Oct 12, 2020 10:27:22 AM Edited Oct 12, 2020 10:37:05 AM by Daryl S
Oct 12, 2020 10:27:22 AM Edited Oct 12, 2020 10:37:05 AM by Daryl S
The Upwork Team is committed to making sure all our customers have the best experience possible on the Upwork platform. In order to make that happen, we’re constantly listening to your feedback and thinking of ways we can implement those suggestions and changes.
We know that our customers have experienced challenges with Upwork’s video and call features, and we realized they wanted and needed a different resource that would allow them to conduct pre-contract conversations while still abiding by Upwork’s Terms of Service.
In order to make having those pre-contract conversations easier, we’ve implemented a brand new integration with Zoom, a video calling platform, which we know many of our customers are already very familiar with.
Why are we adding an option to make Zoom calls directly through Upwork?
In short, we want to help both clients and talent to succeed, and we want everyone to have a great experience when using Upwork.
We recognize how important it is for talent and clients to have a way to communicate with each other for everything from contract negotiations to project feedback.
With the new Zoom integration, our goals are to:
How does the Zoom integration work?
Both talent and clients can start Zoom calls directly through Upwork Messages. The calls will take place via a Zoom account hosted by Upwork, so there’s no need to start a new Zoom account or use a pre-existing one.
All you have to do to start a Zoom call on Upwork is:
Again, you don’t need a personal Zoom account in order to start or join a meeting.
The option to start a Zoom call is available on both the Upwork website and the mobile app. All Upwork users who have access to Upwork messages can access the new Zoom feature.
Why do Upwork’s Terms of Service require pre-contract communications to stay on Upwork?
Upwork considers the safety and protection of Upwork customers and the marketplace to be of utmost importance. Once you take your conversations somewhere other than Upwork, there is an increased risk of fraud, circumvention, and other behaviors that could harm the Upwork community. Essentially, you lose a great deal of security once you take a conversation off Upwork.
When all communications and work stay on the Upwork platform, we’re able to track and address issues and harmful behaviors that may arise.
You can read more about the TOS requirements regarding pre-contract communications here.
What else are we doing to improve communication on Upwork?
When using either the new Zoom integration or Upwork’s video and calling features, we always encourage you to provide feedback. We’re constantly reviewing this feedback and using it to make improvements.
We’ve already heard lots of great feedback from the Upwork community, and we’re currently researching and looking for ways to help users:
As always, we’d love to hear your suggestions on how we can make Upwork even better! Keep an eye out for new capabilities and features we’ll be rolling out in the future.
Daryl Sando
Sr. Manager
Upwork Trust & Safety
Oct 18, 2020 06:06:53 AM by Abinadab A
Congrats.
I was about to say I'm getting the feeling Hayden Brown is THE one but I shan't.
I'll just go look for something else to whine about because that is how to make upwork a better place
Oct 19, 2020 05:14:30 AM by Will L
Unlike incoming calls on the VOIP app, my version of Upwork's Zoom app (using the latest Chrome browswer) does not have a pop-up or other visual or audio notice of an incoming call. There's just a small, silent note that appears in the project page.
As a result, I miss incoming Zoom calls unless I am watching a particular project's message thread, which I do not have the time or inclination to do.
Upwork, please fix this ASAP if you are going to continue to require that during pre-contract negotiations freelancer and client only use either Upwork’s VOIP service or Upwork’s Zoom-compatible app to talk with one another.
Thanks in advance.
Oct 21, 2020 09:17:26 AM by Robert H
Today a potential client asked that I setup a Zoom interview. Knowing that Upwork is now mandating that we use Zoom on the Upwork platform, I proceeded to setup the call. In doing so, when I clicked on the Zoom feature, it sent an invitation to the client on the spot when the intent was to setup for another day. What is the current scheduling protocol for this? There seems to be a missing link or something that allows to call up a calendar to schedule. If this is not available then what is the alternative if we are not allowed to have interviews with current Upwork clients outside the platform?
Nov 12, 2020 08:56:55 AM by Kelly B
Robert H wrote:Today a potential client asked that I setup a Zoom interview. Knowing that Upwork is now mandating that we use Zoom on the Upwork platform, I proceeded to setup the call. In doing so, when I clicked on the Zoom feature, it sent an invitation to the client on the spot when the intent was to setup for another day. What is the current scheduling protocol for this? There seems to be a missing link or something that allows to call up a calendar to schedule. If this is not available then what is the alternative if we are not allowed to have interviews with current Upwork clients outside the platform?
I did the same thing, and it was really embarrassing since my message right before that was that I didn't have time for a zoom call today. I forget, are we allowed to use calendly or share our email to schedule a zoom meeting/
Oct 26, 2020 06:22:35 AM by Aleksandar D
Hi Serg,
Thanks for sharing your feedback with us. For now, we don't have any plans to include Skype. However, I will share your feedback with our team for review.
Thank you.
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