Hey @JCWEX, thanks for your question! We also got similar concerns about bad reviews from these pros:  @Randizzle55 @Marv @Ironman18 @Helenbasinger @Shammy @DebbieA @bcwhitaker   We know that a single bad review can have a big impact on your rating. In some cases, that one review may have prevented you from becoming a Top Pro. And that’s really frustrating. But you can always recover from a bad review and become a Top Pro in the next cycle! For more information on our review policy, check here . I'd also encourage you to reply to that bad review if you haven't, so that potential customers can see your response.   Beyond that, here are some ways to rebuild your rating after a bad review : Ask past customers for a review . You’re doing great work, and your customers want to see you succeed! But often they forget to leave a review once the work is over. So feel free to politely remind them! Import reviews from Facebook and Google. They won’t count as “verified” reviews, but they will help you stand out to customers. Remember that you need 5 verified reviews averaging at least 4.8 stars over the previous 12 months to qualify. Get more jobs. Try promoting your profile or checking the jobs tab to book more projects. And respond quickly to all leads! This will help build a track record of great customer service. Last thing I'd say: we know that having a lot of great reviews matters a whole lot more than having one bad one.  So don't worry too much about the bad review! Keep working hard to get the good ones, which you're clearly capable of doing (your reviews are amazing! great work!).  The good will bury the bad, and make it clear to customers that the one bad review is in no way representative of the service you're able to provide. I know you can be a Top Pro in July. And we'll be rooting for you. Let us know how else we can help, Jason ... View more

Thanks for your post, @Mooreshots! I'm sorry you missed Top Pro this time, but congratulations on being a Top Pro in the past! That's a big deal! We also heard similar feedback from these pros:  @mobilegrooming @TommyMead We look at response time because we know that customers want to hear from pros quickly.  They're more likely to have a good experience (and hire pros on Thumbtack!) if they hear back from pros right away.  And we know that if pros respond to leads quickly, they're more likely to win the job! But we know that it’s a high standard to become and stay a Top Pro. And keeping up a high response rate can be tough - especially while you’re running a business! That’s why we only ask that you respond within 24 hours at least 75% of the time. And we won’t consider any messages that you got a refund for.  You're right that we don't have a good way of including responses that happen over the phone.  We're working on this! For now, I'd encourage you to mark that you've responded to a lead in your app, even after you've spoken to someone on the phone.  That's how we can give you "credit" for the response. Another thing to note: we're only looking at your response time to *new* leads.  In other words, we're only looking at your response time to a customer's first message.  We're not looking at how quickly you respond to each subsequent message after that.  So if you have a back-and-forth with a client and they reply with a simple "thanks," we're not expecting you to respond to that.  And if you don't respond to it, it won't count against your response time.  All that matters is that you respond within 24 hours to new leads and new customers.  I hope that helps to clarify!  Keep in mind that we'll have a new class of Top Pros in July 2019.  Because you've been a Top Pro before, we know you can be again! And we'll be rooting for you! Thanks again for all that you do, @Mooreshots ! ... View more

Hey @HVACPRO ! First, congrats on having so many awesome reviews! That's amazing! I get that it’s frustrating if one or a couple bad reviews keep you from becoming a Top Pro. I want to clarify the review criteria for the Top Pro program as well as Thumbtack’s review policy: In order to become a Top Pro, your need at least 5 verified reviews averaging 4.8 stars or higher over the last 12 months. We want to treat all pros equally, so we don’t make exceptions to this rule. However, you can have a review removed if you didn’t work for that customer. You can also challenge any review that doesn’t meet our review policy . Just contact our support team . I'd also say not to focus too much attention on that bad review.  Consider replying, so that other potential customers can see what you have to say.  And keep doing your best to get more 5-star reviews! No one will notice a bad review if you have dozens and dozens of good ones! And thank you to @JCWEX for voicing similar points as well! ... View more

Thanks for your post, @computers6! First of all, thank you for joining the Online Community and sending us your feedback! We know that it’s really important for your business to succeed, and we hope that we can partner with you to help you reach your goals. I hear your frustrations - there’s been a lot of change at Thumbtack lately. But the good news is that the major changes are behind us! And that means that the new system is here to stay. Let me tell you why that's a good thing: in the old world, with the old system, 80% of customers never saw a single pro.  They'd come to Thumbtack looking to hire, but they'd leave before talking to anyone. Those were your potential jobs - money that could have been in pros' pockets! So we knew that we had to introduce customers to pros instantly, so that they'll actually hire someone.  Customers want instant results! Just think about your own experience on Amazon or online travel sites.  The new system let's us give customers the instant results they expect.  This new system is working for customers and pros alike, and we believe it can work for you too! That said, we know the system isn’t perfect yet, and we need your feedback to make it better. So keep posting your ideas! Tell us what’s working or not working.  Remember that improving Thumbtack takes time: not every idea will lead to an update overnight. So we ask for your patience as we work through your feedback and release subsequent improvements. In the meantime, there are a few things you can do right now to be more successful in the new system. Here are a few ways to rank higher in search results : Improve your profile Promote your profile Respond quickly List your prices Get lots of great reviews It’s important to me to see pros like you succeed on Thumbtack. I joined Thumbtack because I believe in small businesses, and I have all the respect in the world for what our pros do. It’s my job to make your voices heard and I take that seriously. Even more, Thumbtack won’t succeed if you don’t succeed. This is a partnership. So we can’t make decisions that benefit the customer or the company at the expense of our pros. We’re here to support you, so if you’ve tried the recommendations we’ve posted and still aren’t finding success - let us know! Call support or send our moderators ( @Meckell or @Kameron ) a private message and we’ll help sort it out Thanks again for participating in our Q&A and for all your hard work with Thumbtack! Also tagging these pros who voiced similar frustration about becoming a Top Pro in the new system. @Wah-Heed @ThatGutsy @Spamovers @Don1228 @Marv @JustNjoysb @Daviddietrich @Toppro2019 @Cathy224 @Tovicand @Dace ... View more

Thanks for your post, @Helenbasinger! And c ongratulations on this awesome accomplishment! First of all, you should pat yourself on the back because this is no easy feat. You’re among an incredible group of professionals. Here are some next steps you might consider: Keep up the great work : keep getting lots of great reviews to maintain your Top Pro status when we have our next evaluation cycle in July Share your accomplishment : post your badge on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (#ThumbtackTopPro). You could display your badge on your website as well! Keep posting in our Online Community : this is the place to get all the information you need to keep winning.  It’s also the place to share some of your tips with other pros, if you’re up for it! Remember, only 4% of all pros on Thumbtack currently qualify as Top Pros; the other 96% are eager to learn from you! I hear you that it's frustrating to get leads that don't feel relevant or intentful.  We want you to get a good match, always! The good news here is that declining these leads doesn't affect your Top Pro status.  Just make sure you decline them.  We're also working hard to help your profile stand out, so that customers actually read all of the awesome content you're writing there, so that they're not asking you questions that you've already replied to on your profile.  We know that can be annoying! Also, if you ever get a lead that's inappropriate, you should always contact our support team. We have whole teams of folks who are on the look out for this type of thing, and want to make sure that Thumbtack is always a safe and positive experience for our pros.  Report anything that's problematic or upsetting, and we'll reimburse you if it's inappropriate! Finally, make sure you've updated your preferences and settings.  That's how we make sure we get you the best possible leads - the ones that best match you and your business.  Any other questions, don't hesitate to reach out to our team.  @Kameron and @Meckell and all of us are here to help! Thanks again, @Helenbasinger! We're so grateful for all that you do! ... View more

@greenmissionsOH, thanks for posting! All great questions.  Let me answer each: 1) There is no cost to becoming a Top Pro! We just ask that you meet three criteria:  Be fast : respond within 24 hours at least 75% of the time when you get a new lead Do great work : maintain an average star rating of 4.8 or higher. Remember that only verified reviews over the previous 12 months are counted.  Ask for reviews : get at least 5 verified reviews over the past 12 months. 2) We qualify new classes of Top Pros twice a year - once in January and once in July.   In both cases, we're looking at your previous 12 months.  So in July, we'll be looking at your stats on Thumbtack from July 2018 till July 2019.  You can learn more about this part of the program here.  And don't worry! July will be here before you know it, and we'll be rooting for you every step of the way!  3) We currently send a monthly Top Pro eligibility report that lets you know where you stand and whether you're set to qualify in the next cycle.  Soon, we're going to add this information to your Insights tab, so that you can always see, for example, how many more reviews you need to make Top Pro. 4)  The Top Pro badge is great for helping you stand out in search results. On average, customers are more than twice as likely to hire pros who have one.  The badge shows that you’re consistently getting lots of great reviews and responding quickly to your customers. So customers know that you’re qualified and capable of getting their job done well.  They will seek you out! Hope that answers your questions! Thanks again for participating! ... View more

Hey @Marv, Top Pros on Thumbtack consistently deliver a great experience for their customers, and that’s what makes them top notch. We base our criteria on what our customers are looking for. Customers want to connect with a pro who have a track record of great projects - that’s why we care about your rating (at least 4.8) and number of reviews (at least 5 verified reviews). We care about your response rate because customers also want to hear back from you as soon as possible, so they can get their projects underway. Of course, we know you have a day job, which is why we only ask that you respond within 24 hours at least 75% of the time.. Other factors, like having a great profile or promoting your profile, are a great way to stand out on Thumbtack, but don’t directly affect your Top Pro status.  At least right now :) In terms of # of years on Thumbtack, we don’t currently include this as a criteria because it doesn’t necessarily predict whether a pro will be able to deliver an exceptional customer experience - new and veteran pros alike are capable of offering a 5-star experience.  Of course, we still show the number of years you’ve been on Thumbtack on your profile, so customers will see if you have more experience. And we also show all the Top Pro badges you’ve earned over time, so a customer will see if you’ve made Top Pro year over year. This is our way of helping veteran pros stand out, without giving them an unfair advantage.  I hope that makes sense! Also tagging a few other pros who asked similar questions about how we chose our criteria!  @Marv @Ironman18 @Tovicand ... View more

Hey @Aaron_V, I’m sorry to hear that you missed the cut this time! But congratulations on having been a Top Pro in the past! Remember, only about 4% of all pros currently qualify as Top Pros, so it’s a very big (and rare!) accomplishment.   We haven’t changed the criteria in over a year, but here’s a refresher.  In order to earn Top Pro status, you need to meet these three criteria: Be fast : respond within 24 hours at least 75% of the time when you get a new lead Do great work : maintain an average star rating of 4.8 or higher. Remember that only verified reviews over the previous 12 months are counted. It’s not your lifetime rating, but rather your rating in the last year (in this case, from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018). Ask for reviews : get at least 5 verified reviews over the past 12 months. These criteria apply equally and objectively to all Thumbtack pros.  And we qualify pros twice a year: once in January and once in July. So even if you missed the cut this month, you'll have another chance in July! We'll be rooting for you! If you still have a question about the criteria and why you did or didn’t qualify, send a private message to one of our moderators (@Meckell or @Kameron) and we’ll take a closer look! Also tagging these pros who asked similar questions about our criteria to become a Top Pro:  @greenmissionsOH @paul827 @fascinatindance @WeddingGuyRob @Celestra @Aaron_V Thanks for posting and good luck to you! ... View more