Documentation
Connections
How to request a connection, how the other account accepts it, and what you can do once you are connected.
What a connection is
A connection links a client account with a freelancer or agency account. It is how you reach someone before there is a public job, and it stays in place for later chat, jobs, and projects.
Clients browse people under Find freelancers and keep accepted connections under My connections. Freelancers and agencies browse companies under Find clients and keep them under My clients. Those search pages appear after the account profile is complete.
Request a connection
On a profile, choose Request connection. Lancer asks you to confirm because the request costs 1 connect. The connect is spent when you send the request. Clients, freelancers, and agencies all spend a connect this way.
- You need at least 1 connect. Buy more from subscription settings if the balance is empty.
- You cannot connect an account to itself.
- A request that is already waiting, or a connection that is already accepted, cannot be sent again.
- If the other account declined an earlier request, you can ask again. That sends a new request and costs another connect.
Accept or decline
Only a Super Admin or an Admin on the receiving account can accept or decline. On a freelancer or agency account, that is the owner. Standard users on a client account can see the workspace, but they do not respond to requests or use connection chat.
- Incoming requests are listed under Pending connections.
- On a client account they also appear in the My connections list while they are waiting.
- Accept opens the connection. Decline leaves it closed until someone requests again.
- The account that sent the request is notified of the decision.
A hire also creates an accepted connection between the client and the freelancer or agency. That path does not send a separate connection request.
After you are connected
Open the connection from My connections or My clients. The page has Dashboard, Chat, Profile, Jobs, and Projects.
| You can | What it means |
|---|---|
| Chat | Message the other account. Connection chat is available to Super Admins and Admins, and only after the connection is accepted. |
| Invite them to a job | A client can invite an existing connection to a job without spending a job credit. A job credit is used when the job is opened for public applications. |
| Work together on projects | Shared jobs and projects with that account are listed on the connection. |
You do not spend another connect to keep chatting, invite that connection to a job, or work with them on a project. Project chat and review chat are covered in Chat. Account roles are described on the Account user roles page, and client hiring is described on the Creating a client account page.