Every communication requires two things – the information that is sent, and the feedback that comes from the other side. It’s the same in the freelance world. When we work remotely, we also talk in a remote manner, but can that be of the same effectiveness as working and talking face to face?
Freelancers that have already successfully built their careers know that communication is the key to success, and here we will talk about the importance of feedback for a freelancer.
Why is feedback so important for freelancers?
Let’s say that you have been working with a certain client for a while. Everything went well, until one point. Suddenly, the client stopped responding, assigning new milestones, and being active on a certain freelancing platform.
What’s the first thought that comes to your mind? A freelancer may think that they have said or done something bad, so the client has decided to stop working with them. It also happens that freelancers become worried about the clients that stop responding, especially if they have worked together for a few years. Remote workers may think that something bad has happened to the client.
It’s the same with the feedback. When a freelancer doesn’t receive feedback when the task is done, they will either think that something went wrong, or that the client didn’t have or didn’t want to communicate about a certain problem, so they’ve just left.
What can feedback tell freelancers?
Here, we would like to talk about all those things that feedback can tell a freelancer. Whether good or bad, feedback provides this information:
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– Skills. Feedback is most often related to skills, representing us whether the freelancer has done a good or bad job. Of course, there are dozens of skills related to freelancing, but most often, feedback is related to those that have been used for a particular task. A freelancer that, let’s say, score a 5 on feedback given may be truly satisfied or gain more confidence to continue with their remote work. When someone receives bad feedback related to skills, they may think about what they can improve, or what went wrong. It also happens that the freelancer may have needed skills, but they just don’t know how to use them for a certain task. Anyways, feedback is important so every freelancer can reflect on the true picture of their skills.
– Availability. There’s also a chance to rate someone’s availability, which is of crucial value in remote work. Freelancers who are available when needed definitely higher their chances of being hired by someone new. It’s important to keep in mind that different clients look at different feedback parts. Some will want someone with perfect skills, others will stick with those with fine skills, but constant availability, and so on.
– Communication. How did you communicate with your client? How did he or she communicate with you? Was everything clear? Were there some misunderstandings? In the remote world, some feedback doesn’t represent the real picture. Freelancers claim that they often provide 5-star feedback to their clients, even though they are not satisfied with some parts of the project, like communication, yet they don’t want to experience unpleasant situations. Clients sometimes do the same, but they provide great feedback even if they are not completely satisfied if the freelancer is already doing great and have numerous 5-star feedbacks from others.
– Meet deadlines and requirements. This is truly important for almost every project. No one wants to be late or to break the deadlines. Some clients appreciate fast work more than skills and correctness, while others are fine with a day, or two deadlines break if the project is perfectly done. Again, everything depends on the personal wishes and needs of a certain client. Feedback can help them to see if you are doing good in those parts they search for.
– The need for improvement. Here we come to the point where feedback can help freelancers to realize if there is a need for improvement. If you’re often late, your skills are not rated as you thought they would be, or if your communication skills are not on an expected level, this is a great opportunity to find that out. Don’t think of feedback as of someone’s personal opinion about you. A freelancer should think of feedback as something that will help them grow, improve in the needed fields, and later on – reflect on how far they’ve gone.
– Job success score. On many freelancing platforms, feedback can affect job success scores. There are two things that can affect a freelancer’s job success score. One is private feedback, and one is public feedback. We have talked a lot about public feedback already, but what about the one you won’t be able to see? Many freelance professionals claim that private feedback is even more important, or at least – it affects job success scores more. We’ve already mentioned that clients and freelancers often provide great feedback just to escape conflicts, but with private feedback – everyone tells the truth.
So, if you’ve realized that all your public feedbacks are great, but your job success score is dropping, take a look at the recent contracts that have ended. Think about what could go wrong, where did you make a mistake, or what wasn’t perfect. This will help you to grow in needed and wanted ways in your remote career, which will with time definitely improve your profession.
– Arguments. Are people arguing online? Nothing new. Yet, in the business world, you have to remind yourself that it’s important to be and stay professional. Never argue about anything that isn’t related to a certain job or a project. Or better said – find a compromise and a solution together with the client.
– Disputes. The same goes for disputes. It happens that a client is completely unsatisfied with the job done, yet a freelancer has spent hours working on a project. The dispute involves a third side or better said – a court of a certain freelancing platform. It’s always good to stay calm, neutral, but to provide your evidence. Value your work but cooperate with the client and understand their needs and feelings as well.
How can feedback improve the relationship between a client and a freelancer?
Feedbacks go two ways – from a client to a freelancer, and from the freelancer to the client. Feedback can definitely improve remote work relationships because they offer teams to grow together and to show appreciation.
As mentioned, they are always a great way to improve a freelancing career. Most often, if clients are very satisfied with freelancers’ work, they will not only provide feedback but may also write something about freelancers.
Such notes will help other clients find suitable freelancers for their needs, which will bring benefits for both sides – the entire market will expand and connect completely suitable clients and freelancers.
Keeping up good reviews and trying to improve your services all the time will definitely bring more work opportunities. It may happen that a freelancer has a strong portfolio the client likes. A client that is interested in hiring a certain freelancer may dig deeper to check reviews and feedback, and if the client is in doubt between two freelancers, the one with good reviews will probably win the project.
This is especially important on Fiverr, a famous freelance platform, where freelancers don’t provide their own offers, but the clients choose them among many other freelancers. On UpWork, there is a Project Catalog as well, which functions in the similar, or better said – same manner.
It’s important to provide feedback to the client or a freelancer in an honest manner. Only that, the freelance market will have an opportunity to grow in needed and wanted ways.
How to deal with a bad review as a freelancer?
It’s no secret that many freelancers even give up on their remote careers because of a bad review, especially if they have just started building their own careers. The best advice is always to take feedback with grace and class, but you can also ask a client if they would like to change feedback.
For very hard situations, it’s good to know that on some platforms, such as UpWork, top-rated freelancers can request a bad review removal every 3 months. If that’s not the case, you can also give a full refund to your client if the feedback manners to you more than money.
Don’t forget to think of feedback as something positive that can help you pursue your freelancing career! Now, after all, this being said, why wouldn’t you take another look at all the feedback you got from clients, and implement everything we’ve mentioned in this article? Good luck!
