Testimony from a past client is not approved? - Page 3

hidemi-takagi · ‎02-19-2020

This topic is meant to be sent to other freelancers but if anyone from Upwork has an opinion - I would love to hear it.

I received a top-rated freelancer status about 3 years ago and managed to keep it for the past few years since and today I received Upwork "Strengthen your profile with non-Upwork client testimonials" mail which I assume quite a lot of freelancers gets now as the feature rolls out and you can see this option in your profile.

I have mixed feelings about it and wanted to hear what other freelancers think about this feature.

On the good side, I totally agree that it is a cool feature to have on your profile as I work very hard to help my clients get Google feedbacks to their businesses and I know the value of such feedbacks but the difference here is that I have to "ask" one of my clients to create a feedback via email invitation (which of course, I can soften the issue with a chat with the client prior to that mail to let them know about it) but I do feel a bit strange to "ask" clients to do such a thing from one important issue which is my client privacy since I have no ideas what do Upwork will request from my client to "verify" -- since the mail states "The testimonial will display on your profile once it’s verified by Upwork."

Besides the fact that it might be a bit troublesome to a client to write a feedback -- but that might not be too hard to do, I am worried that Upwork process of "verification" of that feedback might invade my client privacy or maybe they will be requested to "prove" something which will also might invade their personal or business privacy.

Does anyone know in detail what kind of information Upwork will require from a non-upwork client for the verification process and what kind of "hoops" the client has to go through in terms of back and forth communication with Upwork verification team?

I deal with my clients always with care about their feelings and pay a lot of attention to make sure their privacy is well kept, and I never before asked a client for "assistance" to help me in my career - therefore, before I do any move such as request them to enroll in some verification process, I want to make sure it will not be "painful" or even bothersome in any way and most of all, will not invade their privacy (personal or business).

Any thoughts about this or did anyone went through the process and know what did their client has to go through to get that testimonial process complete?

lastly - I am wondering if anyone knows if this is now a "mandatory" requirement to keep a top-rated status or it is just an extra feature and a top-rated status is relying solely on Upwork clients feedbacks?

designcopyjenner · ‎03-05-2020

Hello, I have a couple of clients outside of Upwork, that don't have Linkedin. What can I do for them?

BojanS · ‎03-05-2020

Hi Jenner,

Unfortunately, they need to have a LinkedIn profile.

Thank you!

~ Bojan

cjemery · ‎03-07-2020

Has anybody tried the new feature that lets you reach out to outside clients for testimonials? I just want to know if it works and is worth it. I hesitate to bother clients with stuff like this but it looks interesting.

pudingstudio · ‎03-07-2020

Colyn E wrote:
Has anybody tried the new feature that lets you reach out to outside clients for testimonials? I just want to know if it works and is worth it. I hesitate to bother clients with stuff like this but it looks interesting.

Wonder the same.

Not sure why would a client send their testimonial. Don't know what incentive they have to waste their time to do so.

nusfii · ‎03-11-2020

Hi i want testimonial but i can't they need linkdin but i don't have what can i do for this

kochubei_valeria · ‎03-11-2020

Hi Nusfii,

The client will need to have a LinkedIn profile in order for you to request a testimonial from them.

~ Valeria

amt17 · ‎03-11-2020

Reposted from this thread as it seems to be more relevant here:

I saw a screenshot of the form that needs to be filled in for a freelancer to solicit non-Upwork clients' feedback to be posted on Upwork.

Upwork requires:

client's first name
client's last name
client's business email address
client's linkedin profile
client's title (optional)
project type (optional)

That is a whole lot of valuable information that Upwork collects for free!

I would like to know whether Upwork uses the email addresses for their own marketing purposes, or otherwise contact the clients for whatever purpose outside of collecting the freelancers' testimonials, whether the data is sold or otherwise passed on to third parties etc.

Also, a word of warning to fellow freelancers, if you work under the GDPR or similar, you may be required to be registered with the relevant organisation (in the UK it's the ICO) and publish or distribute (to clients) your own privacy policy. In it you need to include that the above data may be passed on to third parties for marketing purposes which this is (marketing of yourself) and the client needs to agree to this PRIOR to you dishing over their data to Upwork.

I can't believe Upwork is openly inviting to possibly breaking privacy policies by soliciting the above information without giving the freelancers a word of warning about it.

Please correct me if the above is incorrect.

kochubei_valeria · ‎03-11-2020

Thanks for sharing your concerns, Annette. Please note that any information you submit to Upwork is processed by Upwork in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You can find more information about it here.

~ Valeria

amt17 · ‎03-11-2020

@kochubei_valeria wrote:
Thanks for sharing your concerns, Annette. Please note that any information you submit to Upwork is processed by Upwork in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You can find more information about it here.

Yes, but this is information that the freelancer has obtained from a non-Upwork client and therefore it's the freelancer's privacy policy that must state that the freelancer may pass on the client's (identificable) personal data to a third party for marketing reasons. This has nothing to do with Upwork's privacy policy.

Let me elaborate:

Let's say I work for Company X outside of Upwork. Through that work I obtain misc. data that I process (e.g. email address). My privacy policy stating how I handle/store such data is between myself and Company X.

If I suddenly pass on this information to Upwork for the sake of having a non-Upwork client's testimony on my Upwork profile, I must first pass on personal data to Upwork (required by Upwork), however, the client needs to be made aware of that at the time they give me the data (or as a minimum, I must update my privacy policy to state explicitly that data will be passed on to third party for marketing reasons and that how third party handles, processes, stores that data is described by third party's privacy policy which is no concern of mine) and it therefore has to be described in my privacy policy, if not when entering a work contract with Company X, then in an update prior to passing on the data to Upwork.

I don't think Upwork has made its freelancers aware of this and freelancers may unintentionally be violating various privacy laws by filling in Upwork's form in order to get off-site testimonials on to Upwork.

anastasiaburwell · ‎04-01-2020

Good afternoon! I'm trying to send a request for feedback to my client. I enter all the data, but the system does not accept my link on linkedin, circling the field in red. What might be the problem? Link **Edited for Community Guidelines**

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

AleksandarD · ‎04-01-2020

Hi Anastasia,

Unfortunately, the link you are trying to submit contains Cyrillic characters that can't be validated. However, I shared the feedback with our team to consider it as an improvement.

Thank you.

~ Aleksandar

anastasiaburwell · ‎04-01-2020

Thanks for the answer! I really hope for a solution to the problem, because this is my only opportunity to receive first orders and begin to develop on the platform. I think for many of my compatriots this issue will also be relevant. Another important clarification is that in many countries Linkedin is not a popular service, and in Russia it is officially blocked by the government, alas. At the same time, absolutely all my customers have facebook accounts where all their regalia and work experience are indicated, which can confirm the authenticity of the reviews. Just for information, maybe someday it will come to making changes to this functionality and my feedback will be useful.

jv_lanuzga · ‎05-28-2020

Hi Anastasia,

I had the same issue in the past but I eventually managed to fix it. If you haven't tried this, you may want to add "https://+linkedIn profile link. i.e https://www.john-smith-12345

Hope it helps! 🙂

kam_andru · ‎01-19-2021

Hi, I have requested testimony from a past client, and sadly it is rejected, it's hard to get testimony from outside Upwork clients because,

1. I have to find clients with a LinkedIn account, and not everyone uses it like Gmail and Facebook, it will be more helpful if Upwork includes other social media platforms for non-Upwork client testimonies.

2. The contract with them may have ended long before, but the project may be a milestone for a freelancer, so the testimony too, so I have to convince them for testimony and they may write it and for some reasons, it is not approved? I think it will make me feel good to know what was the reason for rejection even the client and testimony is real.

What are your thoughts?

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

AndreaG · ‎01-19-2021

Hi Kamarudheen,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. To ensure trust and quality of our marketplace, we can only approve testimonials from clients where we have sufficient evidence that the contact information is valid. In this case, we may not have been able to find sufficient information.

Thanks!

~Andrea

kam_andru · ‎01-22-2021

Thank you, Andrea, that was my first testimony got rejected, now I have more approved testimonies in my profile, thanks again for including this awesome feature. :bouquet:

Feeling wonderful as being a freelancer in Upwork. 😊

efb17429 · ‎03-06-2021

A couple of my former colleagues said they wrote testimonials for me but I am not seeing them. In my profile it says that they are still pending.🤔🤔

PradeepH · ‎03-06-2021

Hello Brian,

While we are excited to share that the feature is proving to be very popular unfortunately we've received so many requests that it's taking us a while to review each one. As a result, please allow 10 business days for your request to be reviewed.

Thank you.

Pradeep H

ventti · ‎04-27-2021

Hello,

I have a pre-existing testimonial from my past employer which they posted tomy linkedin profile. Is there a way add this to my upwork profile?

I would rather not send them another request, I am sure they would provide it, but like I already have one from them and its already certified through linked in anyways.

Anyone know??

petra_r · ‎04-27-2021

Andrew C wrote:
Is there a way to add a pre-existing testimonial from linkedin

No, that isn't possible

ventti · ‎04-28-2021

That’s such a joke lol

kinector · ‎04-27-2021

Andrew, like Petra said it has to go through the client.

Only clients with a LinkedIn account qualify. Someone from Upwork will contact them and verify your story, that's the whole point. Otherwise every single freelancer's profile would be full of super good testimonials... from their mothers. 😉

AleksandarD · ‎04-27-2021

Hi Andrew,

There is no option to add the pre-existing testimonial from LinkedIn, you'll need to request it from a client directly from your Upwork profile. I'll go ahead and share your feedback with our team for review.

Thank you.

~ Aleksandar

chaitanyapatwar · ‎03-12-2020

What are the exact terms to publish testimonial from a non-Upwork client? I have sent 3 requests to my previous clients and they did write a testimonial for me but when I checked my email after 2min, I found not approved by the Upwork team. Why so?

Can you please help me to understand more about your terms?

VladimirG · ‎03-12-2020

Hi Chaitanya,

I'm sorry the testimonials you requested weren't approved. If we aren't able to validate a review from a non-Upwork client, it won't be published. We do have tools and a system in place to review and check the validity of the testimonials. To better ensure the integrity of our review, we do not share the details of our process. Thanks for your understanding.

~ Vladimir

cb048360 · ‎04-05-2020

Hi there,
I am new to upwork, currently I am building and tuning my freelancer profile.

I am asking my clients for testimonials/endorsements, and there is an issue with one person, his linkedin profile URL contains Russian letters(. The testimonial request form does not allow to input these... The encoded URL format (the one with%%) does not work either. The screenshot is attached.

Is there any way/workaround for this technical issue with linkedin URL? Please let me know.

AleksandarD · ‎04-05-2020

Hi Konstantin,

Thanks for reaching out to us. Unfortunately, the link you are trying to submit contains Cyrillic characters that can't be validated. I shared the feedback with our product team to consider it as an improvement.

Thank you.

~ Aleksandar

mauripastorini · ‎04-08-2020

Hello, I can see from another new profile that a testimonial section is available. But when I look to mine, I cant see this section at all. What is happening?

BojanS · ‎04-08-2020

Hi Mauricio,

While this feature isn’t available at this stage to everyone, freelancers included in the test will see a new Testimonials section on their profile, under their “Work history and feedback“ section.

Thank you!

~ Bojan

26e63ea4 · ‎05-05-2020

Good day, Bojan.

So long story short - I happen to just start my work here on Upwork, but I have a client from outside of it, whom I'd like to ask for a testimonial. I've read your and other upworkers' replies, and I realize that this is not for eveybody at the moment. Shouldn't be upwork interested in it, since some people can convert into long-time clients of it?

I'd be thankful for adding me into the list (if this is possible), so I can ask for a testimonial from one of my clients.

Thanks

mielus · ‎05-25-2020

How can I modify the testimonial I received from someone before I can make it visible on my profile? It needs spell checking since it is poorly written. Thanks!

VladimirG · ‎05-25-2020

Hi Alexandru,

Thanks for your question. At this time you cannot edit a testimonial (we are planning to add that option later) but you can hide it from your profile. To hide it, select “OFF” under “Visibility.”

~ Vladimir

mielus · ‎05-27-2020

I understand that I can't modify it, but can an Upwork employee do it so it won't be under suspicion at all? The testimonial in itself is very good, it just has a couple of spelling mistakes.

aveliza · ‎05-31-2020

Hello,

i am relatively new on Upwork, and I asked for client testimonial from one of my past clients. I filled out the invitation form, I gave his Linkedin profile as well, and he sent the testimonial. The next day I got an email from Upwork that the testimonial was refused, you wrote you didn't have sufficient evidence that the contact information is valid. Could you please let me know what else I can do to have "sufficient evidence" for that?? This testimonial is important for me.
Thank you for your help in advance.

AleksandarD · ‎05-31-2020

Hi Eliza,

Sorry to hear the testimonial you requested wasn’t approved. Testimonials involving non-Upwork clients must be verified through our systems to check the validity of the review. If for any reason we are not able to validate it, unfortunately, we are not able to publish the review. We won’t be able to share the details of our process.

Thank you.

~ Aleksandar

aveliza · ‎05-31-2020

Hi,
thanks for your reply. Is there any way that my client sends a new
testimonial?
Or maybe the mistake was that I put the Linkedin profile of my client but
not his company??
I really don't understand what could be the problem, because it is clearly
written on his Linkedin profile that he is working in the textile business
in England. I can even show emails that we exchanged while we were working
together back in 2017...he has a valid profile, a valid email address, I
don't see how else do you want anyone to prove that the client is a real
person and that we were working together??

AleksandarD · ‎05-31-2020

Hi Eliza,

I shared your concern with the rest of our team and one of our agents will reach out to you directly via a support ticket to assist you further.

Thank you.

~ Aleksandar

mredul47 · ‎05-31-2020

I requested for testimonial from my previous clients but it is pending now. Did they provide feedback? Actually It's been while I requested

JoanneP · ‎05-31-2020

Hi Md Mredul,

I checked with the team and was advised that the testimonial was submitted on May 22nd. Please allow at least 10 business days for it to be reviewed by our team. Thank you!

~ Joanne

lucinda_anne · ‎06-04-2020

I am new to Upwork. A previous client, who suggested your platform to me, volunteered to write a testimonial, in support. He has a profile on LinkedIn, which I understand to be a prerequisite. I was notified the next day, that his testimonial was not approved.

Why was it not approved??

🤔 Non-Upwork Client Testimonials