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:
- Decrease the number of calls with issues
- Increase the level of customer satisfaction with the calling feature
- Give users an easy way to make calls on Upwork
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:
- Click on the call icon in the top right of a messaging room with at least two participants.
- Select the option to start a Zoom meeting.
- Click on the link to join the meeting.
- Open within your browser or download the Zoom app.
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:
- Easily schedule meetings on a calendar, particularly between timezones
- Bring non-Upwork team members into the interview process
- Ensure clear communication on the Upwork platform
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
