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jackson-nevil
Community Member

Private Feedback and JSS

Does anyone know if UW intends to address the problem of private feedback and it's affect on one's JSS? While I understand private feedback offers clients the opportunity to speak openly about their experience with a freelancer, it 1) gives the freelancer to chance to examine and defend any inacuracies, or explain themselves and, perhaps more importantly 2) If the frelancer is deserving of a negative (private) review, they're unalbe to recieve and learn from the feedback. 

 

Private Feedback might also be used as a silent tool for leverage. If after our work is deliverd and satisfactory, the client asks for something extra, or keeps trying to renegotiate already agreed upon terms, we have to weigh whether we conceed and do extra free work, or stand our ground and risk negative private feedback which could hurt our JSS and potentially hurt our chances on obtaining future work.

 

Am I wrong in these assumptions? Has anyone else had near perfect ratings yet somehow their JSS score droped below 90%?

11 REPLIES 11
robin_hyman
Community Member


Nevil J wrote:

Does anyone know if UW intends to address the problem of private feedback and it's affect on one's JSS? While I understand private feedback offers clients the opportunity to speak openly about their experience with a freelancer, it 1) gives the freelancer to chance to examine and defend any inacuracies, or explain themselves and, perhaps more importantly 2) If the frelancer is deserving of a negative (private) review, they're unalbe to recieve and learn from the feedback. 

 

Private Feedback might also be used as a silent tool for leverage. If after our work is deliverd and satisfactory, the client asks for something extra, or keeps trying to renegotiate already agreed upon terms, we have to weigh whether we conceed and do extra free work, or stand our ground and risk negative private feedback which could hurt our JSS and potentially hurt our chances on obtaining future work.

 

Am I wrong in these assumptions? Has anyone else had near perfect ratings yet somehow their JSS score droped below 90%?


I disagree.  Your profile says a lot about the work you deliver as a mix of your JSS, public feedback (just the # of stars, words are fluff), and private feedback which impacts your JSS.  Nevil, I can tell you produce quality work and your clients are generally happy with the results.  BUT, I can also see where you need to reevaluate and improve:

 

Communication

Availability

 

Two of your 7 jobs indicate a less than perfect communication score and one indicates a less than perfect availability score.  What does this tell me?  You need to do a better job at managing client expectations, setting realistic deadlines, and communicate any issues along the way.  

 

You're upset because you have JSS of 86% yet your public reviews are above average.  AND THEY ARE.  But you're competing with others who have worked on more proposals and who are receiving better public and private feedback.

 

Instead of blaming the system, try improving on these skills.  The more jobs you land, the more happy, satisfied customers you have, the higher your JSS will be.  

 

My intention is not to blame the system.  You are right about what can be learned from the public ratings. As you mentioned, my first two jobs on UW gave me a less that perfect communication and availbilty score. Every subsequent job has been perfect and that's becaue I was able to learn from the feedback I recieved. But what of the private feedback?  What the purpose of this option if it doesn't give the freelancer an oportunity to improove?

prestonhunter
Community Member

re: "Does anyone know if UW intends to address the problem of private feedback and it's affect on one's JSS?"

 

Upwork does not regard private feedback as a problem.

 

Private feedback was instituted as the solution.

It's not a 'problem'. It is working as was intended, as far as I know. 

Private feedback encourages clients to leave more honest reviews of their freelancers' performance. 

But shouldn't the freelancer be able to read this review? 

re: "But shouldn't the freelancer be able to read this review?"

 

It is private feedback.

If the freelancer could see the feedback, then it would not be private.

kbadeau
Community Member

I totally agree and went round and round with CS this weekend about it. I need to start my own thread to figure out what to do, but the net of it is that my current profile shows all 5 star public ratings yet one or more clients left bad private feedback.

 

I understand the intent of the system, but I wholeheartedly agree that, assuming the net desire is to have a platform full of the best freelancers around, allowing bad private feedback to have such an effect on our JSS makes no sense. We can't improve if we don't know why the client wouldn't recommend us, and sometimes people just have different personalities or styles.

 

I am mystified. And I think I pay pretty decent fees to spend so much time worrying about something I can't control. And why in the world can't they do the update on a work day, for heaven's sake? Sure did ruin my weekend.

I think the feedback system certainly has flaws, I also think as it is just adults using the platform we should be able to communicate true feelings between client and freelancer, but clearly that is not wanted/going to be offered by Upwork. 

 

The private feedback system alone does not really bother me to much. But, I am puzzled how SOME feedback scores come about -

 

for example, how does a freelancer with only 6 jobs completed since september one of which has no feedback at all and another which has only 3.05 stars manage to get a JSS of 100% ??

 


Jonathan H wrote:

I But, I am puzzled how SOME feedback scores come about -

 

for example, how does a freelancer with only 6 jobs completed since september one of which has no feedback at all and another which has only 3.05 stars manage to get a JSS of 100% ??


Easily:

The contract with money paid but no feedback is neutral, and the client who left the 3-05 will be one of those the system recognizes as consistently problematic, OR the client was suspended, so the contract with them does not have any affect on the JSS.

 


Jonathan H wrote:

 I also think as it is just adults using the platform we should be able to communicate true feelings between client and freelancer,


You and I are clearly not reading the same forum, where a nice cross-section of those adults communicates their true feelings on a daily basis.....


Petra R wrote:


Easily:

The contract with money paid but no feedback is neutral, and the client who left the 3-05 will be one of those the system recognizes as consistently problematic, OR the client was suspended, so the contract with them does not have any affect on the JSS.


Hmmm, maybe - and whilst that would make sense it doesnt appear like that when looking at the client (a few open active jobs and a long history of feedbacks which despite having a few lower rating items is mainly either no rating or 5 star) Obvs i dont know how it works, maybe the client has more history that cant be seen. Just something that struck me as odd thats all as its not the first time i have seen similar situations.

 


Petra R wrote:


You and I are clearly not reading the same forum, where a nice cross-section of those adults communicates their true feelings on a daily basis.....


Smiley LOLSmiley LOLSmiley LOL

Point taken, maybe i should rephrase my statement to "as it *should* be just adults".

ogheneruona2
Community Member

Can other clients see the private feedback left by another client?

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