Khoros Communities solution allows brands to provide richer experiences for customers with self-service support, faster communication, and peer-to-peer connection

Khoros, a global leader in customer engagement software, announced that its Khoros Communities solution is experiencing a 47% increase in overall online community visits across the world to help brands quickly inform and educate their customers during COVID-19. Also, new registrations within these brands’ communities are up 31%, indicating a clear demand for connection between customers.

“The increased use of online communities during this global pandemic has been astounding,” said Nick Hill, general manager of Khoros Communities. “Online communities are a valuable tool and resource, and there’s no doubt that they’re helping brands immensely during these unprecedented times — providing self-service answers to questions, connecting people with experts, and matching needs with capacity. When digital communities work well, they also enhance the customer experience and build customer affinity.”

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According to a recent industry report, brands are increasingly recognizing the value of online communities, with 88% of companies saying that they are critical to their mission. Additionally, research by Hobson & Company, a leading research firm focused on ROI studies, found that online communities deflect 10% of support calls and increase revenue and retention by at least 1% each. For a company with $100 million in annual revenue, Khoros Communities’ ROI Calculator shows that this results in a three-year return on investment of over $4 million. Given these market insights, Khoros Communities’ increased traffic means real financial impact for brands in a time of constrained spending and uncertainty. Industries experiencing the highest increase in online community visits include:

• Government — 291% increase
• Financial services and Insurance — 255% increase
• Healthcare — 248% increase
• B2B categories, such as Manufacturing and Software — 80% increase
• Education and Utilities — an initial increase of 61% in March, followed by a steady 25% increase thereafter.

Online communities within the healthcare industry, specifically, continue to see growth as healthcare providers replace non-treatment physical interactions at scale and at pace.

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An organization leveraging its online community in an innovative way during COVID-19 is Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). As Oregon’s only academic health center with nationally distinguished healthcare facilities, OHSU cares for patients, extensively researches discoveries to prevent and cure disease, and educates health professionals for the evolving healthcare environment. One of OHSU’s educational programs for health professionals is the Anesthesia Toolbox, powered by Khoros, which provides high-quality, peer-reviewed online educational resources to support learners and instructors.

When shelter-in-place orders and social distancing were enforced, many anesthesiologists and trainees were severely impacted—professionally and educationally—as hospitals halted elective surgeries and gatherings unrelated to treatment for COVID-19 patients. OHSU worked quickly with Khoros to make its Anesthesia Toolbox available to all U.S. anesthesiology residency training programs for free, which allowed anesthesiology trainees to continue their education and practices remotely. Since expanding its platform, OHSU’s community has expanded to serve the majority of anesthesiology residency training programs in the country with a 32% increase in total users (anesthesiology residents, fellows, academic faculty). In addition, enrolled users at existing institutions have increased daily usage of the community by 30%.

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