Exactly! To make the jobs section even less desirable for Pros, sending the quotes does not have an impact on rank. In other words, it’s likely to be an exercise in futility. For such a simple fix overall, it would be helpful for ALL Pros for these messages to be shown to the customer—at least then they can see who is actively trying to court their business. ... View more

Also, @Meckell, I'd like to get your insight on why Petrina (see my last screenshot) would rank higher than anyone else when she has 8 reviews. It doesn't make sense why she would be ranked so high, even with her fast response rate (others also have a high response rate, more reviews, etc.). Thank you. ... View more

@Meckell That's misleading to say the customers "do indeed see them." The customers can see them, but that's significantly different from they do see them. Again, in order for the customer to view the messages from Pros that were sent by the Pro via the Jobs section, they have to go into their Projects, open the specific project, then *hopefully* see it. If the messages went to the inbox, I understand how that could be perceived as overwhelming, but that's why it should then be reduced to 3 instead of 5. This would not only help Pros in such a monumental way, but I think it would also help customers connect with Pros that also are volunteering to help them with their specific project. If the Pro couldn't be of any help, they wouldn't send the message in the first place.  Further, it doesn't;t mean the customer is required to respond to the Pros, but if the customer did respond, it's better for the Pros AND customer because they're more likely to find the right person. Don't forget, many Pros like me are customers, too. I don't think anyone could really argue that the benefits don't outweigh the risks when adjustments are made, such as the customer only receiving fianncial quotes (no custom message until the customer responds) and only receiving 3 quotes instead of 5 (from the jobs section). Surely there's a compromise here because Pros like me are begging to send Thumbtack more money for more opportunities.  ... View more

@Meckell Thank you! I get it, and figured that was the case because it wouldn't make sense any other way. I think it's something that Thumbtack should reconsider, simply because the number of messages received from Pros from the Jobs section is limited to 5 to begin with. Further, it would allow more Pros more real opportunities, as well as increased revenue from Pros. With the ranking system, there's only so much a Pro can actually do, and the Jobs section is the only hope to have sort of control over their outcome on the platform. Without the messages going to the inbox, non-chosen Pros can't do much if anything at all.  Without clearly understanding why some Pros are ranked higher than others (see attached image), Pros like me are frustrated by continuously being told to make a better profile, get more reviews, etc.. But everyone also knows that once those things are done (reviews are impossible without real opportunities) that there's nothing else we can do other than make attempts to contact customers via the Jobs section. To add insult to injury, the Jobs messages that go to the customer don't go to their inbox. Again, while I understand the reason why, surely there could be some adjustments made to not overwhelm the customer (perhaps 3 quotes instead of 5 can be sent to the customer, but to their inbox--perhaps even making it a financial quote ONLY--no written message).  I can honestly say that with my "Super Strong" profile (at best, I rank 20th with filters, and don't rank at all without the filters), it's discouraging that I can't control my own destiny through the Jobs section when I'm not ranking any higher. Without the opportunities in the Jobs section, I'm at the mercy of the customer scrolling through a long list and hopefully being chosen directly. Further, without the opportunities, it's literally impossible to get more than my current 10 reviews.  In other words, I literally can't do anything else to impact my rank to get those new opportunities, and the likilhood of my quote/message being viewed by the customer is VERY low. I'm literally locked in a corner that I can't escape from. Without changes, Thumbtack does neither good (new business) nor harm (no new business means theres no cost). At this point, I'm likely to ignore my profile permanantly because I can't move up in rank and my quotes/messages sent via the Jobs section won't be seen by the customer at an alarming rate. Without an ability for my quotes to be seen via Jobs, I can't get more new opportunities which, in turn, means I can't get additional hires, reviews or become a Top Pro.  Any other advice or insight you can give is appreciated!   Top 3 Results, No filters. Why is this Pro ranked higher than the other 2? ... View more

@Meckell Would you mind answering the question regarding the messages from Pros (sent via the Jobs section) not appearing in the inbox of the customer? I'd really like to know why Thumbtack thinks it's best not to show the customer in a more obvious way that Pros would like to contact/work with those customers. There may be a good reason for it, but the question hasn't been answered yet. Thank you! ... View more

I agree that the notifications are important, but that's hard for TT to control because each user will have different settings. To me, the biggest concern about it is they don't go to the customers Inbox unless the customer replies. If their notifications aren't set to ON, then the liklihood of the customer seeing our quote and introduction is very low. @Meckell. is there a reason that TT has chosen to NOT have those messages from Pros appear in the customer inbox? ... View more

Here are the screen shots for reference. The shot with Fence/Handyman services, ComClean and KRFitLife is found in my inbox, whereas the other shot is the Projects --> Handyman Service (specific project). In this real-life example, Jay B. Shirley Constuction was a handyman service provider that sent me that message via the Jobs section. As a customer, the only way I saw that message from Jay was by going to the Project tab, clicking on Handyman project, then scrolling down. By no means is it clear that Jay is specifically reaching out to me. In other words, aside from the notification of the message 4 hours later (that I didn't receive, but will call customer service for), that's the only way anyone could possibly find out about that Pro. Gareth was the only Pro I contacted myself directly. I only found the other one (cut off from the screen shot) by playing around with the app. Otherwise, I would have reached out to one Pro (Gareth) that ultimately did not want the job. ... View more

Should it be going to their inbox and not just somewhat hidden in the Projects area on the customers side? That's my bigger concern. I understand the delay of the notification, but shouldn't the quote and message appear in the customer inbox immediately, regardless of the notification? Also, @Meckell , if you could DM me for my email address, I'd be happy to provide that. ... View more

OK, I'll do that. I suppose I can understand the delay, but why wouldn't it go to the inbox if you sent a message after the financial quote was sent? In other words, if they sent both a quote and a message, why wouldn't that be received in their inbox? Currently, aside from the notification problem I experienced, the quote and message could only be found in the Project tab, at least while using the app. So if the notification didn't work, wouldn't it make more sense for the message from the Pro to appear in the inbox? I'd like to get your thoughts on that, please.   Also, how long should the delay be between the Pros message and me receiving the notification as the customer? If you want, I can give you my username a I used my personal account to hire a handyman. ... View more

I noticed the same thing--the contact rate for quotes sent via the Jobs section is very low, probably in the single digits. To me, it doesn't make sense for Thumbtack not to notify the customer of the message. A few points on the subject: 1) The message to a customer doesn't go to the customer's Inbox - they have to reopen the projects tab (at least through the app on the phone) in order to see it, and it's not made very clear that the Pro is actually contacting them. 2) Only 5 quotes can be sent via the Jobs tab for Pros, so it's not like the customer's inbox would be flooded with "non-selected" Pros (The customer contacted another Pro or Pros) messages. 3) Sending quotes via the Jobs section does not impact rank at all. In my opinion, notifying the customers of these Jobs-sent messages would do a few things: 1) Allow new Pros (or any others) to be able to be "active" on the platform by having a real, legitimate shot at acquiring the customer. Almost the VERY THING we want to be able to do so we have some sort of control over new opportunities.  2) It would present the customer with a few additional options (limited to 5, same as above) to contact Pros, rather than needing to reopen the project and requiring the customer to choose another Pro or Pros. As this is the means of revenue for Thumbtack, it would seem logical as the customer can reply to these new Pros, and requires the customer to do LESS if their chosen Pro doesn't reply or can't do the job. 3) It would likely increase revenue for Thumbtack by allowing the customer to reply to these Pros. We all know we're charged when that happens. As Pros, we WANT the response! 4) It would likely increase the customer's satisfaction with the platform because the Pro's that contact them via the Jobs section are likely hungry for their business. Plus, the Pros will have an opportunity before sending the quote to review the details of the job.  In my opinion, Thumbtack can solve several issues for both Pros and Customers by simply notifying the customer of the messages sent by Pros from the Jobs section. To be fair, I'm waiting for the moderators to explain the logic of why they currently don't do this as there may be legitimate reasons. But, based on my own experience as a customer and not just a Pro, it would seem like a simple fix that creates a lot more opportunity for both parties. ... View more