What is the Most Efficient and Fair Platform for Online Dispute Resolution?

If you search for all the available online dispute resolution platforms, you will be overwhelmed by the sheer amounts of active media platforms that you will see available.

One of these is Modria, an online dispute resolution platform in New Zealand. This online dispute resolution platform is a fantastic platform that offers the best quality resolution services.

Moreover, its capability to handle complex cases makes it a platform cut above all other currently functioning media. Though, other online dispute resolution platforms have their advantages over others.

But why is ODR suddenly a rapidly emerging alternative dispute resolution means? More novel disputes are beginning to arise due to the likewise rise in e-commerce and trading. This event is the result of the increase in the incorporation of the economy into the online world.

For relevant articles on definition of ODR, check out: What is ODR (Online Dispute Resolution)? and Online Dispute Resolution: The Advantages and Disadvantages of ODR

As transactions become more online and global, e-commerce disputes arose alongside it. To ensure that the buyers and sellers have adequate legal protection, ODR is created and is steadily improving in time.

Online dispute resolution, often referred to as ODR, has the following pillars. First, they virtualize the court. This face-to-face litigation jury is brought to an online platform. They make use of well-made algorithms to work for their decision-making process.

ODR also makes sure that they use a lot of available data to prevent other forms of dispute. Lastly, ODR makes sure that its clients will get access to legal information as much as possible. All these ensure that each ODR platform will be as efficient and as just as it can be.

ODR works as explained above and is incorporated well in SquareTrade, Alibaba, Money Claim Program, and Modria. These are just some examples of well-used ODR platforms.

We have a lot of innovations in the vast world of the internet. One of these is the rapidly growing online platforms for online dispute resolution.

In this article, let us explore some of the most well-used online dispute resolution platforms. Let us see which of them is the most efficient and fair for giving quality dispute resolution service. There are many other platforms discussed separately such as JAMS ADR, Paypal dispute center, Amazon ODR, AliExpress ODR, and Mediation room.

What are online dispute resolution platforms currently available?

ODR is very widely popular in the world of e-commerce. The fundamental goal of ODR is to promote the use of an online platform for conflict management. With this straightforward but impactful goal, ODR is eventually incorporated into well-known institutions of e-commerce.

There are a handful of online dispute resolution providers available, and it is impossible to squeeze all of them into this article! Many have been abandoned, while those which continue to operate gradually improve their service.

Listed below are some of the ODR platforms currently functioning. Let us now compare and contrast the following ODR platforms:

One of the most successful ODR platforms is SquareTrade. eBay uses this platform: an e-commerce company that advertises, sells, and acquires various goods. SquareTrade has been one of the first online dispute resolution platforms ever to launch. Essentially, buyers and sellers can negotiate their disputes here.

As one of the first and most successful ODR, SquareTrade can now raise millions of dollars while simultaneously resolving over 60 million e-commerce disputes per year.

SquareTrade works very simply. The clients are referred to this ODR platform. After signing up user information, complaint details can now be sent and processed. Then, the other party will be notified of such a complaint, and the process of resolving it will begin depending on the case.

This platform shows to be very efficient. There are no over-complicated schemes. And given the 60 million disputes resolved per year, this is an excellent ODR platform.

As more and more disputes are being resolved, these are being incorporated into the platform’s algorithm. Hence, as more cases are being resolved, the platform is getting to know better ways to manage future dispute cases.

The Alibaba Group is a Chinese e-commerce company. They have been around for quite a long time already. Moreover, they have been providing various sales services online.

Alibaba ODR platform is very similar to SquareTrade. It is also a platform where buyers and sellers can settle their disputes.

Alibaba has specified the cases where dispute resolution can be initiated. These are if the goods have not been received before the deadline. Or if these goods were not congruent with both parties’ conditions.

After initiating a dispute resolution, the parties are given ten days to resolve it. Failure to do so will prompt Alibaba to impose penalties on the defaulting party.

Alibaba’s algorithm’s improvement also required the need to be exposed to as many dispute resolutions as possible. As the Alibaba algorithm experiences more and more cases, then it becomes more refined in dispute resolution.

Going now into the public sector, Money Claim Program is one fast-growing ODR platform. The procedure for this platform is quite different from the first two platforms mentioned. The first step here is the solution explorer, where the algorithm of the platform analyses the complaint.

Then, as its name suggests, the solution explorer will offer information and solutions to the complaint. Next, a negotiation tool will come to play.

Since the parties involved had already been given ample information from these two steps, they can now proceed to problem framing and litigation. 

There is a third step if an agreement is not yet reached. Facilitation will be done with actual human intervention to get an agreement between both parties. Again, if no resolution still, the case will progress by having an impartial third party decide on it.

For the Money Claim Program, it takes about 60 to 90 days to process everything. Even though it takes quite a lot of time to settle a dispute, the whole process seems to be one of the fairest. The parties are given as many resources as they can to arrive at the most reasonable resolution.

CADRE is another efficient ODR platform currently available. This ODR platform resolves disputes from online arbitration or debt recoveries. Moreover, this platform has an online program designed to simplify arbitration rules.

The way CADRE works are relatively simple. It begins when one party would initiate that they want to use the platform. Then, the other party would be informed. Once both parties consent, they will be assigned with an arbitrator, and the case will proceed.

CADRE ensures that the two parties meet and communicate with emails and Whatsapp. Face-to-face interaction would be thru a scheduled video conference.

The time it takes for the parties to arrive at a decision is relatively quick. It only needs around 20 to 25 days. Here, we can see how efficient this platform is in mediating and giving resolution to certain online disputes.

Modria, an online dispute resolution platform in New Zealand, is claimed to be the “world’s most successful ODR platform.” This platform can accommodate a vast range of dispute complexities and even a very heavy volume of it.

Modria has its own way of being efficient in processing its cases. They have a triage where cases are capable of being referred to the appropriate channels. This method makes sure that processing and resolution will be as efficient as possible.

Other than its renounced efficiency, Modria is very staff and customer friendly. Moreover, there is a lot of technical support backing up Modria, making it possible for them to be a standalone platform.

How did ODR start?

E-commerce rapidly grew in popularity as the internet age began to take over a large chunk of our lives. The economy is now also functioning and operating online. Now, as these all grew, disputes inevitably arise from these kinds of transactions. Here is where ODR platforms’ development becomes critical.

The precursors of ODR began to write on this subject with a common goal of online conflict resolution. Eventually, large institutions began to explore ODR as well.

Now, we have our new ODR platforms all functioning and resolving online disputes.

Why should we choose ODR?

Now that we have seen these ODR platforms, why do we need to have them in the first place?

Because of the simple objective of resolving e-commerce problems in an online platform, ODR is becoming more and more needed by our society.

We can see the exponential growth of the e-commerce market. Therefore, online transactions are increasing by a lot! Of course, all of these transactions are not seamless. ODR fills this gap for a seamless e-commerce world.

Also, it is essential to realize that customers in the online world also have growing expectations from e-commerce. Neglecting their expectations would mean the eventual collapse of the e-commerce economy.

ODR platforms can resolve high volumes of disputes online at a decreased cost. Also, they can streamline the process efficiently and provide fair resolution to the parties involved.

What is our final verdict on the ODR platforms?

The first few ODR platforms are restricted to solving very simple cases of online e-commerce disputes. But now, we have different platforms which can accommodate a vast range of complaints already.

eBay and Alibaba can resolve conflicts in an impersonal but objective way. Also, since all ODR platforms function with a premade algorithm, it takes some time for them to be polished platforms.

As these platforms experience more disputes, they “learn” and incorporate in future cases.

Modria seems to be very promising in its efficiency in resolving online disputes, while Money Claim Program appears to produce the most just resolutions.

Despite all these, ODR platforms should be reinforced further. This strengthening will help give us an ODR platform that is very effective, efficient, and fair. ODR platforms will continue to innovate themselves. However, the current status that we have right now is very impressive already.

Let us see how these platforms will evolve further. Indeed, we will have the perfect one in the near future!