Twilio tapped for Zocdoc’s expansion into telehealth video consultations – TechCrunch

Twilio’s video player will be used as the backbone for the new video consultation service that Zocdoc is launching for its customers today, the two companies said in a statement.

As the COVID-19 epidemic reshapes healthcare in the U.S. more service providers are going remote with the delivery of healthcare consultations and encouraging entire generations of consumers to make the switch to virtual care.

Like other video services (notably Zoom), usage of Twilio’s video services has surged. The company said it has seen an over 850 percent increase in peak concurrent participants on its video product and a more than 500 percent increase in daily video minutes.

Healthcare customers have boosted their bandwidth on the platform by 90 percent, the company said.

“Zocdoc’s new telehealth solution makes it easier for healthcare professionals to utilize video visits in a time where providers and patients need virtual care most,” said Susan Collins, global head of healthcare services at Twilio, in a statement. “Twilio Programmable Video’s software agility and cloud scale enabled Zocdoc to make remote visits available in a matter of weeks. We’re proud to be able to serve our customers and the healthcare providers they serve to help flatten the curve and continue to deliver care to those who need it.”

As part of a pitch to new customers during the pandemic, Twilio is offering three months of free use of its Video product for healthcare, education and nonprofit organizations, so long as they sign up before June 30.