Probation and offboarding process

This process will help detect quality issues, avoid ambiguities and create an environment where all writers can expect feedback if necessary.

First complaint from a client or proofreader

The Quality Leader will receive a complaint either from the proofreader or from the client, and it will be recorded in the freelancer’s profile.

** A complaint is a serious quality concern, not just any feedback shared by a client or a proofreader.

Second complaint from a client or proofreader

1. The Quality Leader will investigate the issue, contact the freelancer with the feedback, ask for their input on the issue and give them any advice based on the issues found.
2. The Quality Leader will take any required action that results from the findings (ask more information to the client, create a new guideline, ask for an additional feature in the system, etc.). And if there is no concrete indication of poor quality, then the complaint is dismissed.
3. If there is no response from the freelancer in 48 hours, RAW, BQ skills, proofreading or quality checking skills may be removed (depending on the seriousness of the issue) and the freelancer will be informed.

Third complaint from a client or proofreader

After the third feedback or complaint is reported, a probation period starts which includes the following steps:

1. Suspend the SQ, RAW and BQ skills until the freelancer completes testing and training.
2. The freelancer will submit a test that will be evaluated by our Editor and feedback will be provided.
3. Training will consist of a series of guides and specific other materials related to the issues identified.
4. Once the training is completed, the SQ skill is added and the freelancer will be assigned no more than 1000 words.
5. Once completed, the tasks will be checked to identify if improvement is noticed.
6. If improvement is noticed, the SQ skill is kept and the limit is renewed to 2000 words.
7. If the result is a 3-star rating or more on those tasks, then the probation period is finished and the word limit will be removed. If there is no improvement, then all skills are removed.

Quality process within the same task

Within the same task, we have identified some recurrent issues, for example: writers do not implement the feedback given which results in the proofreader returning the task several times and in the end, rewrites whole tasks.

Within the same task, the following conditions apply:

• If a freelancer gets a task returned a third time, they will receive a warning email.
• If a task needs to be returned a 4th time, then this will automatically be dropped from the original freelancer and no payment for this task will take place as a full rewrite is required by another writer.

Exceptions

There are some issues considered so critical that writers will have their skills removed with immediate effect. The following issues will trigger warnings on the first occurrence and, if proven accurate, the writers’ skills may be removed right away. If this happens, the writers will not be able to take any tasks. These cases appear in the Code of conduct.

Examples:

• Rude replies to a client or colleagues
• Plagiarism
• Using Google Translate

Referee

Our objective is to have a fair and consistent process to monitor and improve quality. If you feel you have been unfairly treated and your skills have been removed without cause, please email hr@topcontent.com.