Hi all,
As the manager of the Top Pro program here at Thumbtack, I wanted to share an update with our Pro Community about two changes you might have heard about already.
First, we’re so excited to announce the launch of our brand new Top Pro tracker!
This new tool lives right in your Insights and will allow you to track your progress towards qualifying for the next Top Pro class. We qualify Top Pros twice a year -- once in January and once in July. From now on, the Top Pro tracker will always have your latest, most up-to-date stats, so you can see exactly what you need to make the cut.
Second, as you’ll see in the tracker, we’ve made some changes to the Top Pro qualification criteria .
Starting with the January 2020 Top Pro class, we will require Top Pros to:
Maintain an average star rating of at least 4.8 based on verified reviews (this hasn’t changed)
Receive at least 5 verified reviews in the last year (this hasn’t changed)
Respond to new leads within 4 business hours at least 75% of the time (this is new)
Complete a free background check (this is new)
We’re now asking Top Pros to respond within 4 business hours simply because our data tells us that customers are more likely to hire a pro when that pro responds quickly. In other words, getting a fast response makes customers happier. The longer a customer has to wait, the more likely he or she is to leave without hiring anyone at all.
We see that 4 hours is a meaningful cut off. Of course, responding faster than 4 hours will often lead to better results (responding within an hour, for example, makes you 50% more likely to turn a lead into a conversation). But we feel confident that the 4-hour mark sets an appropriately high bar for our Top Pros without being unrealistic or unattainable.
If that still feels like too short of a window, keep in mind that it’s 4 business hours, which we define as 8am to 8pm local time. There’s definitely no expectation that you stay glued to your app all day and all night! Also keep in mind that the 75% response rate means you can take longer than 4 hours every now and then and still qualify.
Starting with the January 2020 class, Top Pros will also be required to complete a free background check through Checkr, our free and accredited third-party provider. Background checks take only a matter of minutes to complete and help to build credibility and customer trust. Because Top Pros are meant to represent some of the best pros on Thumbtack, it’s important that customers know they can trust our Top Pros.
The Top Pro criteria requiring a 4.8 average star rating and 5 verified reviews have stayed the same (for more information, click here ).
At the end of the day, our Top Pros are an elite group -- currently only 4% of all pros on Thumbtack qualify. As Thumbtack continues to evolve, so, too, will the Top Pro program. Top Pro will continue to set the standard for what it means to be a fantastic pro on Thumbtack.
Keep checking back here for more updates and don’t hesitate to reply below with any questions or feedback about this change.
Special shout-out to our July 2019 Top Pros for all of their incredible work!
For everyone else, we hope to welcome you into the Top Pro community soon.
Jason
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