Zillow has launched the second update to its Premier Agent program in two months, this time focusing on how it doles out the coveted ‘Best of Zillow’ status to agents. Starting in October, Best of Zillow scores will no longer primarily be based on customer satisfaction ratings and will account for several additional key performance factors.

“We have heard from our partners that great agents do more than provide excellent customer service, and we are evolving Best of Zillow to recognize more of the work great agents are doing to get results for their clients,” Zillow Vice President of Partner Success Racquel Russell said of the update in a prepared statement.

Currently, agents receive a Best of Zillow badge by receiving customer satisfaction scores of 90 and above, maintaining a robust sales record, and listing a validated real estate license numbers on their profile. Consumers complete several surveys throughout the transaction, with the last survey going out 45 days after the first contact.

The new scoring system will still consider customer satisfaction, however, “the agents’ transaction history and their readiness to take on customer connections and grow with Zillow” will play a bigger role in agents’ quest to reach ‘best of’ status.

“[The transaction history] will be based on agents’ conversion rate with connections they receive from Zillow, and it will take local market averages into account,” a Zillow spokesperson explained in an emailed statement to Inman. “Meanwhile, [the agent readiness metric] looks at agents’ ability to provide a consistently great experience for their clients, in terms of the average number of connections per month.”

“It also includes using a CRM, whether that’s the Zillow Premier Agent app or a third-party CRM connected through Tech Connect, to effectively manage customer relationships,” they added.

To prepare agents for the switch, Zillow will begin rolling out revamped performance reports based on the new metrics before the end of July. The reports will show agents how close they are to reaching the target score for each metric, so they’ll have an idea of what their status will be in October.

“Focusing on the customer has been in Zillow’s DNA since the company’s inception, and we want to partner with fantastic agents who are directly working with our shared customers to deliver a great experience,” Russell added.

In addition to the new scoring system, Best of Zillow designees will receive several perks including access to exclusive events and networking opportunities, advertising bonuses and priority access to new inventory.

Stephen Capezza | Credit: Zillow Group

Zillow is also strengthening its Premier Agent support by hiring additional business and growth advisors who can provide tailored training and development resources based on local insights, and launching an online learning platform, Zillow Academy.

“Great agents who leverage the latest technology to give their clients the best possible experience are the future of real estate,” Stephen Capezza, senior vice president of Premier Agent sales and partnerships, said in a written statement. “These professionals are essential partners to Zillow, and we’re excited to offer new and more localized support to help them succeed.”

“Together we can help our shared customers find the home where they’ll spend the next phase of their lives,” he added.

Email Marian McPherson