What is the client rating, and how does it work?

Work for Impact assigns every client a rating out of 100 based on several different factors.

The rating serves as one of the tools independent contractors can use to judge clients' trustworthiness, communication, and reliability on the platform.

What Factors are Used to Determine the Rating?

The client rating is based on three primary factors:

  1. Reviews: Any time a client receives a review, it contributes to their overall rating. The more positive reviews a client gets, the higher their rating will be.
  2. Value of Projects: While successfully completing any contract will increase a client's rating, more weight is given to higher-value contracts.
  3. Number of Completed Contracts: Activity is another factor that contributes to a client's rating. Each contract a client successfully completes will positively impact their rating, with preference given to clients who have completed a higher number of projects.

How the Client Rating is Determined

90% of the rating is based on the reviews given to the client by their independent contractors. After a contract is completed, independent contractors will give clients a score out of five in six different performance areas (ethical, clear requirements, reasonable deadlines, communication, cooperation, would recommend). These scores are then tallied up and averaged out to create an overall score for the job.

While all of these scores count towards the client's overall rating, not all scores are weighted equally. More weight is given to reviews from contracts that had a higher value. For example, a review for a $100 contract is given ten times more weight than a review for a $10 contract.

The last 10% of the rating is based on the number of contracts a client has completed. Clients are ranked in order of the number of contracts they've completed and will receive a rating based on where they currently stand within those rankings. Only the most active clients will receive a perfect score in this category. This prevents brand new clients from receiving a perfect rating after completing only one job.

How Can Clients Increase Their Rating?

If you want to increase your client rating, you should focus on:

  • Building positive relationships with independent contractors: The best way to increase your client rating is to build good working relationships with your independent contractors. Please, provide them with the resources they need, make yourself available to answer questions, and pay them promptly once they have completed their work. If you do this, you'll consistently receive positive reviews, which will help you increase your rating.
  • Staying Active on the Work for Impact Platform: The more contracts you complete on Work for Impact, the more your rating will increase. So, consistently posting jobs and hiring independent contractors on the platform is a great way to improve your rating.

I'm new to the platform, and my client rating is low. Will independent contractors want to work with me?

Yes, you'll definitely still be able to hire independent contractors. While a high client rating can help you attract independent contractors, it's not the only factor independent contractors look at when considering applying for a job. 

Start by providing a detailed job description so independent contractors can understand what you're looking for. Next, create a shortlist of the most qualified applicants and schedule a phone or video call. A positive interaction with potential independent contractors will go a long way towards getting them interested in working with you. So, make sure to answer any questions they have about the job, you, and your organization.

If anyone asks you about your low client rating, simply explain that you're new to the platform. Assuming you follow the tips above and provide exciting work opportunities, you shouldn't have any problem hiring independent contractors for your projects when you're starting out on the platform.