Update: Changes to the Value For Money question

[navid_zafar]

3 hours ago, Kesha said:

Following the recent updates to our ratings and reviews system, we want you to know that we value your input and have been working to actively address your questions and concerns. While our analysis has shown that value for money remains stable and is not influenced by pricing or service category, we’ve taken your concerns seriously and have explored alternative approaches to this key question. 

Through both your feedback and extensive user testing, we've found an alternative question that is just as effective in reflecting client satisfaction. As a result, we've made a change to the Value For Money question that clients see when reviewing their orders.

Here's what's changing:

• The question has been refined to "How would you rate the value of this delivery," reflecting our commitment to a more nuanced assessment of your delivery’s value.

• The rating breakdown will also display this change as "Value of delivery." 

In addition to these adjustments, our efforts to enhance Fiverr’s ratings & reviews system are ongoing. As previously mentioned, we're currently testing adjustments to the public rating score calculation, which may impact your public rating score in the coming weeks. Here's a recap of why these changes are happening and what they entail:

• We're adjusting the benchmark to ensure ratings better reflect performance, set clearer client expectations, and provide transparency for freelancers like you.
• Your scores will now take into account ratings from the last 2 years, offering a more up-to-date view of your performance and service.
• The new public score calculation incorporates historical private feedback, aiming to reflect client feedback more holistically and enhance the reliability of ratings as a decision-making tool.
• These changes are occurring platform-wide, ensuring fairness across the marketplace.

These adjustments are designed to create a more nuanced rating range, which is proven to assist clients in making more informed decisions. We're optimizing ratings to accurately reflect the quality of service you provide, ultimately increasing your chances of converting new clients.

We’re committed to your success and we’re working diligently to ensure your experience on Fiverr remains rewarding and equitable. We believe these adjustments will allow for a more accurate assessment of your deliveries and projects. We appreciate your dedication and cooperation as we work to make Fiverr better for all.

- The Fiverr Team
 

Fiverr's review system has changed a lot with the new rating system. Let's see what the final result will be.

[talogmd]

51 minutes ago, emmaki said:

 

What on earth does "value of delivery" mean anyway?

 

I think this proves that Fiverr doesn't have a UX writing team, or completely ignores their input. It's about as vague and confusing as it gets. I'm actually impressed they managed to make the initial version worse 😂

[carineb]

Here's a long message that doesn't contain anything new. Everything has already been said on the forum, but I don't know if it has been heard or listened to!

The issue isn't solely with this question. There's a problem with all questions, or more precisely, with all the responses. I'm repeating myself, but:

1- This review system completely confuses buyers.
When customers select "very good", Fiverr asks, "what could have been improved?". (This question implies that Fiverr believes "very good" ratings mean freelancers haven't done their job!). Many of us have questioned our clients to understand why they said that we needed improvement in delivery quality, delivery time, level of cooperation... Many clients said that they believed they were being asked to highlight positive aspects rather than identify areas for improvement.

Many clients give tips even when they rate 4/5 for "value for money." I don't even understand why Fiverr needed hundreds of messages on the forum to understand that there's an issue with this notion of value (whether it's "value for money" or "value of your delivery"). We're told that they've been analyzing all of this for a long time, that it's not new... but it never surprised them to see tips from buyers when value for money is rated 4/5.

2- The questionnaire and the responses are biased.
The responses now jump from "average" to "very good." "Good" has mysteriously disappeared. "Very good" used to be worth 5 stars and is now only worth 4. In an honest and unbiased questionnaire, the responses should be antonyms (exact opposites), which is absolutely not the case for the new questionnaire.
Examples of unbiased answers:
Strongly disagree - Disagree - Neither agree nor disagree - Agree - Strongly agree
Very difficult - Difficult - Neutral - Easy - Very easy
Fiverr claims transparency, fighting against fraud, and honesty. Deciding to bias a satisfaction questionnaire and discreetly lowering "very good" from 5 to 4 stars goes against these values.

3- The emojis and the stars.
Clients never actually assign stars. They just click on smileys, and somehow, it all magically converts into stars, and our gigs display stars that clients don't award us!
I wonder how and why Fiverr decided that a smiley with a big smile is worth 4 stars. Everywhere else, the small smile is worth 4 stars, and the big smile is worth 5 stars.
And what about the junky smiley with red stars instead of eyes? I'll just keep quiet...
If Fiverr doesn't want to get rid of these childish (and unprofessional) smileys, they need to be TRANSPARENT and choose a design that combines stars and smileys.

4- Respect the voice of the customer without manipulating it
When I received a 4/5 with the new system, none of my clients chose to rate me 4/5.
They selected a very happy face because they are very satisfied, and it's Fiverr that arbitrarily decided to give me 4.
Why does Fiverr decide on behalf of the client to rate me 4/5? It seems like review manipulation.
I repeat myself: If Fiverr doesn't want to get rid of these childish (and unprofessional) smileys, they need to be TRANSPARENT and choose a design that combines stars and smileys.
This way, the client knows exactly what rating they're giving to their seller. And the seller knows that it's not a mistake from the client.

Fiverr's goal is to have more diverse ratings to make it easier for clients to choose. The objective is good, but the way it's done is bad and demotivating for sellers! (We're not all incompetent people who need to be punished, but everyone is treated the same way).

If you want to clean the platform by eradicating bad sellers, fraudsters, and those who threaten clients, you should do it genuinely but stop targeting all sellers in the same way. You're demotivating everyone except the fraudsters, who will always find ways to circumvent the system.

Here are a few images that I've already shared on the forum.

[carineb]

There's another magical, honest, and unbiased solution to achieve a greater variety of ratings, and that's the 10-level scale!

Actually, there are 11 ratings because we introduce 0. Nothing better to identify those you want to eradicate😉
 

Edited February 28 by carineb

[visualstudios]

@carineb Explained exactly what is wrong with the rating system, and how to make it right. There's no arguing the above posts. If Fiverr wants honest, fair, ratings, they'll implement something like that.

If they don't, it literally means Fiverr wants to skew the ratings, on purpose, with no regard for seller or buyer opinions. It's not about transparency, it's straight up dishonest.

[radennorfiqri]

I've gotten a straight 4.7 ratings for the past 8-10 orders. It's hard for buyer to put 5 stars for value of delivery as the service fees will add up to the order cost, which was outside the seller's control. I even got positive comments (exceptional work etc.) and tips, but getting a full 5 stars rating now is not easy as before. This change is ridiculous and totally unfair to the seller.

[donnovan86]

2 hours ago, radennorfiqri said:

but getting a full 5 stars rating now is not easy as before

That's the entire purpose of the new review system, or it certainly feels like that. 

[topseykrats]

Fiverr, hire me at 10K a month and I'll help you with your systems! Just nuke this value thing for now.

[andywarburton]

15 hours ago, talogmd said:

I think this proves that Fiverr doesn't have a UX writing team, or completely ignores their input. It's about as vague and confusing as it gets. I'm actually impressed they managed to make the initial version worse 😂

I know for a fact they definitely do (one of my ex-colleagues works there). I'm thinking they are just trying some experiments to see what works. In the industry we call that "being data driven", when the reality its more like throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.

[andywarburton]

16 hours ago, emmaki said:

How much longer is this list going to get? And why is Recommend to a Friend back? I thought it was getting dumped in the shiny new update? That might have just been a rumor, though.

It really needs to be nuked. This question is basically the equivilent of an Net Promoter Score, which is pretty much regarded as garbage by anyone who knows anything about data science.

[farhan_editz]

21 hours ago, Kesha said:

we've found an alternative question that is just as effective in reflecting client satisfaction.

This is the same as multiplying 2 by 3 or 3 by 2. The result is the same. It means that it still is confusing to buyers and even more confusing for us sellers. I recently got reviews where buyers didn't even bother to spend the time on selecting the metrics of the new rating system, not even a single time. Does it mean they either find it confusing or they don't want it to be too complicated? I think, Yes!

[melanielm]

"Recommend to a friend" is ridiculous. What if my client doesn't have a friend with an online business? Or a logo designer doesn't sell to someone with a friend who is starting up a new brand? Or a person who hires erotic short stories doesn't want their friends to know they buy such things? Literal people will automatically rate that low in cases like this. (Recommend to others? Recommend to someone who wants this type of service? -- I know it's general language, but "friend" doesn't fit.)

The rating should reflect how well the seller did at that particular job.

 

Also, in the original list of things you're still working on, you left out fixing the issue with Customer Service controlled cancellations (The ones that clearly state they don't affect out score or anything). Fiverr is still doing that, right? As of now, they're still affecting scores.

[Kesha]

21 hours ago, donnovan86 said:

Clearly they won't, since they are doubling down on it.

 

The new public score calculation incorporates historical private feedback, aiming to reflect client feedback more holistically and enhance the reliability of ratings as a decision-making tool. - now I can only imagine how many topics/posts we will have on the forum saying they had perfect reviews and yet their success score is low. At least we can point them to Kesha's post. 

@Kesha, is this change already made, buyers can already see the modified rating system? Or will it appear starting with March 15th?

HI @donnovan86! This change was made effective as of yesterday. 

[nicks_voice]

On 2/28/2024 at 9:43 AM, Kesha said:

The question has been refined to "How would you rate the value of this delivery," reflecting our commitment to a more nuanced assessment of your delivery’s value.

Our concern was having this question here at all. Rewording it and making it even more detailed is not a good call. "Let's remind the buyer how much money they spent and how long it took after the order is complete" ... why? They've already agreed to purchase our service in the first place.

 

Edit: I'm also hearing it doesn't disclose Fiverr's service fees and instead adds it to the total order cost. A fee that's completely out of our control, affecting our customer's perception of our value. ??

Edited February 29 by nicks_voice

[crawford_copy]

I have also had a few of these "4.7 + tip" reviews recently.

My suggestion is that if a buyer tips, then it should count as five stars for value on the back end, even if four stars are still displayed on the front end.

So when Fiverr calculates overall gig scores, sellers can be confident that these "4.7 + tip" reviews won't negatively impact our gig rankings.

Perhaps tips are already considered when calculating gig scores? (they should be)

[arty182925]

6 hours ago, melanielm said:

The rating should reflect how well the seller did at that particular job.

This and only this should be rating. (Quality of Delivery)

We can't control Fiverr fees, therefore "Value" in any type of rating is wrong. If buyer accepts "Custom order" or orders directly, they accepted the value of the gig and that is it. If they don't like prices, they wouldn't order. Why would be rating for that then?

Recommended to a friend... Why this? Some buyers just orders once and only once on Fiverr as they need just one job done. Why would then need recommended to friend option?

Seller communication level. In one hand that is fine, but if buyer orders straight forward gig, we deliver it within one hour for example, we didn't communicate enough? Check this for example. You go to the store, put what you want into the basket, go to the cashier, you buy things and your are gone. All communication was "Hello", "Do you need anything else" and "Bye"... When everything is clear, there doesn't need to be much communication as that is delaying delivery. 

Service as described. Why stars here? There should simple be Yes or No.

There are too many things buyer needs to do after delivery and many of buyers are getting confused by it. Many doesn't leave a review because of it.

[iamsulok]

for urgent delivery we charge higher.

so when the text shows : project took 1 day and cost 250 usd . 
they will surely think its expensive and not value of delivery is not good. 

i dont know why clients are being asked too many questions ,

this is making them uncomfortable for low value purchases that took so much time to rate,

they are filling the form only for sake of sellers and their relations with seller. 

Exceptional wording should be removed and Top one should be Very Good

Edited February 29 by iamsulok
spelling

[emaan_wp_dev]

This is horrible.

I have been working on Fiverr since 4 years and my very First client is still working with me.

I have completed 39 orders specifically for that 1 client.

I got 5* in 38 completed orders.

On 39th order, i got 4 stars along with tip. Guess What? New system messed up. 

He intended to give five stars and wasn't able to understand the review system. 

Edited February 29 by emaan_wp_dev

[webcut]

This is the best process @carineb. In this case, there won't be any confusion.

[adanaik]

@Kesha an explanation on the FLAGGED ACCOUNTS please!!!!


the CS is sending us BOT generated messages.

On 2/29/2024 at 11:43 AM, adanaik said:

Hello @Kesha

STILL, no explanation by the Fiverr Team on:

1. What are the criteria's to FLAG ACCOUNTS based on Location Inconsistencies?
2. If someone's account, who I have worked with, has done a TOS violation and is now suspended. Why I am punished for it?

I WAS A TRS ELIGIBLE SELLER ON 13 FEB 😄 


TO BE NOTED. these questions are in response to this explanation by the Fiverr CS, attached:




 

 

[Alex.M]

Let's celebrate Spring by adding extra chaos to the marketplace 🤩

[williambryan392]

On 2/28/2024 at 6:43 PM, Kesha said:

As previously mentioned, we're currently testing adjustments to the public rating score calculation, which may impact your public rating score in the coming weeks

This bit confuses me, can someone explain, @Kesha or anyone else in case I've missed it? I appreciate nothing is final, but any insight would be great. Sorry if it's obvious...

Previously if your overall public rating was 5*, it's because it is the average of your prior individual order ratings (I know we all know this).

So, my question is...

Does this now mean that a previously achieved public rating at the gig level is going to change (probably because of the private feedback connected to that order) and therefore also change your overall rating?

Or...

Does this mean that your overall public rating could change, but not at the individual gig level (and therefore not be an average of your prior reviews)?

Could I have gigs with only 5* reviews, but still end up with a 4.5* overall gig? Or have 5* reviews, 5* gigs, and a 4* overall profile?

I'm confused just writing this lol.

On a separate note, although some won't agree with me, I do like the change of value of money to value of delivery. Definitely better than value for money IMO.

[francescaabb]

On 2/29/2024 at 5:24 AM, radennorfiqri said:

I've gotten a straight 4.7 ratings for the past 8-10 orders. It's hard for buyer to put 5 stars for value of delivery as the service fees will add up to the order cost, which was outside the seller's control. I even got positive comments (exceptional work etc.) and tips, but getting a full 5 stars rating now is not easy as before. This change is ridiculous and totally unfair to the seller.

 

Same. I saw this happening with 2 orders, understood how the month was going to be, and become unavailable for A MONTH to avoid bad reviews. I'm lucky because I have private clients that pay me enough, and many sellers can't afford to close like I did. But sooner or later I will have to reopen again. 

If every seller does the same, Fiverr will lose A LOT of money (I'm not asking anyone to do it as we're all working to pay our bills ofc). 

[vhskid]

@Kesha The "Value For Money" question is just one problem with the new rating form. 

I made a very long post with a UX audit, and redesign proposition, to emphasize how new reviews are flawed on so many levels.

The sellers' reports (included in my audit) confirm my conclusions about why the assumptions on which the new review system is based, are very unsound (along with the faulty implementation)...

 

 

[beauvallis]

I was waiting for the 2024 update that would change the platform. This new reviewing system is skewed and will be bringing Exceptional sellers down in ratings. Tons of 4’s incoming now. What a shame. 😞 

 

I'm sure this change is staying, just asking to PLEASE consider this at least:

Very poor | Poor | Average | very GOOD | GREAT

(Removing “very” from the “very good” will certainly help this) as well as I think that is definitely a more appropriate and fair way to phrase it. And changing "exceptional" to "great" - Buyers are often on their phones, in the app, doing this fast (also factoring in their mood at the current time). The odds are way out of sellers favor, for buyer to select an "exceptional" face'd emoji , 3 times in a row, without really knowing what impact this has to a seller.

 

I have had only 21, 4 star reviews out of almost 15,000 orders. I have now had 2 (4.3's) in the last 2 days. Long time client said something along the lines of "I had no idea what I was doing I was just selecting faces"

 

Very Frustrating to hear this is the change. 

 

I THINK This is going to force a lot of sellers to turn down gigs with new clients, just to work with returning clients that understand the new system.