Everything Agents Need to Know About Zillow's Follow Up Boss Acquisition

In 2011, Dan Corkill and Tom Markov spoke to an agent who was looking for help converting leads from Zillow. That conversation inspired them to start building Follow Up Boss, which has since become one of real estate’s leading customer relationship management (CRM) systems, known for empowering agents to work smarter.  

After many more conversations with real estate professionals, the development of dozens of useful features, and over a decade of growth, Follow Up Boss was acquired by Zillow in December 2023. The investment brings together two companies committed to helping agents better serve their customers and grow their businesses. 

Since the news broke, our agent partners have reached out with questions about what this means. Here’s what you should know about Zillow’s vision for Follow Up Boss, how agents benefit, new features, and more.

Why did Zillow acquire Follow Up Boss? 

Joining forces with Follow Up Boss allows us to simplify the tools that Premier Agent partner teams use to manage their business. The goal is to free you up to focus on what you do best: delivering great experiences to clients and getting more people into their next home. 

Follow Up Boss is already an essential platform for many agent businesses. Over 100,000 agents use it daily for tasks like tracking leads, personalizing communication, and syncing with other team members. Follow Up Boss will remain an independent brand for all agents to use, and their data will stay private, whether they’re in the Zillow Premier Agent program or not.  

With the acquisition, Follow Up Boss will have access to more resources and support to continue its mission. Zillow and Follow Up Boss are accelerating investments in new features that will supercharge your productivity.

How can Follow Up Boss benefit Premier Agent partners?

Premier Agent partners repeatedly tell us that two of their biggest pain points are wasting time when working with buyers and juggling client success while running a business. Here are some immediate ways Follow Up Boss can address those pain points:

• Engage and nurture. Follow Us Boss makes it easy to follow up with the right leads at the right time. You can automate personalized emails, texts, and calls for all your prospects, whether they’re ready to buy today or require more time. 
• Build motivation and accountability. Drive action by having your team working together in one system. You can use automatic tracking and built-in reporting to know who’s performing and who may need coaching opportunities.
• Evolve with ease. Follow Up Boss offers over 250 integrations (and counting), so you can build a custom technology stack that fits your business. You also receive phone and email support seven days a week from a team of product experts who can solve tech issues and help you to switch from any other CRM.

What do agents think of Follow Up Boss?

Follow Up Boss has a 98.2% customer satisfaction rating, and 32 of the top 50 agent teams in the U.S. currently use the platform. Here’s what Premier Agent partners told us about their experiences:

“With features like automations, action plans, and task lists, we are able to make our follow-up consistent, varied, and impactful.”
-Winston Murray, owner and principal broker of Works Real Estate

“Time and simplicity are very important when it comes to getting your team to adopt and effectively use a CRM. Follow Up Boss does just that. It is easy to learn, easy to navigate the lead through the different stages, and keeps track of all communications on an open platform offering complete transparency.”
-Ryan Platzke, owner of Platzke Real Estate Group

“Follow Up Boss has been a game-changer for staying connected with my clients and keeping my real estate business organized and thriving. It ensures no client ever falls through the cracks and has helped raise our engagement rate.”
-Becky Garcia, CEO of The Garcia Group

“Follow Up Boss has significantly transformed my organization's operational dynamics. Previously, we utilized a CRM system that fell short in supporting the complex demands of a highly accountable real estate team. In my 14 years as a team lead, the past three years with FUB have been unparalleled in terms of growth.”
-Levi Rodgers, CEO of Levi Rodgers Real Estate Group

“To be a boss, you need FollowUpBoss. Get your business straightened out with FUB, or stay in the slow lane with the rest of yesteryear brokerages.”
-David A. Ness, President of Thrive Real Estate Group

What are the latest Follow Up Boss product updates?

Last updated: Q2 2024

Your Follow Up Boss activity now counts toward My Agent relationships

• Any communication event in Follow Up Boss will now count toward establishing or extending your My Agent relationship status with a client.
• That means you will show up as the only agent when a client searches for homes on Zillow for the next 365 days. Additionally, any tour requests will be routed directly to you.
• This will help you automatically be top of mind with clients and maintain a relationship throughout their search.

You can now filter connects by two new tags – specific home interest and re-engaged buyer– in Follow Up Boss and the Premier Agent app. 

Frequently asked questions about Follow Up Boss

Do I have to be a Premier Agent partner now to use Follow Up Boss?

No, anyone can use Follow Up Boss, regardless of their affiliation with Zillow. And Follow Up Boss will continue to serve clients it worked with prior to the acquisition. 

Is Follow Up Boss only for team leads?

No, both team leads and individual partner agents can use Follow Up Boss. 

Will my data be kept private?

Absolutely. Zillow cannot access any customer data that goes into Follow Up Boss unless you give your permission. 

Where can I learn about new Follow Up Boss product updates? Right here. We’ll continue to refresh the page when new features and product updates go live. If you’re not a Follow Up Boss customer, you can also book a demo to see the platform in action.