Where is the Upwork's live support? (actual human support)

[abid_abir]

Dear Upwork Community,

I wanted to share my personal experience regarding Upwork's support system. In the past, having live support with an agent was incredibly helpful, providing immediate assistance when I needed it the most. However, I've noticed a shift towards automated replies and the suggestion to start a ticket when requesting to speak with a human representative.

This change has raised concerns about the availability of live support on Upwork. As freelancers, we occasionally encounter situations that require urgent attention, and relying solely on automated replies can be challenging and frustrating. The automated response stating a three-day turnaround time after starting a ticket may not always meet the immediate needs we face. This transition in support can create a rather disheartening experience for freelancers who require prompt assistance.

I am hopeful that Upwork will continue to listen to the feedback from freelancers and work towards refining their support system. It is important for us to have a direct line of communication when time-sensitive issues arise, ensuring a positive and efficient experience for all.

[iwan-spillebeen]

There is no more live support.

I agree, the few times that I needed to use it it was absolutely fantastic, issues were either resolved or clarified in minutes.  Now you need to post on the support forum to get someone to create a ticket for you.  I tried to create a ticket using the annoying chatbot but that continuesly fails on the last step where it tells you the session has timed out.

UpWork isn't going to reinstate live support unfortunately, it costs money ... even though live support is supposed to be a perk of Top Rated Plus

[atreglia]

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Iwan S wrote:

There is no more live support.

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According to Upwork it still exists, at least as of May 1, 2023 which is when the following copy/paste was authored by Upwork on the Better Business Bureau website.  Can't make this up.

We are sorry that this freelancer had difficulty withdrawing their funds and found our chat feature to be unhelpful. We appreciate the time they have taken to share this feedback with us. We have reached out to this user and appreciate the opportunity to assist them.  

To withdraw earnings on the platform, you can follow the steps listed here:  

*********************************************************************************************************;

Upwork support agents are available 24/7 at ********************************** and will gladly help with any questions customers may have. Our Phone Support team can be reached directly by dialing *************** or ***************. The team is available from 12 am Monday to 11:59 pm Friday PST. Customers can also receive support by clicking on the Help section at the top right of their account once logged in. 

[iwan-spillebeen]

Try it, then tell me I'm right.  You used to be able to contact support through chat, and talk to a support agent live, this is no longer the case, hasn't been for 6 months to a year. 

[atreglia]

I already know you're right; I see complaints here all the time and believe them.  I only shared that as an example of what Upwork claims they do vs. what's really going on, which is very different.

[celgins]

I understand your frustration, but in the past, there were fewer freelancers to support. Upwork has added several million freelancers over the last few years and that means more people need support.

Since Upwork is still trying to achieve and maintain profitability, they no longer have the support staff to respond to live calls. In fact, they recently reduced their workforce, and some of those laid off were probably support staff.

[iwan-spillebeen]

Then UpWork should not advertise that live support is a feature. 

[sajal36]

I believe everywhere support is moving to an automated system. Even community forum are strong enough to find the relevant inoformation related to most of the issue. It is important to be able to have accessibility of inofrmation so that a solution can be figured out. However only case live support need might be felt is when there is unique issue & I believe this must be less then 10% of the issue. 

I think Upwork do respond to the isssue in a timely manner so 10% of the issue looks ok to be handled that way.

[iwan-spillebeen]

No, UpWork support on issues is way below satisfactory, UpWork should have a policy to respond to payment and contract issues within 24 hours or less, currently the waiting time is between 48 and 72 hours to receive a first response, 99% of the time this is a canned response that doesn't address the issue and is used as an excuse to close the ticket.

[the-right-writer]

No, they do not respond in a timely manner. Canned cut and paste is of no value.

[sajal36]

I believe if it is available through copy paste then it might not fall in 10%. Freelancer must be able to find it through forum and documentation. If its 10% then I have observed getting responded within timeframe of 24-48 hours. May be the longer you are on platform the expectation is that you must know where to look for information..