Important Updates: Level System (now live!) and Ratings & Reviews (testing changes)

[Alex.M]

8 minutes ago, rapidtech1898v2 said:

Am i allowed to confrontate a buyer with that and tell him that due that i will not do any business with him in the future again?

You can simply block him if you don't want to work with him in the future. You don't really need to let him know I guess.  

Discussing with him about it might get you in trouble .

[emmaki]

57 minutes ago, visualstudios said:

New? Welcome to the club. That has been the only valid strategy since we got request to order, thank god.

I have never liked the Fiverr inbox. Yesterday:

• 5 Telespams
• 2 Hi people, one of whom sent 6 his before I said hi. After I said hi, they said 'gee' and 'how are you' so spamblocked them
• 2 foreign messages (Italiano and Deutsch)
• 1 academic request
• 1 mildly interesting request with an impossible deadline
• 1 actually interesting query from a brand that we all know and love

etc etc etc. I would like to just be able to ignore 99% of messages in my inbox. Thus, keeping the gig open was a way to get work and just QR-ignore inbox messages and hope for the best with orders.

It's not like I did badly with that system, which itself was an upgrade on the pre-Levels system of "completely ignore the inbox". I just canceled inappropriate orders and refused to cancel on bad buyers (they tended not to leave reviews, which I like to put down to the scathing reviews I have left in the past). Which didn't happen very often. But I was also out of the office for large parts of the last 2 years which has, ironically, helped in its own little way.

RTO does mean that I'll never open another order and get that sinking feeling again though, so that's nice.

Edited February 14 by emmaki
I am also quite lazy and I hated that I couldn't just tick 1 box to make it 100% RTO and had to click like 100s of them. Which, incidentally, is the reason I closed a lot of gigs. I got bored with clicking lol.

[stanhenderson]

I am not happy about the Success score. It's super vague and isn't providing me with any information I can use to deliver a better product to my clients. What is the point of this score if it isn't understandable and actionable? I am more scared of it than anything!

By the way, my score is not that bad (8/10). The reason it's 8/10 is that Fiverr agreed to cancel a few orders a few years ago from people I never talked to, who placed orders and never answered any of my questions. Then, they reached out and told me that they ordered by mistake. Fiverr then canceled them for me. They told me that these things happens and I shouldn't worry, as it wouldn't affect me....

I am all for a success score, but PLEASE give us measurable metrics that track things that happened in recent history, that we understand and can do something about.

[radennorfiqri]

Nahh I will just let these two images talk. Such a nonsense.

[vickiespencer]

1 hour ago, mashas_studio said:

This new system is surely bugged or something, I have hard time understanding how my "client's satisfication" is under "strong negative impact", while 99.8% reviews I've got are 5 stars and all of them had only positive things selected, none of them wrote anything negative. I've been top seller for years now, can't even remember how many and now, because of all my 5 star ratings unsatisfied clients I'm going down.

 

2 minutes ago, radennorfiqri said:

Nahh I will just let these two images talk. Such a nonsense.

The Client Satisfaction score can be due to the Private Feedback buyers leaving, which sellers do not get to see. 

[ntrxmusic]

6 minutes ago, radennorfiqri said:

Nahh I will just let these two images talk. Such a nonsense.

Yep, that's how fiverr now works, I have the same problem, 420 reviews positive and I have a client satisfaction in negative impact :). And all the 5 stars review are super incredible, so this simply don't have sense, this new thing of Fiverr just don't works, there are more users affected than beneficiaries lol  

[radennorfiqri]

3 minutes ago, vickiespencer said:

 

The Client Satisfaction score can be due to the Private Feedback buyers leaving, which sellers do not get to see. 

Private Feedback is annoying, most regular buyers wouldn't waste time on this except for those who want to give negative feedback, thus skewing the overall impression. Defining the score solely based on private feedback is injustice and totally unfair.

[ntrxmusic]

1 minute ago, radennorfiqri said:

Private Feedback is annoying, most regular buyers wouldn't waste time on this except for those who want to give negative feedback, thus skewing the overall impression. Defining the score solely based on private feedback is injustice and totally unfair.

That's what I mean a few pages before, the private rate simply works for the people who want to give a negative review, because the usual and good customers they just invest to leave the public review, they don't want to spend 5 minutes doing a full review lol

[Alex.M]

7 minutes ago, vickiespencer said:

The Client Satisfaction score can be due to the Private Feedback buyers leaving, which sellers do not get to see. 

indeed, however ... are all of those buyers dishonest when writing a 5 star review then complain in private? 

[anakin008]

3 minutes ago, radennorfiqri said:

Nahh I will just let these two images talk. Such a nonsense.

This is hilarious at best. I'm in the same situation, like probably thousands of sellers.

My client's feedback emphasizes my knowledge, efficiency, and communication, yet my Gigs are having a negative impact on those areas. That makes no sense at all.

Okay, maybe client X's public feedback was "great job!" and private feedback was "okay job," but it's ludicrous to think somebody who has publicly shared a 5-star review and tipped you had an awful experience and left negative private feedback.

Also, there's no transparency whatsoever. "Negative Impact," "Effective communication," "Client satisfaction" are all very subjective terms. How can satisfaction be quantified equally for a gig like "I will solve your problem" versus a gig in the creative space, or performance marketing, sales, etc.?

I feel like we are in Orwell's 1984, and those guys are the Thought Police.

I saw some guys here with a 9-success score. How is that even possible? It's either a huge volume of orders or a very predictable outcome job. Otherwise, with this system, it makes no sense.

Plus, "work in progress" - what does that even mean? After 60+ 5-star reviews, from 60+ orders and receiving a tip every one or two orders, I'm now in a situation where I have no idea what's wrong, how to fix it, and when a new "evaluation" will be made.

 

[ntrxmusic]

2 minutes ago, anakin008 said:

This is hilarious at best. I'm in the same situation, like probably thousands of sellers.

My client's feedback emphasizes my knowledge, efficiency, and communication, yet my Gigs are having a negative impact on those areas. That makes no sense at all.

Okay, maybe client X's public feedback was "great job!" and private feedback was "okay job," but it's ludicrous to think somebody who has publicly shared a 5-star review and tipped you had an awful experience and left negative private feedback.

Also, there's no transparency whatsoever. "Negative Impact," "Effective communication," "Client satisfaction" are all very subjective terms. How can satisfaction be quantified equally for a gig like "I will solve your problem" versus a gig in the creative space, or performance marketing, sales, etc.?

I feel like we are in Orwell's 1984, and those guys are the Thought Police.

I saw some guys here with a 9-success score. How is that even possible? It's either a huge volume of orders or a very predictable outcome job. Otherwise, with this system, it makes no sense.

Plus, "work in progress" - what does that even mean? After 60+ 5-star reviews, from 60+ orders and receiving a tip every one or two orders, I'm now in a situation where I have no idea what's wrong, how to fix it, and when a new "evaluation" will be made.

 

The next evaluation is the 14th March, so we have 1 month to ''fix that'' 😒

[donnovan86]

5 minutes ago, Alex.M said:

are all of those buyers dishonest when writing a 5 star review then complain in private? 

Not all, but some of them are. There are people that aren't happy with the work they receive, but don't want to stand out as someone that left a bad review. So they leave bad reviews in private. 

[maitasun]

9 minutes ago, ntrxmusic said:

The next evaluation is the 14th March, so we have 1 month to ''fix that'' 😒

Whatever "that" is...

[donnovan86]

47 minutes ago, ntrxmusic said:

And all the 5 stars review are super incredible, so this simply don't have sense, this new thing of Fiverr just don't works, there are more users affected than beneficiaries lol  

 

Fiverr has hidden/private data that sellers can't see and manipulate. They keep it private for obvious reasons. But it's clear that according to the data they have, your customers might be unhappy with some stuff. Even my success manager said that despite having only 5 star reviews, I still had negative private reviews. Either people are randomly leaving reviews, they are actually unhappy, who knows. 

[jakiyakhatun006]

13 hours ago, Kesha said:

New updates are coming, and we’re keeping you in the loop every step of the way. As previously announced, our latest changes are designed to help guide your journey on Fiverr with more transparency and certainty. 

→ A new Freelancer Level System is ready for you to explore
We’re excited to announce that the new and improved freelancer level system is now live on the platform. You have a 30-day transition period (starting today) to familiarize yourself with the new system, check your status, and work on your metrics as needed. It's your time to shine!

While your level in the old system remains visible to clients until March 14, you should now prioritize maintaining or enhancing your standing in the new level system. You’ll be able to view the old system if necessary during this period. Learn more about the new level system and this transition period here.
Check out the new level system→

→ We’re testing changes to the ratings & reviews system
Our efforts to enhance Fiverr’s ratings & reviews system are ongoing, and we’re currently testing new improvements. We're committed to relieving the pressure of aiming for a perfect 5-star rating. The previous system often led to near-perfect scores, making it challenging for exceptional work to stand out. We’re shifting the benchmark to ensure that ratings accurately reflect performance, setting better expectations with clients as well as providing more transparency for you as freelancers. 

To achieve this, we're testing changes in how public ratings are calculated. In order to present a more realistic view of your performance and service, scores will take into account ratings from the last 2 years, instead of lifetime ratings. 

Additionally, we will test a new calculation method for public ratings that incorporates historical private feedback, aiming to reflect client feedback more holistically and enhance the reliability of ratings as a decision-making tool. This adjustment may lead to a change in public rating scores platform-wide. 

We're conducting these tests to ensure that the changes we're making will have a positive impact on the entire marketplace. These tests will run in a manner that ensures fairness across the marketplace. Clients that encounter the new score calculation will see adjustments universally across all freelancers on the platform.

These changes aim to create a more diverse rating landscape, highlighting exceptional work and building trust on Fiverr to bring you more business.

We're attentive to your feedback regarding previous changes to the public rating and review system, including concerns about emojis, the rating scale, and the value-for-money question. Initial insights indicate positive outcomes, including:
Consistent form response rate: The recent form changes have not impacted the rate at which clients provide feedback. 
Stable scores across all price ranges for the value-for-money question: There is no decrease in ratings for higher prices, and vice versa.

Be assured that we're taking your feedback seriously and will conduct additional tests to find solutions that benefit all users on the Fiverr marketplace. We'll continue to update you honestly and openly, ensuring you're part of our decision-making process at Fiverr. 

- The Fiverr Team
 

thanks for good information

 

[jakiyakhatun006]

24 minutes ago, donnovan86 said:

Fiverr has hidden/private data that sellers can't see and manipulate. They keep it private for obvious reasons. But it's clear that according to the data they have, your customers might be unhappy with some stuff. Even my success manager said that despite having only 5 star reviews, I still had negative private reviews. Either people are randomly leaving reviews, they are actually unhappy, who knows. 

right

 

[maketrack51]

8 hours ago, Kesha said:

Hi @uk1000! Thanks for your concern. The bulk of private ratings will remain private to sellers. Sellers will still not be able to see how buyers rated them. The difference is, in the new system, historical private ratings will now contribute to shaping your public rating, with the main emphasis placed on public form ratings. We'll be testing a balanced formula that considers the frequency of private rating scores and the value-for-money question alongside your public ratings.

 

 

Hi @Kesha

I've known for a while how overly sensitive the ranking system is to private feedback. Particularly as a higher ticket seller, I get less volume, which means that just one less than perfect private feedback score has a huge impact as lots of people don't bother to fill the form out (particularly return buyers). This can affect my earnings by up 2-3k from month to month, which, when you consider how little control I have over that other than doing my best, is a nightmare. 

Now with the 'value for money' score (read cheapness) I feel I'm at a huge disadvantage as a result of the above. But I cant afford a race to the bottom, and why should I? It really is starting to feel like fiverr want people like me to leave the platform.

As a final point, the new 2 year limit on the consideration of private feedback will make me extremely cautious about who I work with. I love helping people, especially those who are just starting out or are new to the platform, but Fiverr is putting so much risk on those situations now. Given how much these less than perfect private reviews can impact visibility and sales.

Please let me know your thoughts.

[nickj2013]

45 minutes ago, maketrack51 said:

Hi @Kesha

I've known for a while how overly sensitive the ranking system is to private feedback. Particularly as a higher ticket seller, I get less volume, which means that just one less than perfect private feedback score has a huge impact as lots of people don't bother to fill the form out (particularly return buyers). This can affect my earnings by up 2-3k from month to month, which, when you consider how little control I have over that other than doing my best, is a nightmare. 

Now with the 'value for money' score (read cheapness) I feel I'm at a huge disadvantage as a result of the above. But I cant afford a race to the bottom, and why should I? It really is starting to feel like fiverr want people like me to leave the platform.

As a final point, the new 2 year limit on the consideration of private feedback will make me extremely cautious about who I work with. I love helping people, especially those who are just starting out or are new to the platform, but Fiverr is putting so much risk on those situations now. Given how much these less than perfect private reviews can impact visibility and sales.

Please let me know your thoughts.

At the end of the day. The best bet is to keep Fiverr as an option, but not a figurehead of your business. And this is directly because of private reviews. Like I've said in the past, I've never heard of a website allowing private reviews for any services, unless the purchaser did not leave a review on their earlier purchase. But if they did, then what's the purpose of hassling them for a private one? They most likely leave negative reviews because Fiverr is spamming their email and they don't like that.

Edited February 15 by nickj2013

[cheftychefty]

2 hours ago, radennorfiqri said:

Nahh I will just let these two images talk. Such a nonsense.

Hah! I've got your impact beat! The only takeaway that I see from this is that anything less than 5 stars will hurt you even if it doesn't technically corollate to your "private feedback" rating.

It's been proven by several studies that people are more likely to complain than to say something nice about a shopping experience. I don't even know why fiverr would consider this method. Hell I thought a 4.9 with nearly all 5 star ratings on all 4 of my packages meant I was doing good. Now I feel embarrassed that I'm not doing better.

If any fiverr staff or developers are reading this, what you guys SHOULD HAVE done was implemented this new change but told everyone that GOING FORWARD it will have the new effective change. That GOING FORWARD private feedback will be rolled into our ratings and affect us for the next 2 years. The worst thing you guys could have done was dropped this on everyone and just shrugged like our financial situations don't matter. As long as we are making you guys money then who cares how bad this hurts our business. That's not right. This is a livelihood for a lot of us who quit our day jobs to be here and support your platform as successful sellers. I have made fiverr over 50k. Me alone. That was YOUR cut out of my earnings. Pardon my frustrations but It's very wrong.

[anniejenkinson]

9 hours ago, panoslazarisads said:

Suddenly my top-rated status it's at risk after almost 8 months of providing excellent services.

The reason is the Order cancellations however the only orders I have to cancel were through customer support , it looks like you forgot that part and hope that you will  fix it it before 15 March

Exactly the same issue. I have 23 cancellations out of 350 all-time orders, and only one was my fault, right back in 2018.

All others were cancelled by customer support or (since receiving a Fiverr email memo that directly said sellers must cancel their own orders and then ask CS to revert the stats on non-fault cancellations!) I cancelled them, then customer support reverted my Order Completion Rate (OCR) to 100%.

Yet I have a success score of 8 based on cancellation rate? Eh? What? Less pressure? More transparency? Not from where I am standing.

I spent years running quantitative and qualitative strategic analysis projects for blue-chips before going freelance as an editor; the numbers around these latest moves stink. Someone has made a mess of things.

Even if the cancellations were to be factored in, (ignoring the ever-on-repeat "don't worry, this won't affect your stats" message that we are all given when cancellation is the buyer's fault), the calculations makes no sense. The gig on which cancellations were *not* flagged as an issue had more cancellations (all time as well as in the last 24 months) than the one on which it's flagged. The most popular gig is the one with more cancellations too, so even the 'it's weighted' argument does not add up statistically.

The sales of each gig are about even. Private reviews are all good according to my success manager.

Obviously, if my order values are now between $3k and $6.5k, I can only do two jobs a month, and this means one cancellation would then give me a cancellation rate of 50% for the month (even though I never cancel unless the buyer has made a mistake).

So, I was given TRS, then given Pro without me applying, was recently told by my success manager that there was nothing I could improve performance wise, I get tips of $500 and zero complaints or even minor gripes, and yet this happens?

And gracefully, Fiverr gives me 30 days to improve what is beyond my control? How kind! How well-planned and intelligent!

The other gig also scoring 8 says 'communication: room for growth'. Oh, I wonder why? It is because several months back, I said to my success manager that despite having all notifications switched on, they had ceased to come.

I now have to open my 16 bookings manually, once an hour, to see if there happen to be any messages waiting! And that is impossible to do. My success manager passed on this matter to the appropriate team ... and not a thing happened, and I still get no Dashboard notifications and no visual drop-downs in the order dashboard to alert me to 'X client has been waiting for a reply'... I used to get all these. They just stopped about a year ago but every box is ticked to receive emails and sms, and on-screen notifications.

This place feels as if it is run by people implementing a lot of 'secret' steps based on very poor and flawed decision making and an absence of consultation with experts. They don't know how to manage their system. It feels like being in kindergarten, with zero respect for earned skills, high-value projects, expertise, and client management. We're treated like kiddies, patted on the head and told that the secrets make sense but we are not grown-up enough to know how this works (or should work).

Feels like, 'let's revert to pile it high and sell it cheap'. Let's get hundreds of orders at five dollars so that 23 client-fault cancellations have no impact! Have we not been here before?

In what language is this 'greater transparency?'

It feels juvenile in its treatment of good, solid and reliable sellers, also insulting and appallingly planned and executed.

And as usual, announced with great enthusiasm and an air of 'couldn't care less who suffers' and 'ooh, we must keep all our workings a big secret so you cannot possibly uncover our internal programming and planning blunders'!
 

Edited February 15 by anniejenkinson

[dereck_s]

So despite being a 4.9 - 5 star seller on this platform since 2013 I'm about to be reduced to level 0? I've had 2 cancelations in the last 6 months and neither were my fault nor were they suppose to affect my score. Am I just done now? What can I even do?

[cheftychefty]

1 minute ago, dereck_s said:

So despite being a 4.9 - 5 star seller on this platform since 2013 I'm about to be reduced to level 0? I've had 2 cancelations in the last 6 months and neither were my fault nor were they suppose to affect my score. Am I just done now? What can I even do?

This has been my issue all day. In fact I have 4 orders i should be working on but all i've done all day is wallow and stress chew my finger nails off while trying to come up with other supporting income options because fiverr wont be able to do it for me anymore. I was a level zero many many many years ago. All of that work for us is gone. I have over 800 orders on a single package... how the hell am i supposed to just "fix that and learn from it". All I can do is delete the package and start over. My dashboard looks identical to yours. All green. 100% response rate. 4.9 rating... But a big fat 4 on the success score.

[Alex.M]

greatest rating system of all times 

[cheftychefty]

5 minutes ago, Alex.M said:

greatest rating system of all times 

I've had plenty of these types of reviews or theyll write in the review that they couldn't be happier with their order or your service but then leave a 4.7. 

[vickiespencer]

2 hours ago, Alex.M said:

indeed, however ... are all of those buyers dishonest when writing a 5 star review then complain in private?

Being a guilt trip travel agent is acceptable in some countries, and many sellers have no qualms about telling buyers sad stories about their children starving if they cannot make a living on Fiverr. So many buyers avoid this issue by giving 5-star reviews to all sellers and are more honest in the private reviews.