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Community programs provide a way to empower individuals to collaborate, share, and learn, while removing bottlenecks that can arise when multiple people are involved in a project or program. ​ ​

Community Challenge: Think of an existing process that creates a bottleneck for your members, employees, or customers. ​ How can you solve it using online community programs?

​In an increasingly networked world, customers and members expect answers to their questions in near-real time. If they can’t find the information then need, now, they may abandon their search, or move to their social networks to voice their frustrations. ​ ​

You can use community programs to reduce the time it takes for someone to get an answer, improve satisfaction rates, and reduce overall support requests. ​

Moving documentation, support, and FAQs to an online community allow people to find the answers the need when they need them. Providing a centralized location for people to find information, ask questions, and get the support of their peers and your organization has been shown to reduce the number of new support requests, and makes customers more willing to contribute and collaborate online.

What other bottlenecks do you face that community can solve for?

Community Case Study:

Read how Genesys used an existing online community that was primarily being used for one-way information sharing, into a dynamic two-way communication channel ​for critical information regarding COVID-19 to the entire workforce in a timely and accessible manner. Download the eBook “Communities Powering Change” for this, and more case studies on the tactical use of online communities.

You can also check out this episode of Lessons from The NEW Community Manager Handbook for another perspective on unclogging bottlenecks.