Increased efficiency and trust: new tools and ratings update

[Shiran.M]

Managing orders starts with having the right tools. In an effort to help you stay flexible while navigating changes that may come up, we’re launching more resolution tools designed to: 
- Enable you to efficiently navigate order challenges 
- Give you more control in unpredictable situations
- Improve our rating system and customer trust
- Help freelancers stand out for delivering great experiences

Get to know your order resolution features:

• Streamline resolutions with partial refunds
  Orders may change, but hard work should still pay off. In case a project’s scope changes or you and your customer decide not to complete the whole project, now you can easily offer partial refunds through our Resolution Center—allowing you to make any needed payment adjustments, get paid for your work, and conclude with customers on good terms.
• Gain flexibility with extended delivery time
  Your ability to deliver on time can be impacted by unexpected factors, such as changes to project scope, missing or unclear requirements, customer communication, and more. In order to extend your delivery time when needed and give you more flexibility and control with every order, we’ve shortened the customer response window from 4 days to 2 days, automatically extending your delivery date if they don't respond to your request in that time. 
• Pave your path to Top Rated Seller status
  In order to bring you and our diverse seller community more chances to achieve Top Rated Seller status and benefit from more perks, we’ve adjusted the lifetime earning threshold from $20k to $10k. We’re committed to keeping the vetting standards high through a professional evaluation process, while providing more freelancers who deliver high-quality experiences a chance to earn the status, showcase their talent, and attract more customers.
• Increased trust with our improved rating system 
  A reliable review system is essential for building trust between freelancers and customers, and for helping freelancers who provide high-quality services stand out. In order to increase transparency and trust, we’ve updated our rating system with the option to leave a review for canceled orders under certain conditions. By improving our rating system to encourage buyer confidence, Fiverr will be able to bring and retain more customers and generate more business opportunities for you.

We value our freelancer community and heard your feedback on our previous update. We have safeguards in place to prevent abuse or misuse on the platform. Please keep in mind that reviews for canceled orders are only available under specific conditions, meaning that not every cancellation is eligible for a review. Cases of first-time Fiverr customers, customers with seller accounts, orders made by mistake, and chargebacks have been excluded. We have also shortened the canceled order review window from 14 to 5 days. In addition, Fiverr may remove this option for customers who have violated our Terms of Service or Community Standards.

Be sure to encourage positive reviews by providing exceptional service throughout the process, maintaining clear communication, responding promptly to inquiries, and making customers feel valued and supported.

We are always open to hearing from you and value your feedback. If you have any further questions or need assistance with order resolutions, please reach out to our Customer Support team.

Thanks,
The Fiverr Team

[vickieito]

Thanks for the update @Shiran.M!

On 8/7/2023 at 11:46 AM, Shiran.M said:

Streamline resolutions with partial refunds
Orders may change, but hard work should still pay off.

I've been using the partial refunds since it came out, and so far, it seems to be a good feature (I use it to get paid for the work I do with buyers who purchase a set amount of hours each week - and don't use it all by the end).

This feature could be streamlined (I don't know why it asks both seller and buyer for a reason for the discount and neither of those reasons are shared with the other party). Other than that, I really like this feature and would like to see more orders qualify for partial refunds.

On 8/7/2023 at 11:46 AM, Shiran.M said:

automatically extending your delivery date if they don't respond to your request

I love this! 😍 This reduces so much stress on a seller's part. Most of my buyers agree to extend my delivery date (in the order chats) but don't realize they have to accept the extension request officially.

On 8/7/2023 at 11:46 AM, Shiran.M said:

In order to bring you and our diverse seller community more chances to achieve Top Rated Seller status and benefit from more perks, we’ve adjusted the lifetime earning threshold from $20k to $10k.

I'm not sure how this would help sellers achieve the TRS status - most of the sellers I see complaining about this have already exceeded the $20k threshold (and all of the minimum requirements). There are also sellers on the Seller Plus Premium plan who qualify for the minimum TRS requirements (and still have not made the cut). They are questioning what this "fast track to TRS" is all about.

On 8/7/2023 at 11:46 AM, Shiran.M said:

We have also shortened the canceled order review window from 14 to 5 days.

Is this 5 days from the delivery date (or from the date of cancelation)? And can orders still be canceled up to 14 days after an order closes?

Edited August 7, 2023 by vickieito

[catwriter]

1 minute ago, vickieito said:

I'm not sure how this would help sellers achieve the TRS status - most of the sellers I see complaining about this have already exceeded the $20k threshold (and all of the minimum requirements).

I'll give you an example (minus the complaining part, I have never complained about not being a TRS, nor would I complain about something like that): me. I haven't exceeded the $20k threshold, but now, I'm eligible.

And I'm sure there are many others like me (including the not-complaining part 😸).

[vickieito]

3 minutes ago, catwriter said:

I'll give you an example (minus the complaining part, I have never complained about not being a TRS, nor would I complain about something like that): me. I haven't exceeded the $20k threshold, but now, I'm eligible.

And I'm sure there are many others like me (including the not-complaining part 😸).

Good point! (and I'd love to see you as a TRS!)

What I'd like to see is more transparency on this badge. In my opinion, it isn't really a level to aspire to because once you've hit the minimum requirements (which are simple enough), there isn't really much you can do. It's great if you have it (like the Fiverr's Choice badge), but just like badges, it can disappear just as easily (I've seen demoted TRS on the forum stating that they still meet all the TRS requirements but were demoted to Level 2). They are left in the dark, especially if their success manager tells them their BRS is great.

[Shiran.M]

1 hour ago, vickieito said:

 

Is this 5 days from the delivery date (or from the date of cancelation)? And can orders still be canceled up to 14 days after an order closes?

Hey @vickieito
Buyers can leave reviews 5 days from the cancelation date. And yes, orders can still be canceled as in the existing format.

[wp_kid]

Great Update Fiverr, Partial refund is a great addition. I'm also looking for partial withdrawal, please consider this. 
Also, a big thumbs up for lowering the TRS threshold to $10k – a real boost for newly joined skilled sellers. Kudos 

[smashradio]

7 hours ago, Shiran.M said:

 

• Pave your path to Top Rated Seller status
  In order to bring you and our diverse seller community more chances to achieve Top Rated Seller status and benefit from more perks, we’ve adjusted the lifetime earning threshold from $20k to $10k. We’re committed to keeping the vetting standards high through a professional evaluation process, while providing more freelancers who deliver high-quality experiences a chance to earn the status, showcase their talent, and attract more customers.
•  

Seems the path is already paved. 

Very happy with the rest, so it's not all bad. But cutting the required earnings in half? Really? 

[charlsmcfarlane]

7 hours ago, Shiran.M said:

In order to bring you and our diverse seller community more chances to achieve Top Rated Seller status and benefit from more perks, we’ve adjusted the lifetime earning threshold from $20k to $10k. We’re committed to keeping the vetting standards high through a professional evaluation process, while providing more freelancers who deliver high-quality experiences a chance to earn the status, showcase their talent, and attract more customers.

Most sellers that would seem to be ready for Top Rated status aren't held back by the revenue limit. I think it's the unclear selection method that most people find a bit hard to understand, and a little frustrating. I've never heard complaints about people having to earn the required amount first. It's more common that it's the other way around i.e. people have near perfect stats and earned the required $20K years ago and every month comes and goes without any word on the review process. It would be great to have some insight into the selection process or perhaps even some indication that a seller's account has been looked at and perhaps the reason they haven't been selected this time around. If anything, I wonder if lowering the 20K limit is going in the wrong direction. Hitting the 20K limit is, for me, a distant memory. It was something to work towards but now, with TRS selection so ambiguous, hitting that goal doesn't really seem to mean much. By lowering it, are you just increasing the number of people scratching their heads as to why they're not being selected?

7 hours ago, Shiran.M said:

A reliable review system is essential for building trust between freelancers and customers, and for helping freelancers who provide high-quality services stand out. In order to increase transparency and trust, we’ve updated our rating system with the option to leave a review for canceled orders under certain conditions. By improving our rating system to encourage buyer confidence, Fiverr will be able to bring and retain more customers and generate more business opportunities for you.

I am pleased with how this has been handled following the seller outcry when it was announced. Fiverr's willingness to listen hasn't gone unnoticed. It's nice to see some small tweaks to the process on this too. A platform's willingness to listen and make changes, even if they still proceed with the plan, is a good sign of their commitment to their community.

I can't see it announced here (perhaps it's not turned on for everyone yet), but you can reply in threads in the inbox now – excellent addition and something I requested a few weeks ago!

Regarding everything else, bravo! Some great updates.

[visualstudios]

1 hour ago, smashradio said:

Very happy with the rest, so it's not all bad. But cutting the required earnings in half? Really? 

I think that will have a minimal impact. Many (many) sellers are over the 20k limit for years before they are TRS, some never do. As long as they don't make the process less demanding, it won't make any difference.

[skydesigner]

Increased trust with our improved rating system 
but lowering requirement for both TRS and Pro seller 🤢

[logoflow]

@Shiran.M

In case, If the order has been cancelled through Fiverr customer support then client is able to drop a review or not?

[donnovan86]

Thanks to a forum colleague, now we also know how these canceled orders look on a seller's account. 

 

 

To be honest it doesn't really stand out, so it's easy to mistake this with a regular review. I wish it had a border or something to make it stand out, instead it's just freeform text. But at least it's shown. And yes, the reviews for canceled orders are now active. 

[farhan_editz]

Now that's the kind of update that should be really appreciated. 

The best one in my opinion is the partial refund since I'm sure some buyers were taking advantage of the seller's work and then asking for a refund or canceling the order, leaving the sellers in a very awkward position.

[farhan_editz]

14 hours ago, Shiran.M said:

Pave your path to Top Rated Seller status
In order to bring you and our diverse seller community more chances to achieve Top Rated Seller status and benefit from more perks, we’ve adjusted the lifetime earning threshold from $20k to $10k. We’re committed to keeping the vetting standards high through a professional evaluation process, while providing more freelancers who deliver high-quality experiences a chance to earn the status, showcase their talent, and attract more customers.

This is also a great step since the criteria on other platforms for becoming a TRS were quite low. Though all the other conditions are still applicable making it really a good decision both in terms of credibility and more chances to sellers.

[farhan_editz]

6 hours ago, charlsmcfarlane said:

It would be great to have some insight into the selection process or perhaps even some indication that a seller's account has been looked at and perhaps the reason they haven't been selected this time around.

@charlsmcfarlane I totally agree here since the TRS criteria are still dependent on the manual review process and some sellers would be waiting for years with no word on the review process leaving the sellers thinking okay maybe next month or maybe next year to eternity 👀😅

[Shiran.M]

1 hour ago, logoflow said:

@Shiran.M

In case, If the order has been cancelled through Fiverr customer support then client is able to drop a review or not?

Hey @logoflow
If the cancellation is eligible for review (see the eligibility criteria here) then the client is able to leave a review. Customer Support can't remove this option, unless the case involves a violation of our Terms of Service or Community Standards. 

[Shiran.M]

@vickieito @smashradio @visualstudios @skydesigner @farhan_editz
Thank you for sharing this feedback.

Top Rated Seller status stands for vetted freelancers who demonstrated exceptional quality of deliverables and service.

The change to the revenue threshold meant to enable diverse sellers that are far from the $20K target (related to more specific service niche for example) but have shown great quality and comply with our high professional evaluation standards to get the opportunity to be TRS badge candidates. This change can increase the number of candidates to be considered as Top Rated sellers, but it will not reduce the level of the professionalism required to earn this badge. The evaluation process and the standards for earning and keeping this badge remain high and will not be changed. 

We are working to increase the transparency of the evaluation process and criteria, and we will keep the sellers community updated.

Edited August 8, 2023 by Shiran.M

[hamza_teamalif]

As a seller if I look at these new updates, they look great and are welcomed! 

I genuinely believe these updates will be more beneficial for sellers and platform as a whole in the near future.

But still, fiverr has to improve a lot in this area.

My biggest concern is ability of a buyer to leave a feedback on a cancelled ordered. On my account, an order was cancelled around 8 months ago, in Dec. And I received feedback from buyer on my gig just one hour ago.

If I look at the article published by fiverr: https://help.fiverr.com/hc/en-us/articles/17120664805521-Reviews-for-canceled-orders-

It clearly says, the first time buyer can not leave a review, and a buyer will have to leave the review within 5 days after the cancellation. But in reality this feature has not been implemented yet. In my case, both conditions were met. The account was a first-time buyer on fiverr, and he/she got the ability to leave feedback after 8 months, not 5 days or 14 days or a month. But 8 months old cancelled order!!

So, I hope fiverr team can take a look at this. Because it will be a bad impact for sellers profile if buyers get ability to leave reviews for years old cancelled orders just to get some kind of revenge from sellers. 

Edited August 8, 2023 by hamza_teamalif

[donnovan86]

35 minutes ago, hamza_teamalif said:

My biggest concern is ability of a buyer to leave a feedback on a cancelled ordered. On my account, an order was cancelled around 8 months ago, in Dec. And I received feedback from buyer on my gig just one hour ago.

 

When did you cancel the order? 

[vickieito]

34 minutes ago, hamza_teamalif said:

On my account, an order was cancelled around 8 months ago, in Dec. And I received feedback from buyer on my gig just one hour ago.

34 minutes ago, hamza_teamalif said:

It clearly says, the first time buyer can not leave a review, and a buyer will have to leave the review within 5 days after the cancellation. But in reality this feature has not been implemented yet. In my case, both conditions were met. The account was a first-time buyer on fiverr, and he/she got the ability to leave feedback after 8 months, not 5 days or 14 days or a month. But 8 months old cancelled order!!

That's concerning if it was really 8 months ago and it was a first-time buyer! And was there even a delivery made on that order? Based on the buyer's comments, it almost sounds as if there wasn't even a delivery.

[hamza_teamalif]

1 hour ago, donnovan86 said:

When did you cancel the order? 

The order was cancelled 8 months ago. It was placed in Dec, but delivery date was extended to start of Jan, and order got cancelled at the end of Jan.

1 hour ago, vickieito said:

That's concerning if it was really 8 months ago and it was a first-time buyer! And was there even a delivery made on that order? Based on the buyer's comments, it almost sounds as if there wasn't even a delivery.

There was no delivery made as solution suggested/requested by buyer was technically impossible. It took more time than expected, but the end it was cancelled because I couldn't get it done.

Edited August 8, 2023 by hamza_teamalif

[vickieito]

12 minutes ago, hamza_teamalif said:

There was no delivery made as solution suggested/requested by buyer was technically impossible. It took more time than expected, but the end it was cancelled because I couldn't get it done.

First-time buyer, no delivery, and canceled 8 months ago - there shouldn't be a review left on that canceled order then. I wonder how this was even possible. Did CS allow it?

And this brings up another question - is CS still allowing buyers to change their reviews? For example, if an order gets canceled and the buyer leaves their review, can the buyer go to CS to change their review after reading the seller's reply?

Based on forum posts, CS was allowing buyers to change their reviews but not allowing the seller to change their comments. So a buyer could leave a 5-star review and then later change it to a 1-star review (which would make the seller's comments look odd because their comments were made based on the previous review). 

I think if buyers can change their reviews, sellers should be able to reply to the new review.

[nicks_voice]

@Shiran.M 

Would the buyer be eligible to leave a review if the order was:

1. Manually cancelled by customer support because the buyer ordered incorrectly (incorrect price for example)
2. The client refused a mutual cancellation at the last minute which caused the order to get marked late
3. No deliveries were made (since they ordered incorrectly)
4. This isn't a first-time seller.

[hamza_teamalif]

1 minute ago, vickieito said:

First-time buyer, no delivery, and canceled 8 months ago - there shouldn't be a review left on that canceled order then. I wonder how this was even possible. Did CS allow it?

May be they are sending emails to buyers, reminding them to leave reviews on previously cancelled orders. But that's not sure as of now.

I have contacted fiverr customer support. Hopefully they can clear the situation asap. I am also waiting for a reply from @Shiran.M 

I am confident that these kind of reviews will be removed when CS will manually check everything but still, a feature should not be implemented if its not 100% done.

[mandyzines]

 

So what if if a client gets their work delivered to them, leaves a review, then initiates a chargeback? Does the review go away?