Pitch Me Your Ideas - Meeting with Micha

[levinewman]

I'm a long-time seller here on Fiverr and I've had a modicum of success. Most of you probably don't know me because I don't post on the forums. However, I am a TRS and a PRO, and have had many opportunities to meet with Fiverr brass about making changes. That said, I want to hear what you think are some of Fiverr's most pressing issues. 

Next week I'm having a one-on-one meeting with Micha Kaufman who has graciously carved out a full hour of time for me. I want to be able to not only pitch what I see as problems/issues/growth opportunities but what YOU see that I do not. Because, let's be honest, Fiverr is a team effort and it should remain equal and fair in that everyone should have a voice. 

Pitch me your problems and solutions. Provide both if you can, because the only way to address these issues is by having applicable solutions. 

Regardless of what some people on these forums tell you, we are one team. We're all freelancers doing our best to stay afloat in a tumultuous world. This is how we make it better. We talk, we listen, we work together. Send me what you've got; I promise to read them all.

@frank_d @smashradio @donnovan86 @vickieito @danno1950 @vickiespencer

[vickieito]

Hi @levinewman - I wrote a post a few weeks ago listing my concerns about creating a better community environment for buyers to prevent customer attrition:

This forum is not a place where I would recommend my buyers to hang out or ask their questions, especially if they are new to the platform. I'd like to see what we can do to retain our New-To-The-Platform buyers better. This platform isn't the most intuitive one to learn and it can be frustrating for new buyers. Not having a good support system to answer their simplest questions makes it even harder. 

[levinewman]

5 minutes ago, vickieito said:

Hi @levinewman - I wrote a post a few weeks ago listing my concerns about creating a better community environment for buyers to prevent customer attrition:

This forum is not a place where I would recommend my buyers to hang out or ask their questions, especially if they are new to the platform. I'd like to see what we can do to retain our New-To-The-Platform buyers better. This platform isn't the most intuitive one to learn and it can be frustrating for new buyers. Not having a good support system to answer their simplest questions makes it even harder. 

Fantastic suggestion. Thanks, Ms. V!

[levinewman]

Based on the low responses I take it the platform is working perfectly as-is and everyone is 100% happy. 😄 Looks like nobody should ever be upset on the forums again! We've saved the day. /s

[sunboatrecords]

I will propose something that has been discussed a lot by some of us:

Fiverr should set up a one-time fee to sell on the marketplace.

A simple vetting process would be very beneficial as well. For instance, a new seller should have a valid portfolio – even with mock projects, if they are somebody who are just starting out.

This will deter a lot of scammers, low-quality sellers and will also leave room to change the algorithm into something that is more seller-friendly.

I have read reports that a single bad private review can send you packing for a good while.

Specifically, I have watched a lot of posts by @donnovan86, a very experienced seller with a massive volume of orders who seems to have experienced this.

Perhaps, he can expand upon it.

Thank you for the initiative,

Spyros.

[mateusbl]

@levinewman This is a good opportunity to share some insights.

- When they lauched the most recent Promotion Coupon, there isn't a label on the orders that are associated with the first-time buyer promotion, we need know which orders came from promotion. *Not sure if they fixed this issue.

- Another thing is related to Private Customer Surveys, since is private we can not see our performance and when this decrease we sellers are penalized by the system... I already recommended that in our analytics panel should have an AVERAGE SCORE for we sellers know if our performance are good or not, allowing us to take action before face a major drop in our account. Something similar to the repeat business badge 

Edited July 6, 2023 by mateusbl

[mateusbl]

@levinewman

I don't know if this another recommendation make senses, but we sellers are severely penalized when we receive a 1 star review. Even the Fiverr Team knows sometimes is impossible to deal with some customers.

We could have some system like if we receive 1 stars review, after 200 consecutives orders all with great 4-5 reviews, this 1 star should not have to much impact,  since our past 200 consecutive positives reviews are proof of our journey in delivery a great service.

Is just quite strange a Seller give your soul delivering a great service in more than 500 orders and then in a rare case when this seller receive a 1 star review have to much impact in the seller account.

[vickieito]

1 hour ago, levinewman said:

Based on the low responses I take it the platform is working perfectly as-is and everyone is 100% happy. 😄 Looks like nobody should ever be upset on the forums again! We've saved the day. /s

Hi @levinewman, would it be okay if you kept your thread open for responses for at least 2-3 days? It can take time for people to put their thoughts together. Sometimes the best comments and feedback are received several days after a post is made. Even on my post that I shared with you (about what buyers want), I didn't get a response for 12 hours and I thought that was quick. People are in different time zones and their work schedules may also prevent them from replying right away.

[donnovan86]

Hi again @levinewman. I was full of work today, hence the lack of an immediate reply. I would have a few ideas to pitch as well:

1. Fiverr needs to allow sellers a way to stop/start gig multiples and also choose a limit of how much work you want to do. For example, in the writing niche you can easily add 20000 words in the word count window and Fiverr would add the same deadline as that gig package, which is unreasonable. Having a way to limit these gig multiples and how much work we can provide would help a lot. That's why I am always the advocate of this idea to lock gig packages and not allow buyers to manipulate word counts that automatically have a very short deadline. Obviously I don't expect Fiverr to lock gig packages platform-wide, but I do expect to offer sellers a way to lock gig packages, if I want to only work on 500 words for example, I don't want to have buyers ordering more than that. So yes, a way to lock gig packages if we want to (when we want to) would help a whole lot. - This COULD be a Seller Plus feature.

2. Show the Buyer Satisfaction Rate we currently have. That could be in the form of a graph showing how it increases or decreases over the 90/180 days it's tracked or even just a number from 0 to 100. That way we understand whether we have to work on the buyer satisfaction rate, where it is for the time being and so on. For example, I am a part of Seller Plus, but I don't want to bother my seller manager all the time with emails requesting an update on my current BSR score. Having that as a part of Seller Plus would help, since we can see the score for ourselves, while also maintaining the privacy of our clients. I didn't have any bad reviews for many months now, and I have no idea what is happening. Needless to say, I don't want to email my success manager every week for an update, I value people's time and I don't want to be annoying. So I think this is a must-have feature, and one that people don't cover often. These first two I see as a very good addition to the platform, and they could be a Seller Plus feature.  

 

3. A way to see gig extras even before buying, right now as far as I know buyers can't see any gig extras until they initiate their purchase. So a way to see gig extras before purchasing might go a long way for a lot of sellers.

 

4. I know this is a long shot, but offering 4 or 5 gig packages (if we want to) can be a great idea too. In many niches, even writing, it makes sense to have more than 3 packages. So this would be a great addition, and obviously it would be something optional for everyone, just like it was with either 1 or 3 packages at first.

 

5. There is an issue where even if you have 3 revisions like I do, people can ask for more revisions after that. So it doesn't matter how many revisions you set, Fiverr will still offer unlimited revisions to the buyer. That can lead to problems for a lot of sellers. I am not as affected as other people here, but I still think it's a great idea to focus on.

 

6. Offering a way to bundle multiple services in an offer might also be a welcome addition.

Edited July 6, 2023 by donnovan86

[smashradio]

4 hours ago, levinewman said:

I'm a long-time seller here on Fiverr and I've had a modicum of success. Most of you probably don't know me because I don't post on the forums. However, I am a TRS and a PRO, and have had many opportunities to meet with Fiverr brass about making changes. That said, I want to hear what you think are some of Fiverr's most pressing issues. 

Next week I'm having a one-on-one meeting with Micha Kaufman who has graciously carved out a full hour of time for me. I want to be able to not only pitch what I see as problems/issues/growth opportunities but what YOU see that I do not. Because, let's be honest, Fiverr is a team effort and it should remain equal and fair in that everyone should have a voice. 

Pitch me your problems and solutions. Provide both if you can, because the only way to address these issues is by having applicable solutions. 

Regardless of what some people on these forums tell you, we are one team. We're all freelancers doing our best to stay afloat in a tumultuous world. This is how we make it better. We talk, we listen, we work together. Send me what you've got; I promise to read them all.

@frank_d @smashradio @donnovan86 @vickieito @danno1950 @vickiespencer

My primary concern with Fiverr involves the platform's communication with its sellers. There have been instances where Fiverr implemented changes that either didn't function as expected or could have been rolled out more smoothly with seller feedback.

For instance, the way the platform handled the re-verification of Top Clients was problematic. These clients were already validated once, but Fiverr removed them from TRS and Pro seller accounts and sent ominous emails requesting additional verification. While I absolutely agree with the decision to do something about the whole Top Clients debacle (given that every seller seemed to have worked for Fiverr and Amazon, just because they bought a mousepad online and sold a gig on Fiverr) it was the way things were handled after the fact that rubs me the wrong way.

During this process, the team responsible committed numerous errors, such as failing to acknowledge Coca-Cola as a global brand or overlooking major clients who regularly use Fiverr. Obvious and avoidable incompetency, in my opinion.

Such issues often occur with siloed teams or when third parties are involved. The communication through support was also lackluster, especially considering the affected sellers are supposed to have access to a "dedicated pro support team". The responses often seemed automated and irrelevant, suggesting that our messages were not properly read and understood.

The Top Clients situation highlights the potential for improved communication between Fiverr, its sellers, and its support teams. I understand that resources can be strained, processes may falter, and maintaining high-quality support can be challenging. But the Top Clients scenario and several past instances where I received inconsistent responses from different support representatives point to areas for improvement.

Simple solutions could include more comprehensive training, improved internal transparency between teams, and a more empathetic approach to communication with sellers from Fiverr's side.

I also have a couple of specific areas that I feel needs attention, and that I and others have brought up time and time again with product managers, the UX team and success managers on Fiverr, without getting any traction.

• Fiverr's compression of gig video audio to low-quality 64 kbps 22.500 hZ formats significantly degrades audio quality for sellers, particularly affecting those in categories where superior audio is a key selling point.
• The platform's decision to mute gig videos/audio by default is bad UX. It requires the buyer to hover over a gig card, notice it's playing, click the unmute button, and continue hovering over the gig card to listen to the demo. 

I also want to note that I fully agree with @sunboatrecords - if Fiverr had a paywall and a basic vetting process, it would help separate the wheat from the chaff before a buyer has to go through a negative experience on the platform. 

[levinewman]

43 minutes ago, vickieito said:

Hi @levinewman, would it be okay if you kept your thread open for responses for at least 2-3 days? It can take time for people to put their thoughts together. Sometimes the best comments and feedback are received several days after a post is made. Even on my post that I shared with you (about what buyers want), I didn't get a response for 12 hours and I thought that was quick. People are in different time zones and their work schedules may also prevent them from replying right away.

Absolutely! I was just kidding about the comment earlier.

[levinewman]

22 minutes ago, smashradio said:

I also want to note that I fully agree with @sunboatrecords - if Fiverr had a paywall and a basic vetting process, it would help separate the wheat from the chaff before a buyer has to go through a negative experience on the platform. 

What it if were a paywall in the sense that the buyer had to "put down" say $25 but it remained in their account to use? Like a promise to use someone's services. Something to that effect?

[smashradio]

1 minute ago, levinewman said:

What it if were a paywall in the sense that the buyer had to "put down" say $25 but it remained in their account to use? Like a promise to use someone's services. Something to that effect?

Ah - no - I'm talking about sellers. I believe @sunboatrecords also meant a paywall for sellers. 

[levinewman]

Just now, smashradio said:

Ah - no - I'm talking about sellers. I believe @sunboatrecords also meant a paywall for sellers. 

Ah, I see. OK. What if it were a paywall in the sense that they had to invest $25 and that could in turn be used for gig promotion? So they don't have to feel like it's a wasted investment.

[smashradio]

7 minutes ago, levinewman said:

Ah, I see. OK. What if it were a paywall in the sense that they had to invest $25 and that could in turn be used for gig promotion? So they don't have to feel like it's a wasted investment.

While I haven't fully explored how this could be implemented, in terms of the amount or how it would work, it's clear to me that the platform is currently overwhelmed with low-quality sellers lacking the necessary skills to even use Fiverr correctly. My inbox spam is proof of this - haha.

If that amount went towards something useful, all the better. The idea is to raise the bar. If a seller has to invest to sign up, it could do much good for Fiverr, in my opinion. 

One option that I've considered, is making Seller Plus Standard mandatory for all sellers above level 1.

Edited July 6, 2023 by smashradio

[imagination7413]

Honestly, I'd be happy if everyone had to verify their ID upon sign-up. 

[levinewman]

17 minutes ago, smashradio said:

The idea is to raise the bar. If a seller has to invest to sign up, it could do much good for Fiverr, in my opinion. One option that I've considered, is making Seller Plus Standard mandatory for all sellers above level 1.

These are all solid ideas. This is what I mean about collaboration. 

[nickj2013]

My suggestions to improve Fiverr are as follows:

 

• Bring back Buyer Requests in a format similar to Craigslist. Where in order to post a request, there would be a small fee.
• Implement a system where freelancers get paid faster than 14 days.
• Get rid of private reviews.
• Improve Promoted Gigs for better ROI.

[donnovan86]

6 minutes ago, nickj2013 said:

• Bring back Buyer Requests in a format similar to Craigslist. Where in order to post a request, there would be a small fee.
• Implement a system where freelancers get paid faster than 14 days.
• Get rid of private reviews.
• Improve Promoted Gigs for better ROI.

Buyer requests was a cesspool filled with people that took advantage of sellers, so I am glad it's gone

There is a system, it's called Seller Plus, but it does come with a fee attached to it.

Private reviews will certainly not go anywhere, it's a way for Fiverr to acquire unfiltered opinions from buyers. If anything, the fact Fiverr wants to to have reviews for canceled orders shows they want more transparency from buyers and sellers. I don't think these private reviews will ever go away here.

I am pretty sure they made some improvements to promoted gigs tho.

[nickj2013]

11 minutes ago, donnovan86 said:

Buyer requests was a cesspool filled with people that took advantage of sellers, so I am glad it's gone

There is a system, it's called Seller Plus, but it does come with a fee attached to it.

Private reviews will certainly not go anywhere, it's a way for Fiverr to acquire unfiltered opinions from buyers. If anything, the fact Fiverr wants to to have reviews for canceled orders shows they want more transparency from buyers and sellers. I don't think these private reviews will ever go away here.

I am pretty sure they made some improvements to promoted gigs tho.

If you charged people a fee ($8.00 or so) to post a request, like Craigslist does, you'd filter out the junk posters in Buyer Requests.

As a freelancer, if you were hired for a job, and did the job, and got a high mark from your client, I don't see why you should have to wait for 14 days to get paid. When other sites have a far more expedited window.

Private reviews are fine for Fiverr itself. But private reviews of someone's dealings with a seller, when public reviews are right there for them to use, makes no sense whatsoever. 

Promoted gigs at most, is a click-through generator. But leads to very little actual sales. Which could be a result of the type of crowd visiting Fiverr in 2023, as opposed to 2020-2022.

[moikchap]

25 minutes ago, imagination7413 said:

Honestly, I'd be happy if everyone had to verify their ID upon sign-up. 

One of my work habits is that I roll out a dozen different tasks to a dozen prospective sellers all at once to try and get full projects completed concurrently. There was one time recently where I did that and three accounts from France each immediately responded with custom offers at 10-20x their highest gig price. I'm pretty sure it was one scammer with multiple accounts.

I wouldn't mind being able to filter my search to verified identifies.

[donnovan86]

25 minutes ago, nickj2013 said:

If you charged people a fee ($8.00 or so) to post a request, like Craigslist does, you'd filter out the junk posters in Buyer Requests.

 

It's your opinion and I respect it. I think the current brief system is infinitely better. And few people would agree to pay for a request that someone might never fulfill.

26 minutes ago, nickj2013 said:

As a freelancer, if you were hired for a job, and did the job, and got a high mark from your client, I don't see why you should have to wait for 14 days to get paid. When other sites have a far more expedited window.

 

They want to offer buyers enough time to check and ask for a revision. Some buyers review the order without checking and by the time they get through the work they can't ask for a revision, or even a refund. There is Seller Plus for a faster withdrawal process if you want it, and since they charge for that, I don't see them making faster (free) withdrawals a priority of any kind. It would diminish the appeal of Seller Plus, in my opinion.

[techengine742]

3 hours ago, donnovan86 said:

5. There is an issue where even if you have 3 revisions like I do, people can ask for more revisions after that. So it doesn't matter how many revisions you set, Fiverr will still offer unlimited revisions to the buyer. That can lead to problems for a lot of sellers. I am not as affected as other people here, but I still think it's a great idea to focus on.

 

This is one of the major issues that many people abuse.

Expection: "People on forum: You set the number of revisions you want to provide. Ask client for extra revision. Don't work for free ask customer support they would help you"

Reality: "Customer support: Sorry we can't do anything about it  and buyers can ask for infinite revision and the revision parameter we made you set in during gig creation was an april fool from our end."

Edited July 6, 2023 by techengine742

[terrygrantvo]

One review, that occurs at the time of accepting the delivery and closing the order. A simple check box that allows you to make the review public if you want to. Regardless of which you choose, the review counts the same. If you don't close the order and it auto-completes, there is no review. Period.

That's it. No follow up surveys with dumb terms like 'perfect' in them. No vague multiple choice emails a week later. One review, your choice as to whether or not it's seen by the seller, and it counts the same either way... and the best part - no unnecessarily hounding buyers and punishing sellers for things they can't control.

[donnovan86]

32 minutes ago, terrygrantvo said:

One review, that occurs at the time of accepting the delivery and closing the order. A simple check box that allows you to make the review public if you want to. Regardless of which you choose, the review counts the same. If you don't close the order and it auto-completes, there is no review. Period.

 

Agreed but it won't happen and we know that. The chances of Fiverr removing those private reviews are minimal. I am sure many buyers had complaints that they don't have time to review. And obviously Fiverr cares about customer satisfaction. We will see but as I said, I don't think they will revert their approach towards reviews. If anything, with the cancellation reviews they are doubling down on reviews..