SEATTLE, May 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zillow is improving the experience when Zillow Premier Agent partners are connected with a potential buyer. With these updates, agents are connected with buyers 45% faster than telephone connections¹ and can see more customer insights to help them build rapport as soon as they are connected to home shoppers.

Now, when a home shopper is ready to speak with a local agent, Zillow Premier Agent partners can see the request details and be connected directly with the buyer all within the Zillow Premier Agent app, using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Previously, agent partners would receive a traditional phone call and follow automated voice prompts to accept a connection and get a separate push notification from the Zillow Premier Agent app, requiring them to navigate between the two.

Another new update to the connections experience creates a more streamlined shopping experience for both buyers and agents. When buyers are interested in more than one home, agents can now see all of the homes when the connection request comes in, instead of just the first one the buyer requested. This lets agents address the entirety of the buyer's home search so they can have a better understanding of the buyer's progress and can better serve their needs. In today's competitive market, agents can use this information to prioritize showing dates and offer deadlines to give their clients the best chance to successfully buy a home.

"We are always looking for new ways to support our Premier Agent partners in their business, and these app improvements help agents make the most of each new connection and set more showing appointments," said Racquel Russell, Zillow vice president of partner success. "Ultimately we want to help buyers get into their dream home, and giving agents the tools to provide exceptional service to our shared customers is a key factor in making that happen."

Bringing connections into the Zillow Premier Agent app makes it faster for agents to talk to an interested buyer - on average, connections are 45% faster through in-app connections than through standard telephone calls. Agents are able to review the buyer's home search information before speaking with them, which allows them to focus on building a relationship based on the buyer's needs as soon as they are connected. Buyers will be connected with an agent who knows what they are looking for and is ready to help them find their next home.

In addition to faster connections, agents who use in-app connections set more appointments and are more likely to meet with the buyers, which can lead to a higher likelihood of successfully transacting with that buyer. Agents using in-app connections have a 7% higher appointment rate compared with connections made with a traditional phone call.²

As customer expectations and the real estate industry landscape change, Zillow is evolving to meet these changes by building a platform and tools aiming to deliver a more seamless home buying and selling journey. A great real estate agent is essential to helping customers successfully find and buy their next home, and Zillow is developing tools and products like the connections experience to help agents succeed now and into the future.

To receive connection calls through the Zillow Premier Agent app, agents should make sure they have the latest version of the app and enable enhanced connection calls. Agents will not receive connections through the app if they have the feature toggled off, if their phone is set to Do Not Disturb. In-app connections and connections for multiple properties will be available in all areas on iOS and Android in summer 2021. 

About Zillow Group
Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make it easier to unlock life's next chapter.

As the most-visited real estate website in the U.S., Zillow® and its affiliates offer customers an on-demand experience for selling, buying, renting or financing with transparency and nearly seamless end-to-end service. Zillow Offers® buys and sells homes directly in dozens of markets across the country, allowing sellers control over their timeline. Zillow Home Loans™, our affiliate lender, provides our customers with an easy option to get pre-approved and secure financing for their next home purchase. Zillow recently launched Zillow Homes, Inc., a licensed brokerage entity, to streamline Zillow Offers transactions. 

Zillow Group's affiliates and subsidiaries include Zillow®, Zillow Offers®, Zillow Premier Agent®, Zillow Home Loans™, Zillow Closing Services™, Zillow Homes, Inc., Trulia®, Out East®, StreetEasy® and HotPads®. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org).

¹ Internal Zillow data collected between September 15-October 18, 2020
² Internal Zillow data collected between September 15-November 8, 2020

SOURCE Zillow