" Elance just wanted more money, then they should have just said, " On September 15th our new second name is Upwork and everyone on Elance will now be charged higher fees."

Maybe all of us could have lived with that!

I haven't heard ONE single positive word about this new change--not from clients and not from writers.

I have been on Elance since 2008.

**edited for Community Guidelines**

badarsuhail · ‎09-06-2015

Hi Preston

freelancers are Objecting to Job success as it is not transparent and clearly favors cleints. here are some points why i opppose Job success.

1. transparency : odesk does not reveal the exact metric how it is calculated . I have asked but Support simply refuse. yes the have mentioned a formula on the blog but it is dififcut to calculate ones Job success using it.
Last month my job success decreased 1 % and this time has increasd with no change in my Job statuses.
Like other software odesk can have flaw in the system and the metric should be open for all to calculate on which criteria it has changed. i have seen many freelancers complaining abt sudden drop in Job success score

2. Favoring Clients:
Upwork states that projects that end with No feedback or are on hold for long period of time will affect the Job success.
How is this a freelancers fault. Some clients simply do not give feedback why is freelancer to suffer to in case.

Lastly let me mention an incident which occurred to me regarding Job Success
Few momths ago one of my client closed a job and gave me 5 star rating with Good comments. but after that my Job Success declined form 96 to 85%. On contacting support they informed that it might me due to clients Private feedback causing drop in Score .
Now i have a question . if a client is giving me 5 start rating but bad private feedback shouldnt Upwork look into this contradiction ? Why is Client is not accountable for anything and only freelancers are to suffer.

I hope i can get answers to clarify things for me

muhammadmujahid · ‎09-06-2015

Ok so the top should have work and others should just die - If client is happy with your services what else matters here? Upwork was better than others because beginners were not rejected so hard - It has also started applying this 'Who are you? ::Beginner:: OH, sorry we don't like you guys ::WHY?:: you don't bring much profit"

cegaros · ‎09-06-2015

OMG! You are destroying the new comers! As this JSS is not shown before you get an undefined number of jobs, how could this help a new freelancer to get more jobs? I thought UpWork was the best freelancing platform, now I'm not so sure.

gogyimogyi · ‎09-06-2015

This is crazy. Another unwanted, unneeded and forced bad change.

droleary · ‎09-06-2015

@Darrin O wrote:
@Preston H wrote:
If you continue working on Upwork, I have no doubt that your score will go up.
Doubt it strongly. Doubt it by default, because you have absolutely no idea how JSS is calculated. Doubt it because, by their own admission, Upwork is already steering preferred clients (i.e., ones that are more likely to contribute to the success of their own projects) to preferred freelancers. Doubt it because you really have no idea what it is like to have to build a fresh work history from scratch based on Upwork as it exists today.

And as a fun little update, I just noticed that today my JSS dropped from 82% to 77%. Nothing changed, I guess, other than possibly a 5 star rating in my first six months dropping off (literally, because I haven't been on here for 12 months, so I assume I will never have a chance to get the "higher" rating of the three available unless I stick around for 24 months so that all statistical timeframes are valid according to Upwork).

So something's up with one of the other 5 star ratings I've had since then. Or maybe its my sin of having earned thousands of dollars (i.e., clients who want to keep working with me rather than end contracts). Or maybe it's something else that is even less obvious, but Upwork seems to think is made perfectly clear in a single number. Yay, JSS!

kostadinka · ‎09-06-2015

Sorry but this is so wrong. I was working for 0.3 per hour and i work hard jobs for $5 only to get nice feedback and now you take this from me. I belive lots workers will quit from odesk and will start to working for some other site.

diana60 · ‎09-06-2015

@Garnor M wrote:
Hi all,
As outlined in our blog post, starting September 8th, we’ll remove 5-star average feedback entirely, and display only your Job Success score throughout most of the Upwork site. 5-star feedback given per contract will remain displayed on your Work History.

We’re making this decision because we’ve seen Job Success scores help top performing freelancers win more contracts. This means clients are having better experiences and coming back for more, which in turn benefits the marketplace and generates more opportunities for freelancers overall. The score helps freelancers at all levels stand out from the competition by presenting clients with a complete picture of their differences. This is an opportunity to help freelancers continue to grow their businesses that we can’t pass up.

Please read our blog post here for more information and context on this upcoming change.

Additionally, you can learn more about Job Success score and how it's calculated in our help article. You can also read more about improving your score here.

freelancer can average 5-stars with excellent feedback from clients with a JSS of 89%. This is mind-boggling, requiring the recruiter to analysis the difference. Further, RESULTS in the client being billed for more hours due to the extended recruitment/selection process. Overall, your problems (Upwork's) resulted in the client ending MY JOB.

Just minutes ago my JSS was 100%. And now it's 89%! In short intervals, over the past 4 weeks, it has fluctuated from 87%, 93% to 100% for no apparent reason. After reporting this issue to Upwork, I was informed by an Upwork service representative that they are experiencing technical problems with the JSS system. Further, as mentioned by most in this forum, we are ALL experiencing an excessive amount of technical problems. Problems vary, and I've experienced and reported ALL of them, including: 1) failure to send and receive message from the Message Center, 2) messages received from clients showing only the "subject" with no content -- the message is blank due to a technical problem, 3) Incorrect start and ending dates of jobs are shown in my profile 4) an inability to apply to a "fixed rate" position. System would only accept an hourly rate, 5) Gateway and timeout errors -- repeatedly, 6) Time Tracker incorrect, and 7) system failed to send email notifications to me relating to “invitations to interview" AND a "Job Offer." A major missed opportunity caused by your system problems.

As a Recruiter for Upwork clients, I experienced all types of recent MAJOR technical problems, including AND MOST CRITICAL, freelancers that apply to my job postings DO NOT receive my notifications for an "interview" and/or to discuss next steps. These problems were verified by freelancers once we connected on Skype. AND LET ME SAY THIS: The JSS ACTUALLY PROLONGTHE RECRUITING PROCESS. Specifically, there are too many inconsistencies in the JSS that vary from freelancer-to-freelancer. Example: 10 freelancers with a 100% Job Success Score can each range from an average star-rating of 3.80 and upward. And in contrast, a freelancer can average 5-stars with excellent feedback from clients with a JSS of 89%. This is mind-boggling, requiring the recruiter to analysis the difference. Further, RESULTS in the client being billed for more hours due to the extended recruitment/selection process. Overall, your problems (Upwork's) resulted in the client ending MY JOB.

THEN the question to Upwork becomes "WHY" implement this JSS method and remove the star-rating system while major technical problems currently exist? Clearly, inspite of the canned responses, it's about Upwork's perception that this “change" will lead to greater client satisfaction and ultimately greater Upwork profits. Why "change" when so many other things are broken.

Diana

diana60 · ‎09-06-2015

Another technical problem to add to my reason for not replacing the 5-star rating: I've been an active member since 8/2011 . NOT 8/27/2015 as shown under my photo.

Diana Ivy

j-muller · ‎09-06-2015

This is a very sad day for those of us who deliver great work and go above and beyond the clients expectations in an effort to receive great feedback and future work.

As a single father of 3 who's sole income is reliant on this platform, i have little or no spare time to even post this reply. However, as you are compelled to continually move the goal posts , i feel i have no choice but to convey my disgust.

First there was the 'connects' fiasco and now you're going to play around with my hard earned stars. Really!

So there's a full time Upwork employee who is trying to justify his/her position by guessing what the client wants at the detriment of my career? I can tell you what they want... Proven results!

I have done my time taking on a weeks work for $50 why? To achieve the results i have today!

As a father of 3 i can certainly attest to the benefits of 'consistancy'. Please just leave the system as it is!

My apologies to any new comers, i know the battle you face, i've been there! good luck, i give you 5 stars for effort, Oh wait. i believe that's worth nothing now.