I'm a bit hacked off at an online voice talent bank - YOUR thoughts?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jorge Velasco on March 21, 2009 at 3:59pm

V123 just doesn't seem to figure out who are their main customers: Us! Not the producers!

My membership will expire in less than a month, but after reading your case, Lisa... now I'm having second thoughts about the renewal.

Jorge Velasco

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Joe Van Riper on March 24, 2009 at 10:42am

Lisa, this sounds like a service I also have used. If it's the same one, their biggest problem is that their service is completely automated and computer generated... no human beings involved to generate any sense of warmth or empathy. The excerpt sounds like it was an after thought on the part of whoever wrote the code for the web site interface.

Imagine the situation: "Hey Boss, the server is getting jammed up by old talent accounts that aren't active any more. What d'ya want to do about it?" "Oh, tell the web techie to program something into the code that will fire off a warning to the inactive accounts after a few weeks. If we don't get a reply they get weeded out." And, of course, the "web techie" has all the people skills of a door knob, so the message reads something like your excerpt.

At least, that's one possible explanation. Before you flame them out of your life, you might want to email the CEO or some other actual human with authority at the service and tell them about your feelings. Oh, and congratulations on a good first quarter! I suspect you are in a fairly small group, considering the economy. Good for you!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Joe Van Riper on March 24, 2009 at 10:52am

Lisa, this sounds like a service I also have used. If it's the same one, their biggest problem is that their service is completely automated and computer generated... no human beings involved to generate any sense of warmth or empathy. The excerpt sounds like it was an after thought on the part of whoever wrote the code for the web site interface.

Imagine the situation: "Hey Boss, the server is getting jammed up by old talent accounts that aren't active any more. What d'ya want to do about it?" "Oh, tell the web techie to program something into the code that will fire off a warning to the inactive accounts after a few weeks. If we don't get a reply they get weeded out." And, of course, the "web techie" has all the people skills of a door knob, so the message reads something like your excerpt.

At least, that's one possible explanation. On the other hand, they could simply be web slime. Judging by other's comments, that seem very likely. Anyway, congratulations on a good first quarter! I suspect you are in a fairly small group, considering the economy.

Joe Van Riper

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Diane Merritt on April 8, 2009 at 7:24pm

Hi Lisa, Please see my comments at this link in VU

http://www.voiceoveruniverse.com/forum/topics/best-lead-site-voice123

It is regarding a letter I got from Voice 123, my letter back to them and their response.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Shelley Chester on April 9, 2009 at 5:44pm

I too have been on the fence with the big 3. I had voice123 for a time and have continued to receive the auditions that I "miss" by not paying the premium. I read their auditions fully every day - including the non union talent auditions. I find the pay dismal and the quality of the material offered somewhat worse than a junior high paper. All caps, bad spelling and grammar, and the length of auditions are enough to edit me out of a job. I too hate the rating system and the jobs that I have won with voice123 have not materialized. To penalize a paying customer for auditioning too much is quite sad. My range is large and if there is a good gig I have PAID for the right to audition. We are adults and should be treated as such. Conversely if I were to pick and choose auditions only to be threatened I would NOT use them.
Dems my thoughts!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Steven Mane on April 20, 2009 at 6:48pm

Hey there, fellow voice artists. First post on here. Cool.

Okay, first of all, why does ANYONE PAY to use these sites to begin with? Finding jobs is what an agent is for. Can't get one? There's a reason. You know what that reason is. I'll stop there.

That being said, the only reason you should use sites like Voices.com or Voice123 is to display your work and link it in other websites like Myspace or Voice Acting Alliance. And you should ONLY get the free subscriptions.

Agents should not and can not charge their talents money to be part of their company, lest they be thought of as scam artists by everyone involved.

To you, Lisa, my advice is: stop paying for it and use Webs.com to create your own website. And guess what? It's free until you decide to upgrade, and you can do whatever the hell you want on it. Only downside? It would be LisaFoster.webs.com. It's still a valid site.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Richie O'Shea on July 11, 2009 at 11:03am

Do you honestly think that VoiceABC (letters used instead of numbers to disguise the actual name, I would have used other numbers but that might have been too obvious.) are on your side???? If they were interested they would take a percentage om the gigs you landed though the site and not expect you to pay an annual. I had a lovely online chat with a rep from voices.com, I just wish I could post the transcript..

Richie

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Steven Mane on July 14, 2009 at 11:14am

Still kind of obvious, Richie.

But, dude, you just hit the nail on the head. They don't care. Not in the least. And like I said all those months ago, if you apply, take the free subscription and leave it be.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Barry Trussell on July 14, 2009 at 3:24pm

What's interesting to me as a paying Client and Voice Talent is that I don't recall receiing any survey or phone call to ask me how the site could better serve my needs. This is perplexing since I think that the answer to all these subscription websites woes is so simple and easy.....The paying Client comes first. This is the gold standard of any business.

Here's a few of my thoughts, now that I've brought it up:

1. Customer service should take responsibility in solving problems. No finger pointing, just solve the problem in a fast, friendly and courteous way.
2. No political answers. No double talk. No evasive answers. Answer the question in a helpful way.
3. Cater to the PAYING Client.
4. Make it easy for everyone to use the website and systems. Don't create hoops to jump through.
5.Talk to us once in a while. Really ask our opinions and then use the information to help us.
6. Designate sales people to obtain voice seekers to submit listings with useful information and a standard format . i.e. How will the voice be used? How long will the voice be used? What format is preferred? and so forth.
7. Focus on the benefits of using your members. Presentation is everything.
8. Treat Talent and Voice Seekers both with equal respect, but for Pete's sake.....CATER TO THE PAYING CLIENT.
9. Smile, be friendly to all, and you'll have more Clients than you know what to do with.

Do that, and you've got a winner. That advice is worth $100,000 and it's free to all subscription websites.

-Barry Trussell
Voice Talent



-Barry Trussell

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Richie O'Shea on August 4, 2009 at 9:24am

Oops, do you think someone from VoiceABC might have read my post???? Now I'll never get any work and will be really unpopular! My bad.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Steven Lowell on September 8, 2009 at 7:59pm

Hi good people,

Ok, let me give you a scenario, straight from the feedback hub, and I hope this gives you perspective:

1. Voice seeker with money comes to the website to find someone.

2. Voice talent is either on vacation, in the hospital, on a honeymoon etc.

3. Voice seeker goes to profile of talent and says, 'Hey! I want to hire this person! She is great!'. He sends a private message.

4. Given that the voice talent has not used the site, or has something else going on, that talent does not reply making the buyer think that they were completely ignored.

5. NOW...in the future that Voice Seeker no longer brings money to Voice123, to pay you, for the very service you use, and may use another one, which is what I am sure other posters on here would love to have happen.

So think now...is logging in once every 30 or 40 days really that much trouble to show potential buyers that you have not stopped using a site.

Try and think of the bigger picture from a business perspective that leads to better communication and you working a great deal more.

As a talent at the center of the largest feedback hub, both talent and seeker, and yes, related to other websites, I simply cannot agree that this inactivity message is somehow a failure, when I have seen it save more jobs for people than it has cost them.

This is also a reason why we offer more jobs, big and small, than any other website. Our technology is thorough, investigated, and opinions on how to get more work (the very purpose of the site) come from both talent and voice seeker.

If you are unaware as to why this feature is helpful, post a job, and use the voice seeker side to get a grander perspective as to what happens, instead of sticking to unilateral opinions that are counter-productive for you.

For the record, I have belonged to other websites too before joining Voice123. I have a perspective that should never be ignored because one does not like to be told they may be wrong.

Always here to help, more so than many of you realize,
Steven
Voice123

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Barry Trussell on March 30, 2010 at 11:31pm

If you think that voice seekers leaving your site are bad, think about the talent exitus.

For whatever reason in your website subscription business the paying client does not come first, but in all other business models the client always comes first. There is definitely a lesson there.

I am a prime example and not shy about saying so. Should that ever change, I for one would consider re-subscribing; however I have not found the need as there are many other avenues of obtaining audtions that feed my business perfectly well.

-barry

▶ Reply to This

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page