Missed messages due to iPhone app notification failure

[jennifer_av]

Well, it's happened again. A client closed a contract because they didn't hear from me. And they didn't hear from me because I didn't hear from them.

Once again, the Upwork App for iPhone failed to forward messages to my phone or send me a notification of a message. Additionally, the usual Gmail "Someone sent you a message" notification was not sent.

The inconsistency with the app and email notifications has baffled me for some time. Why would I get notifications and emails some of the time and not others?

Then it dawned on me: whenever the Upwork Desktop tracker is open - even if I'm not logged in to any job - even if it's just minimized down on my desktop toolbar - all notifications via the Upwork mobile app and email cease!

This shutting-off of redundancy notifications is a massive gapping hole in Upwork's service to freelancers. There are times in the freelancer's life, believe it or not, when we need to get up from our desktop and go mobile. We trust that Upwork's notification system has got our back.

Well, it doesn't. If you get up from your desktop work space, you better close down your Upwork Desktop Tracker or it will kill all lines of mobile communication and it may eventually cost you clients.

Upwork, Fix this! Stop being a hurdle when you're trying to be a help. Show me I can trust you again and not live in fear that some silly software bug will torpedo my relationship with good clients.

Better yet, send an apology letter on my behalf to the three clients who think I'm an unreliable communicator because your software's notification redundancies failed. I sure would like to have them back.

[gilbert-phyllis]

One of the first things I do with a new client--and, often, with strong prospects when we're having back-and-forth conversations--is exchange contact info, usually email addresses and telephone numbers. UW's message center and notification system has been wacky from the get-go, and there's no reason to think any of the problems are going to be resolved any time soon. So best not to depend on it.

[BojanS]

Hi Jennifer,

I'm sorry to hear about the inconvenience this caused. Please follow the instructions listed in our Mobile App Troubleshooting guide. If the steps listed there will not resolve the issue on your end, you can send more details to our mobile team on the email listed in the guide above.

Thank you!

[browersr]

Not saying there isn't something UW can do here, but I will say they aren't alone when it comes to this problem. I use Slack extensively with clients and I consider their platform to be far more advanced and cared for then this one. Yet, I have issues all of the time in getting consistent notifications. I am even set to be notified of everything. Not clear if it's an issue of the platform understanding our true state or issue around the pushing of massive amounts of notifications. Regardless, I've had to adjust my behaviors which you may want to consider yourself. I now make regular rounds of the messaging groups I belong to just to see if anything is posted. It's annoying to have to do it but better then making excuses to clients. A few times each day I take this quick tour and a pretty high percentage of the time I do wind up catching a message I would otherwise have missed waiting for a notification. Make this part of your routine and don't wait for a fix you may never get.

[tlbp]

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Scott B wrote:

Not saying there isn't something UW can do here, but I will say they aren't alone when it comes to this problem. I use Slack extensively with clients and I consider their platform to be far more advanced and cared for then this one. Yet, I have issues all of the time in getting consistent notifications. I am even set to be notified of everything. Not clear if it's an issue of the platform understanding our true state or issue around the pushing of massive amounts of notifications. Regardless, I've had to adjust my behaviors which you may want to consider yourself. I now make regular rounds of the messaging groups I belong to just to see if anything is posted. It's annoying to have to do it but better then making excuses to clients. A few times each day I take this quick tour and a pretty high percentage of the time I do wind up catching a message I would otherwise have missed waiting for a notification. Make this part of your routine and don't wait for a fix you may never get.

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Same. I changed something on Slack recently and totally messed up the notifications--still haven't figured out what I did wrong. LinkedIn sometimes lets me know right away that someone has messaged me, sometimes not. I check for messages on Upwork and other platforms daily. Notifications are great, but I don't trust them for mission-critical communications.