Dec 8, 2021 06:10:46 AM by Michael J
We’re introducing a new feature to help you make the most of your time and expertise on Upwork so you can increase earnings, build a network of clients, and boost your reputation. With the new consultations offering within Project Catalog™, clients can book time with you for your subject-matter expertise.
Check out the announcement here and let us know your thoughts about these updates in the comments below.
Jul 12, 2022 04:14:04 PM by Ray C
Jul 12, 2022 09:53:16 PM by Vijayvithal J
Mike,
Out of 3 currently active projects in my contracts page, all three started as Consulting Projects where I was required to have regular calls with the Clients team to solve any technical queries they had. Over time some of these turned into Coding gigs. But the start point was Consultation...
Even with the recent changes, I am still not able to "Offer consultation" because my expertise is not listed in the list of consultations!
Can Upwork please look into adding the following as Consultation Expertise.
Sep 27, 2022 11:24:42 PM by Jean-Michel L
The format is attractive for customers to quickly engage a specific expert and obtain key information about feasibility or difficulties they encounter on their project. I have set up my consultation service and already hold 2 sessions with 2 different customers
However there are a few things which make me think about getting out of this process:
- the workflow is extremely "driven". I should say too constrained. And there are situations where I can be afraid for my JSS. I could not attend due to a "last minute" personal issue and customer was irresponsive so this would be a no show and my JSS could be impacted according to documentation. (how ? I have no clue).
- the workflow forces me to produce a document. Is this a wrong setting in my consultation project ? If not, how do I monetize the production of something that takes time ?? So in my case I always tell the customer I will upload a dummy doc after the consultation to be able to complete the cycle. That does not sound well.
- once again we as freelancers don't know the other side of the medal and how the system behaves on the client side. Example: what's the customer expectation in terms of completing his agenda in a given 30/60mns timeframe ? Is the system setting those expectations ? or is it up to me to set those at the beginning of the call and take a risk of dissatisfying the customer?
- finally 20% fee is too high and nature of consutations ie short makes it difficult to reach the 500$ plateau.
Thank you for your answers !
Dec 1, 2022 08:20:48 AM by Mandar M
Hi Mike,
I updated my details 2 days back. When can I expect this to be action upon?
Thanks
Mar 13, 2023 09:32:04 AM by Ekaterina T
I strongly believe that we need an opportunity to make different names of consultations as the Project Catalog has different names of projects. Otherwise, if I have a few different consultations with different terms and for different purposes, it's impossible for the clients to understand what's the difference and what they should choose. E.g. all design consultations now have the name 'Design'. I want to distinguish that one consultation is for those who need help with imagery, and the other is for those who need to discuss possible print technologies, etc. I also think the search by consultations doesn't work well yet (I tried to find some consultations and was not successful). Seems it's not a ready service yet.