We launched several changes to the website today, including:

• Enhanced visibility for Teams from provider profile pages
• Simplified Business Terms process for employers and providers
• Change in hold time for payments made by employers to providers

Teams
Teams, launched earlier this year, is a new way for Elance providers to organize as a team and work together, making it easy for multiple individuals to work together and manage jobs within one provider account.

Starting today, we enhanced the visibility of Teams by adding a ‘Team’ section on provider profile pages. This new area links to a new page which lists all of your team members and their profiles. Individual team members can now certify specific skills and verify their credentials. Learn how to make the most of individual team member profiles for maximum impact with potential employers.



Business Terms
Also launching today are enhancements to the business terms process. Now, each party can associate comments with each Terms update so that the receiving party can better understand the changes. The new Revision History section will show who submitted and accepted the changes (and links to all previously accepted versions.) Other changes include:

• New visual interface to easily add and modify milestones and project agreements (including milestone calendar.)
• When Escrow milestones are funded and subsequently updated, ONLY the amount difference will be refunded in case of a decrease. (Not requiring buyers be refunded the old amount and have to fund the new amount.)
• Ability to create a milestone with no associated payments (for maximum flexibility.)
• For hourly jobs, weekly milestones with the appropriate amounts will be autocreated upon award. (Can be further modified.)
• Ability to print Terms document.
• Click to see full details

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Payment Hold Time
In addition to the changes above, we’d like to let providers know about an important change to the hold time on payments received by providers from clients.

Payments received by a provider in an amount over $500 are now subject to a three business day hold, meaning providers will be able to access these funds on the fourth day following payment. We made this change because it takes three days for these funds to settle. Previously, the three-day holding period applied to payments over $2500.