What is "Auto Check-ins"?

[#1]

I have seen this for the first time. 

Today I had contracted with a new client and the contract is a fixed price contract. After accepting the offer, I can see this notice in my message. Would be helpful, if an expert could share a little more details about this "Auto Check-ins" in the fixed price contract. Thanks in advance. 

[#2]

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Wes C wrote:

Your note touts the benefit of avoiding ad hoc questions from clients. But those are precisely the kind of questions that we need to tune our understanding of the clients' needs and our communications with them. If a client has a question about what I'm working on or where I am with something, I want them to ask that right then and there because 1) I can address their concerns quickly 2) I can use that discussion as input to my priorities and future updates to them if needed and 3) It may spark something that needs to be tweaked in my approach to the project. If I wait until Friday to answer those three questions, chances are real good I'm not going to address what they've been holding off asking.

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This is stated much more eloquently than I'm capable of; however, the importance must not be lost in the shuffle. I want, need, give, and expect timely, effective communication. Not annoying Mario Kart checkpoints so I don't have to put another quarter in the machine.

If I'm working on a project that has changed course, or the client's vision doesn't match the vision in my imagination, I need to know NOW. Not on Friday when I've spent a week heading down the wrong path and no one spoke up because "it wasn't time for a regularly scheduled check-in."

[#3]

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Wes C wrote:

However, someone who has experienced this from the client perspective posted early in this thread that they are prompted on every log in to turn this on.

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Blimey.

What thought processes occurred for somebody (some people) to agree that was a good idea? Irritating freelancers is one thing, irritating clients is another. Surely the best approach would be to avoid as many pain points for clients as possible - not needlessly create more. I want clients to keep on putting as much money into the system as possible. We all do, right? Right, Upwork? 

I've not much more to say as I think it's already been said. Every time I open this I'm just shaking my head in disbelief at being made to feel so patronized. 

Eugh! 

[#4]

In fairness, I often get their notifications multiple times (Like when I
became top rated, or when they allowed us to bring clients for 0% fee) , so
it might not be *intended* that it popped up about 5 times before finally
going away for me. But that doesn't change how annoying it is nor the fact
that many clients will likely turn on the feature just to make the pop-ups
stop.

- Kayla

[#5]

7 pages of comments, many from community gurus, and not a single positive thing to say about that feature.

I think your userbase has been pretty clear how they feel about this "feature"

But I'm sure you'll ignore us like usual. One day a competitor is going to actually listen to all the feedback you ignore.

[#6]

WIthout having gone through this entire thread.... I had a client turn this on recently on a super small job that should be done shortly. What happens, if anything, if I don't check in? Does it impact me in a negative way or just give my client ammunition if they have a bad experience?

[#7]

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One day a competitor is going to actually listen to all the feedback you ignore.

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Hear, Hear! 

[#8]

Prepare for the day when Microsoft launches the LinkedIn freelancing platform and corrects all the terrible mistakes here. Upwork will become the new MySpace.

[#9]

Hmm, why don't you bug the client instead?

- Did you give proper directions to your Freelancer for this weeks work?

- Did you end up your contract?

- Did you communicate properly this week?

- Did you surprise the freelancer with demands that you didn't mention during contract phase this week?

- Name a few things the Freelancer did that made you think good/bad about the job's progress.

- What do you think you could have done better for this job to be a success?

etc.

Client goes dark, it's Freelancers burden to find them and try to end the contract or they feel it on their stats.

Clients do not know how to do stuff, it's Freelancers job to explain.

Clients get offended when they are reminded of ToS, Freelancer loses the job.

and now you expect the freelancer to report?

Meh. N/A would suffice for all answers.

[#10]

I've always believed that there should be a couple questions a freelancer should be able to direct at clients, which the freelancer himself/herself be able to phrase. 

For example, I do video editing here mainly. So, I should be able to set up a question for a freelancer when an offer is sent, which says:
1) Do you already have stills and logos or do you expect me to do graphic design as well?
2) Do you already have music sourced or do you want me to do the selection and consequent music edit?

Just some examples but similar thing is done by other freelancing platforms and this way freelancers can choose to throw in questions when an offer is sent without clear instructions. This kind of question-answer setup makes sense in such a scenario but what is being done here as pointed out by the OP is just bad and a waste of both the client's and freelancer's time. 

[#11]

Oh, Upwork, ever hear of labor misclassification? It's a real thing in the U.S.  I hear Uber is battling this. You may want to "check-in" with your legal team again on how the US federal government views check-ins and oversight. 

This is just another reason why I'm broadening my income streams, looking for clients elsewhere, and doing less and less on the Upwork platform. Soon, perhaps a year or two from now, I really hope I've put my Upwork days behind me because of ridiculousness like this. 

[#12]

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David S M wrote:

Oh, Upwork, ever hear of labor misclassification? It's a real thing in the U.S. I hear Uber is battling this. You may want to "check-in" with your legal team again on how the US federal [sic] government views check-ins and oversight.

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oh, btw, it's so soooper sweet Upwork is incorporated and headquartered in the State of California. I can't wait for this and the basic accounting reports which are hidden behind the discriminatory disability paywall to see the light of day. Of all the jurisdictions to find these sketchy practices, it will be the Pioneer Gold Rush State of Predatory Internet Capitalism. This probably isn't covered on Day 1 of Freelancer Daycare.

[#13]

I did a quick search and found this. It was turned on for me today. I tried not to be offended, but I had clearly stated just a moment before, as I always do, that I check in every few days. I have multiple jobs going on right now, at least 6 I can think of, if EVERY PERSON turned this on, I'd spend ages each Friday filling out the darn thing, instead of my usual, Hey, just checking in. I'm at such and such point. If you've got any questions, let me know. I'm not looking forward to all these Friday check ins and the time it's going to take. Yikes. 

[#14]

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Sarah L wrote:

I did a quick search and found this. It was turned on for me today. I tried not to be offended, but I had clearly stated just a moment before, as I always do, that I check in every few days. I have multiple jobs going on right now, at least 6 I can think of, if EVERY PERSON turned this on, I'd spend ages each Friday filling out the darn thing, instead of my usual, Hey, just checking in. I'm at such and such point. If you've got any questions, let me know. I'm not looking forward to all these Friday check ins and the time it's going to take. Yikes. 

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So ... nine pages of a resounding NO, with issues/problems such as Sarah just pointed out, as well as input from some of your best and brightest ... and it's a done deal?

Upwork, why do you have pop-ups asking us what we think, when you've proven many times over that you don't actually care about our opinions. I hope, just this once ... that with this auto check-in thing you give some consideration to the feedback you've received in this forum. As Rene pointed out a few pages back ... you are not dealing with the reasons why something like this is  needed. Upwork, it's time to purge again.

[#15]

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Virginia F wrote:

Upwork, why do you have pop-ups asking us what we think, when you've proven many times over that you don't actually care about our opinions. I hope, just this once ... that with this auto check-in thing you give some consideration to the feedback you've received in this forum. As Rene pointed out a few pages back ... you are not dealing with the reasons why something like this is  needed. Upwork, it's time to purge again.

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Stop admitting any "freelancer" who can fog a mirror. Institute some meaningful screening mechanisms to ensure new freelancers possess not only marketable skill sets but also minimal levels of common sense, business acumen and enough personal initiative to educate and orient themselves to the platform before they plunge in and create havoc and grief for themselves and their clients. Do this, and you won't need to worry about installing structural handholding and other such protocols because your lowest common denominator will pass minimal muster. At the same time, I promise you'll reduce the overall proportion of accounts that earn the least (if anything) while consuming the most CS resources (either directly by demanding constant handholding or indirectly by creating problems for clients which you then have to address). And, of course, there will be less need to erect this kind of hurdle that has a real obstructive impact on the FLs who are actually earning money for themselves and for UW.

[#16]

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Virginia F wrote:

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Sarah L wrote:

I did a quick search and found this. It was turned on for me today. I tried not to be offended, but I had clearly stated just a moment before, as I always do, that I check in every few days. I have multiple jobs going on right now, at least 6 I can think of, if EVERY PERSON turned this on, I'd spend ages each Friday filling out the darn thing, instead of my usual, Hey, just checking in. I'm at such and such point. If you've got any questions, let me know. I'm not looking forward to all these Friday check ins and the time it's going to take. Yikes. 

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So ... nine pages of a resounding NO, with issues/problems such as Sarah just pointed out, as well as input from some of your best and brightest ... and it's a done deal?

Upwork, why do you have pop-ups asking us what we think, when you've proven many times over that you don't actually care about our opinions. I hope, just this once ... that with this auto check-in thing you give some consideration to the feedback you've received in this forum. As Rene pointed out a few pages back ... you are not dealing with the reasons why something like this is  needed. Upwork, it's time to purge again.

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I've asked this question a number of times, but have never received an answer (no surprise). We tell you what we think, and then what? What happens after that? You print the complaints out and use them for target practice? Tape them to the walls of your R & D room and laugh at them. Maybe our feedback ends up in the circular file? Everyone in this thread has told you what they think ... to no avail. It would be best if Upwork stopped pretending to care about our feedback.

[#17]

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Sarah L wrote:

I did a quick search and found this. It was turned on for me today. I tried not to be offended, but I had clearly stated just a moment before, as I always do, that I check in every few days. I have multiple jobs going on right now, at least 6 I can think of, if EVERY PERSON turned this on, I'd spend ages each Friday filling out the darn thing, instead of my usual, Hey, just checking in. I'm at such and such point. If you've got any questions, let me know. I'm not looking forward to all these Friday check ins and the time it's going to take. Yikes. 

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This is my concern as well.  I have a lot of jobs. And a good part of my jobs is ME waiting for the client to submit additional content before I can even start on the job.  This very OFTEN goes over Fridays/weekends. How awkward would it be if the message pops up on Friday when I am still waiting for a client to submit additional content to me?  What do I say?  "uhhh... just waiting for your content...."    And what about the question about what will prevent me from getting the work done next week?   "uhhh... if you still haven't submitted the content back to me..."   I would guess that 95% of the time it will show up a time that isn't appropriate and just creates incredibly awkward moments. 

ugh...  

[#18]

Absolutely. I look forward to the day when working on badly designed and managed platforms is the thing of the past. 

[#19]

I just got my first "auto check-in." Thoughts:

1. I am a professional. Therefore, I do not need a baby-sitter.

2. If my client has questions, he can (and should) ask me directly.

3. I already provide this information to my clients in the course of general conversation about the project, so I resent being asked to waste my time doing it twice.

4. I am billing the client for time wasted on this process. (Sadly, this won't be an option for fixed-price jobs.)

5. Upwork, please for the love of god DO NOT make this a permanent feature.

[#20]

I completed a project for a client this week. She set up the "Check in on a Project" feature:

it’s time to check in on this project. Please take a moment to answer these questions:
What did you work on this week?
What will you work on next week?
What might delay your planned work?

She's new to Upwork and mentioned that she didn't intend to do that. Now that the project is completed and I've been paid why is this still showing up? Does she need to remove it or can I do something on my end? There's no reason to answer the questions, yet I don't want my (currently non-existent) score to be impacted because I ignore this message. 

Also I still have no feedback that's appeared for either of my jobs. They both verbally told me I did great work - are they required or encouraged to leave feedback? Or can I leave it for them first and that will prompt them? 

I understand I need at least 6-7 different people to provide feedback before my score will increase, which I need to happen in order to apply for more jobs that fit my skill set. 

[#21]

Hi Heather,

First of all, I'd like to congratulate you on another job great done! Seeing you're recently started using Upwork, I'd also like to note that while you're correct that the job you have been hired for has been completed and you've been paid, the contract itself is still open. That's the reason why you received the check-in questions. Please note that your client can enable and disable the auto check-ins via a link in the contract Message room or in the contract terms/setting area. If you're not looking to continue working on new tasks via this contract, you can ask your client to close it, which will enable them to leave feedback for you.

I moved your post to a thread discussing Auto Check-ins, if you'd like to find more information about this feature. Feel free also to follow up in the Community if you have any questions or assistance. have a great day! 💚

[#22]

Oh wow! 

So it's bad enough we freelancers are haunted by open contracts the clients (especially new clients who often use our services and then never return to the website ever again) refuse to close and rate, are PENALIZED in our score if we close them ourselves. 

Now we ALSO get to be haunted by these questions every Friday for the end of time.

Wonderful job. You guys just keep knocking out of the park with your website.  Another great decision /eyeroll/

What did you work on this week? Literally nothing, you hired me for a 100$ project a year ago and then never came back after I deliverd.
What will you work on next week? Again, nothing. You probably forgot Upwork exists. Probably because the website is so terrible.
What might delay your planned work? Well I don't have any work for YOU, but my work for my ACTUAL clients might be delayed by receiving this from 20 inactive clients.

[#23]

[#24]

Heather, welcome to UW! Here's a little Feedback 101.

Either party (FL or client) can close a contract. The one closing it is required to leave fb and the other one is notified of the closure and invited to leave fb. Therefore, it's best when clients close contracts. Often, they don't bother. It's bad form to mention fb to them but perfectly acceptable (and advisable) to send them a quick message along the lines of "If we've wrapped up everything you need on X project, you can close the contract. You can always rehire me with one click in the future." If they don't respond to that within a few weeks, then I may send one more reminder. It's tough when you're starting out and need to stack up some closed contracts in order to establish enough history to get a JSS. But it's better to tolerate a few idle contracts than nag clients. IME some clients just don't like fooling with the UW interface and only log in when they need something (as opposed to when I need something or UW needs something).

BTW, idle contracts on which you have earned something do not affect your JSS either way. Closed contracts without client fb can have a negative impact if they represent too big a proportion of your entire base of closed contracts.

Public fb is not what steers your fate, private fb does. The calculation is a black box, by design, to keep FLs from hounding clients when their JSS goes up or down. Once you have enough closed jobs to start counting, the most important metric is 'clients who would recommend you' which updates on a different cycle than the JSS number (which updates every second Sunday).

The main thing to know about the JSS is that you want to get and keep a score above 90. Once you have 90 for 13 out of 16 weeks, you become Top Rated which entitles you to have one client feedback removed every 10 contracts & three months. That's a nice perk to keep up your sleeve against the inevitable -- but hopefully rare -- situation of a project going sideways or a client running amok. I've never had to use it (yet) but feel better having it. I've been FLing for decades and still, sometimes a project or client gets away from me.

Good luck!

[#25]

The problem is clients don't understand any of this. I've had client tell me they are concerned about hiring me because I seem to already be "currently working" on 20 projects. I have to explain they are all completed but I can't close them or I'll hurt my score. It makes the website look bad.

And who knows how many jobs I've lost out on because the client didn't ask me and just assumed I'm too busy or won't make them a priority.

The whole thing is nonsense. 

I've made it a habit any time I close a huge project with a happy client of also closing an old inactive client of a small amount. It often kncoks my rting down 1-2% but it's better than having an infinite number of inactive contracts with out of date clients. I have no idea what to do about the big contracts where the client disappeared. I can't afford to take the hit to my score.

I have NO IDEA why Upwork has decided that clients who leave the website never to return (probably because of their terrible systems and policies) are somehow a measure of how good WE ARE as freelancers. All my clients love me. I just can't exactly force them back to the website to close contracts.

It kind of makes me not want to take a risk on new clients. I don't see how that's beneficial to Upwork.
- Kayla

[#26]

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Kayla B wrote:

 I have to explain they are all completed but I can't close them or I'll hurt my score.

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Closing contracts yourself does not hurt your score.

Contracts that had previous earnings don't hurt your JSS if you close them yourself, unless you have an insanely high percentage of such contracts, which you don't.