Change ideas for deadlines, delivery and a small section of reviewing.

[thejamuhh]

Hello everyone!

After completing several orders on the Fiverr platform, I’ve come across a few aspects that make things a bit more challenging. I’m curious if I’m the only one facing these issues or if others have experienced them as well. I'd also love to hear your thoughts on some potential solutions.

These "improvements" or changes (however you'd like to call them) could help freelancers like me work more efficiently and make things clearer for customers.

 

1. Implement Timestamps for Delivery Deadlines

Let me explain with an example: I had a project that required two days of work, around 6 hours per day, starting from approximately 18:00 (6:00 PM). This meant I could deliver the project two days later, by around midnight on the second day.

However, the client placed the order a few hours after I had sent the custom offer, around 21:00 (9:00 PM). Since Fiverr's system starts the countdown from the time the order is placed, this meant I lost the first evening of work. The 48-hour deadline then fell at 21:00 (9:00 PM) two days later, but I needed that second evening to finish the work, and couldn’t meet the deadline.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why not adjust the custom offer to cover the second evening? But doing so can be inefficient and might frustrate the buyer even before the project starts, potentially leading to a lower rating. Requesting the delivery to be extended also affects your successcore.

 

2. Set a Specific Time for the Deadline

When setting a deadline, I prefer to specify an exact time rather than just days. For example, if I want to deliver two days later at 22:00 (10:00 PM), but I’m creating the custom offer at 21:00 (9:00 PM), the system forces me to set the deadline for three days instead of two. This looks less appealing to the buyer, even though I only need an extra hour. Being able to set a specific time would be much more accurate and avoid this issue.

 

3. Request Partial Deadline Extensions

When requesting an extended delivery time, why can’t we ask for just a few hours instead of an entire day? Although I could explain this to the buyer, it still causes confusion and might reduce client satisfaction.

 

4. Pause Deadlines While Waiting for Buyer Responses

Sometimes buyers are busy and can’t respond quickly, but the deadline timer keeps ticking as if it's the seller’s fault. I propose a "pause deadline" button for cases where a seller is waiting on a response from a buyer.

Requirements for pausing a deadline:

• The buyer has been offline for 3+ hours.
• The seller made the last response.
• The response was sent more than an hour ago.
• The seller must provide a valid reason for the pause.

Examples of valid reasons:

• You’re waiting on high-quality images or specific files to continue the project.
• One of the project details is incorrect, and you're unable to proceed without the right information.

Examples of invalid reasons:

• You forgot to ask for certain project requirements that prevent you from starting (like dimensions, fonts, etc.). This is a mistake on the seller’s part and shouldn’t justify pausing the deadline.

Preventing misuse:

• Sellers must provide a reason for pausing the deadline. The buyer can then approve or deny the request. If denied, sellers can ask for reconsideration, at which point Fiverr could step in to review the case.
• A seller can pause the deadline multiple times, but if the request is denied 3 times within a set period, Fiverr should intervene, either limiting or suspending the seller’s ability to use the pause feature for X amount of days/week/months or in the worst case, permanent.

 

4. Auto-Accept Previews

As a freelancer, I sometimes spend extra time making gig previews for clients, only for them to forget to click on accepting them. Asking the buyer to accept it might create a negative interaction. The preview acceptance option is also easy to miss, as it’s not placed prominently in the buyer’s interface.

Solution:
The preview should auto-accept unless the buyer unchecks it. The option should also be placed in a more noticeable area. If the buyer later decides they don't want the preview on the gig, they should be able to request its removal from Fiverr or the seller.

 

5. Stop Email-Spamming Buyers for Reviews

Fiverr tends to send buyers numerous emails asking for reviews, private reviews, feedback on the service, and even suggesting related gigs. While I understand the need for follow-ups, too many emails can be annoying.

Solution:
Let the seller request a review, and Fiverr can send one final reminder once the order is complete. Overloading buyers with emails creates a negative experience, even if they’re satisfied with the service itself. This could result in lower reviews due to the frustration caused by email spam.

 

6. Hiding buyer reviews until we rate them

This might be one of the most stupid things ever. Why hide something like a review from us? Its the same feeling of private reviews, which they also hide from us. Let's just be honest with each other. Also, let us private review buyers! 

As mentioned, these are just drafts and will not magically resolve all the issues, but it might help to make processes more efficient, clear up confusion and improve the effects on the successcore. I am curious to see others opinions on these cases!