Keep Brokerage Platform Access in the Firm's Hands, Not the Agent's Phone
When an agent leaves, every platform account they set up with their personal phone becomes a potential lockout. Zillow, ShowingTime, DocuSign, Dotloop, and Follow Up Boss all gate access with SMS verification — and that verification code goes to whichever phone is registered. JoltSMS gives your brokerage a non-VoIP, real-SIM US number that belongs to the firm, not whoever set up the account.
- One dedicated number keeps Zillow Premier Agent, ShowingTime, and Dotloop accessible after any agent departure
- Real-SIM, non-VoIP number that passes platform verification where VoIP numbers are blocked
- Shared inbox — broker, office manager, and compliance staff all see incoming codes
- Slack, Discord, and email alerts so the right person gets the code the moment it arrives
Verification codes for Zillow, DocuSign, and MLS arrive in one shared inbox — visible to the whole team, not just the agent who set up the account.
How brokerages accidentally make platform access a single point of failure
Real estate has a structural agent turnover problem. In 2025, 13% of active agents changed brokerages — representing $15.7 billion in transaction volume migrating between firms. One-third of those moves were driven by financial distress, meaning they happened suddenly with little or no notice. Every time an agent set up a brokerage platform account with their personal phone, they created an invisible liability: a verification code that, after they leave, goes to a number no one at the firm controls. Large offices face the highest exposure — 500+ agent offices see 33% higher churn than smaller firms, which means the problem compounds with scale.
| Problem | What it looks like for real estate brokerages |
|---|---|
| Agent departure with no notice | A top producer leaves for a competing firm on a Friday afternoon. By Monday, the team can't log into Zillow Premier Agent because the 2FA code goes to their personal cell — which is now unreachable. |
| Zillow ecosystem cascade | Zillow Group controls ShowingTime, Dotloop, Follow Up Boss, and Premier Agent under one account chain. One personal phone number locks four platforms simultaneously when that agent leaves. |
| DocuSign audit trail gap | DocuSign's Phone Authentication ties the verified identity to a phone number. When that number belongs to an individual agent, the audit trail for transaction records references a personal identity — not a brokerage-controlled credential. |
| MLS and state board compliance | Most state real estate boards require brokers of record to maintain business records and platform access. An agent-owned phone number creates a compliance gap that can surface during audits or license renewals. |
| Wire fraud exposure | $500M in real estate wire fraud occurred in 2024. NAR's updated cybersecurity guidance explicitly recommends 2FA on all real estate platforms as a countermeasure — but 2FA tied to a personal phone provides no protection after that agent leaves. |
Turn verification from a personal phone problem into a company system
JoltSMS gives your brokerage a dedicated, non-VoIP, real-SIM US number that lives on a real carrier network and belongs to the firm. Register it as the 2FA phone number on Zillow, DocuSign, Dotloop, ShowingTime, and Follow Up Boss. Every verification code arrives in a shared team inbox — visible to the broker of record, the office manager, and anyone else you grant access. When an agent leaves, nothing changes. The number is still yours.
- Dedicated US number registered to the brokerage — not tied to any individual agent's identity
- Real-SIM, non-VoIP carrier signal that passes platform verification on Zillow, DocuSign, and MLS systems
- Shared inbox accessible to broker of record, office manager, and compliance staff simultaneously
- Full message history creates an auditable record of all verification events for compliance reporting
- Month-to-month rental at $50/mo — the number stays active regardless of agent turnover
A single dedicated number for the entire brokerage. No agent's personal phone in the critical path.
Common ways real estate brokerages use JoltSMS
Mid-Size Franchise Office Protecting Platform Continuity
A 40-agent franchise office registers their JoltSMS number on Zillow Premier Agent and ShowingTime. When three agents leave in the same quarter, access to both platforms remains uninterrupted. The office manager receives ShowingTime alerts in Slack while the broker of record can still access Zillow from the shared inbox. Also useful for teams managing Google Workspace credentials across the brokerage.
Broker of Record Creating a Documented Security Control
A boutique brokerage owner updates DocuSign to use the firm's JoltSMS number ahead of a state board review. The shared message history provides an auditable record of every phone-verified transaction — tied to a brokerage-controlled credential, not a former agent's personal phone. Brokerages using Facebook Marketplace for listings face the same control challenge.
Growing Team Onboarding New Agents Without Changing Platform Credentials
A brokerage expanding from 12 to 25 agents needs Follow Up Boss and Dotloop to stay stable throughout. Instead of re-registering platforms every time a new agent is the "designated account holder," the JoltSMS number remains constant. The team access feature means new agents can be granted inbox access without becoming the number's owner.
How a brokerage typically rolls out a firm-owned verification number
Sign up and get a dedicated number
Create a JoltSMS account and provision a dedicated US real-SIM number. This takes a few minutes. The number is yours for as long as the subscription is active — it will not be reassigned to another customer.
Register it on Zillow and the Zillow ecosystem
Update the phone number on your Zillow Premier Agent account. Because Zillow Group controls ShowingTime, Dotloop, and Follow Up Boss under one account hierarchy, updating Zillow propagates across the full suite.
Update DocuSign and MLS credentials
Replace the personal phone number in DocuSign Phone Authentication and your MLS platform with the JoltSMS number. This decouples those audit trails from any individual agent's identity and ties them to a brokerage-controlled credential.
Invite the broker of record and office manager to the shared inbox
Use JoltSMS Team Access to add the broker of record as Owner and the office manager as Manager. Both can view incoming verification codes and receive Slack or email alerts. No shared passwords required.
Set up Slack or email alerts
Configure notifications so the right person sees codes the moment they arrive. Slack works well for fast-moving transaction days; email is useful for compliance staff who need a written record of authentication events.
Brokerage-controlled access — not agent-controlled
The core problem with personal phone numbers is ownership. JoltSMS Team Access solves the ownership question by tying the number to the firm's JoltSMS account, with explicit role-based access for every person who needs it. The broker of record stays in control regardless of agent turnover.
- Owner role (broker of record) — full control over the number, billing, and who has access
- Manager role (office manager, operations) — can view the inbox and manage notification settings without billing access
- Viewer role (compliance staff, transaction coordinators) — read-only inbox access for audit and oversight purposes
- Invite team members by email with configurable roles; access can be revoked instantly when staff changes
Get verification codes where your team already works
Real estate moves fast. A ShowingTime confirmation or a DocuSign authentication code that arrives when no one is watching the dashboard costs real time. JoltSMS notification fan-out delivers incoming codes to whatever channel your team is already using — so the right person sees it immediately, not on their next dashboard check.
- Slack — ideal for brokerage operations channels; post codes to a dedicated #verification channel visible to broker and office manager
- Discord — works well for tech-forward teams and those using Discord for agent communications
- Email — provides a written record of every verification event; useful for compliance staff and audit trails
- Webhooks — for brokerages with custom CRM integrations or transaction management systems that can consume HTTP events
Real estate brokerage verification — common questions
No — and that's the point. One dedicated number is registered as the brokerage's verification identity on your firm-wide platforms: Zillow Premier Agent, ShowingTime, DocuSign, Dotloop, and Follow Up Boss. Individual agents use their personal phones for their own personal platform accounts. The JoltSMS number covers the brokerage-controlled accounts that the firm owns and needs to access regardless of who's currently on the team.
Give your brokerage a firm-owned verification number
Stop the next agent departure from becoming a platform lockout. One dedicated number. One shared inbox. Every platform stays accessible.