When a Seller has a mandatory \"requirements\" section

[easymedia]

I had to pause my workday just to write this post because I think it’s very important that buyers understand this subject from a sellers perspective.

Most sellers have a requirements section that is mandatory to answer. It comes in the form of an automated message after a buyer has ordered - that the seller created upon creating their gig.

As a seller, I have rewritten that section more times than I can count, because many buyers ignore it and simply write “as discussed” in that section to imply that every detail of the order was previously mentioned in the messages.

I get about 20+ messages per work day and about the same amount of orders… per day. Because the messages and the order page are two separate threads, it is difficult to keep up with different buyers and their requirements when they do not follow the instructions in the order page.

In order to keep up with the large influx of orders from so many different people, it is not only courteous to follow the sellers instructions, it is imperative.

To make fiverr worthwhile for any seller, because we are offering our services at such a great price, we all have a system to get through our orders effectively and efficiently. Ignoring the requirements of the seller, especially after the seller has made it mandatory to answer, greatly affects our workflow and efficiency.

We want to make you, the buyer, happy by providing an excellent service and customer experience. Make that easy for us to do, by reading our gig descriptions carefully and by following the instructions that we provide… And just by doing that, you make us happy too.

=)

[vigasan]

I agree with you to a certain degree. Buyers sometimes are new to the system and don’t know that there are two separate systems when it comes to messages and the order page. A quick way to see the messages sent by a person is to scroll to the bottom of the specific order and there is a small body of text that says the following.

“View discussion with {buyer} in your inbox or click here to mutually cancel the order”

Clicking on DISCUSSION will take you to the messages that the user sent you so far.

[easymedia]

Yes, we use that feature, but it still requires us to click away from the order page. Unfortunately, we are in an area where the internet is not as “instant” as it is in other places. So, even one little click away from the page can be frustrating when you have to do it over and over throughout the work day.

Also, sometimes the message thread will be so long and with updated scripts and information that it can get confusing as to what changes were made.

Most recently I had a buyer who has ordered with us many times, but continues to write “already sent” or “as discussed” even when I reply with a similar message asking for them to place the script and details in the order page.

[lawseph]

You’re right. I think the buyers will understand your point and work on it.
I experienced a similar situation with one of my buyers, I have to keep going to the mail section to get information about how he want me to do the job.

[lawseph]

Wow!
I never noticed that. Thanks for the information.
I’m just 16 days old here

[rowanmurphy]

Buyer requirements are great when your offering is compatible with such a thing; text documents for a proofreading gig, for example. But I’m currently trying to set up a weight loss coaching gig, and I am being forced to define a gig requirement (free text, multiple answer, or attached file); but none of these are helpful at all. I can’t think of a single requirement (even if I leave it as non-mandatory) that would not be out of place and confusing to the potential buyer. Is there any way around this? I tried to leave the “mandatory” box unticked and just not fill out any information, but it won’t let me skip this step until I contrive some non-mandatory requirement (a contradiction in terms), which I neither need nor want. Please help. Thank you.

[deluxwriter]

A lot of people find it stressful having to repeat themselves. I should know as I’ve worked in customer care. The mandatory requirement is important, no doubt; I have it on all my gigs. However, some buyer can’t understand our sense of reasoning as sellers and what makes us more efficient. Thank you for sharing. Hopefully, buyers will understand from your detailed explanation and act accordingly.