5 Keys Communication
5 Keys Communication (Cut to the Chase Communication, LLC) is a Colorado-based software and content company that sells subscription-based, clinic-branded auditory rehabilitation programs to audiologists and hearing care practices for delivery to their patients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersLittleton, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What 5 Keys Communication does
5 Keys Communication (legally Cut to the Chase Communication, LLC) is a Colorado-based, founder-led software-plus-content business founded in 2013 by Dr. Dusty Jessen, AuD. The company sells subscription-based auditory rehabilitation (AR) products to audiologists and hearing care practices, addressing the structural problem that clinicians lack time to deliver comprehensive AR counseling. Its core products are the Online Communication Training Program (53 weekly branded emails delivered to enrolled patients, fully customizable with clinic logo, headshot, and contact information, plus monthly engagement reporting), the 5 Keys Mobile App (iOS and Android delivery of the same 53-lesson curriculum with a practice dashboard), and the 5 Keys to Communication Success Handbook (over 100,000 copies in print, available in custom-branded, non-custom, and Spanish editions). Revenue is generated primarily through annual subscriptions ($999/year for the Online Program or the All Access bundle; $599/year for the standalone Mobile App; $249/year Mobile App add-on; $200 one-time customization fee), supplemented by one-time unit-priced sales of custom and non-custom printed handbooks and supplemental handouts (rack cards, speaker/listener tips, postcards). Distribution is direct-to-practice via the company's website, supported by self-service JotForm ordering and event-based sales at audiology conferences; patient enrollment is also embedded through native integrations with four practice management platforms (CounselEAR, Blueprint Solutions, HearForm, Suno). The company operates with approximately 11 employees and no disclosed external institutional funding.
5 Keys Communication firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 5 Keys Communication
- Legal name
- Cut to the Chase Communication, LLC
- Website
- https://5keys.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- 5 Keys Communication (Cut to the Chase Communication, LLC) is a Colorado-based software and content company that sells subscription-based, clinic-branded auditory rehabilitation programs to audiologists and hearing care practices for delivery to their patients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
5 Keys Communication industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Auditory Rehabilitation Software
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (621340)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Assistive Hearing & Communication Access (Captioning, Hearing Support, Transcription) (EDAFAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- AT for Reading, Writing & Learning (Literacy/Executive Function) Tools & Training (EDAKAIAC), Virtual Special Education & Related Services (IEP Delivery Online) (EDAJADAG)
Keywords
Where 5 Keys Communication is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Littleton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
5 Keys Communication business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Online Training Program Subscription: Annual or monthly subscription for the branded email-based AR program. One fee covers unlimited patient enrollments. Includes $200 one-time customization fee.
- Mobile App Subscription: Standalone annual subscription for branded mobile app, or discounted rate when bundled with Online Training Program.
- 5 Keys All Access Bundle: Comprehensive annual subscription bundling Online Program, Mobile App, and printed books/handouts at discounted rate compared to individual purchases.
- Handbook Sales: Physical and digital handbooks sold in various quantities. Custom branded versions available with artwork fees. Volume discounts apply.
- Supplemental Handouts: Rack cards, speaker tips, listener tips, and postcards sold in packs with optional customization.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Online Training Program: $999/year or $99/month + $200 setup |
| Subscription | Annual | Mobile App standalone: $599/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Mobile App with Online Program: $249/year add-on |
| Subscription | Annual | 5 Keys All Access: $999/year + $200 setup |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Handbooks: $9.95-$6.95/unit + $150 artwork |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Non-Custom Handbooks: $9.95-$6.95/unit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Handouts: $110-$200 depending on quantity + $50 artwork |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Non-Custom Handouts: $70-$160 depending on quantity |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Rack Cards: $20/pack of 50 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Postcards: $20/pack of 50 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
5 Keys Communication product offering
Product offeringCore offering
5 Keys Communication sells a branded auditory rehabilitation (AR) curriculum to audiologists and hearing care practices. The core offering is a year-long, 53-lesson educational program delivered via weekly branded emails to enrolled patients, covering communication strategies, hearing aid care, and assistive listening devices. The company also sells a companion mobile app, printed handbooks, and supplemental handouts, packaged individually or as the 5 Keys All Access bundle.
Product overview
5 Keys Communication offers a suite of auditory rehabilitation (AR) products designed for hearing care providers. The portfolio is centered around the 5 Keys to Communication Success program, which educates patients on communication strategies, hearing aid use, and assistive technology. The core offerings include the Online Communication Training Program (53 weekly branded emails), the 5 Keys Mobile App (delivering the same curriculum via smartphone with a clinic dashboard), and the 5 Keys to Communication Success Handbook (available in custom branded, non-custom, and Spanish editions with over 100,000 copies in print). These products are offered individually, or bundled together under the 5 Keys All Access subscription. Supplemental printed handouts and the LACE AI Pro auditory training add-on round out the portfolio. The program is designed to be branded to each provider's practice, with monthly engagement reporting, and integrates with practice management platforms CounselEAR, Blueprint Solutions, HearForm, and Suno for streamlined patient enrollment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Online Communication Training Program A fully-branded, year-long auditory rehabilitation program that delivers 53 weekly educational emails to patients of subscribing hearing care practices. The emails cover communication strategies, hearing aid care, assistive listening devices, consumer organizations, and auditory training programs, and are customized with each provider's logo, headshot, contact info, and social links. Includes monthly patient engagement reporting with open, click, and unsubscribe rates.
- 5 Keys Mobile App A branded mobile application for iOS and Android that delivers the 53 eLessons via smartphone, with hearing aid troubleshooting guides, communication games, patient notification reminders, and a practice dashboard for tracking patient progress.
- 5 Keys to Communication Success Handbook A patient education handbook featuring the program's mascot Henry the Healthy Hearing Hound, teaching the 5 Keys to Communication Success through bright visuals. Available in custom-branded, non-custom, and Spanish editions, with content on realistic hearing aid expectations, communication strategies, and family involvement.
- 5 Keys All Access A bundled annual subscription that combines the Online Communication Training Program, the Mobile App, and a starter pack of 10 books plus 50 each of 5 supplemental handouts, with custom branding for both digital products and unlimited patient enrollments.
- LACE AI Pro An auditory training companion program offered through a partnership with LACE, providing computerized auditory training exercises for patients. All Access customers receive savings plus a donation to Hearing the Call.
- 5 Keys Supplemental Handouts A collection of supplemental printed patient education materials including Auditory Rehabilitation Rack Cards, Out & About Speaker Tips, Out & About Listener Tips, and Online Training Program Postcards, available in custom-branded or non-customized versions at volume-based pricing tiers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Compliance rates 2-3x better than other AR programs
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use 5 Keys Communication
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
5 Keys Communication technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature4 records
5 Keys Communication partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- CounselEARcorePractice management system integration enabling streamlined patient enrollment into the 5 Keys Online Training Program directly from the clinic's existing software.
- Blueprint SolutionscorePractice management system integration for patient enrollment into the 5 Keys Online Training Program.
- HearFormcorePractice management system integration for patient enrollment into the 5 Keys Online Training Program.
- SunocorePractice management system integration for patient enrollment into the 5 Keys Online Training Program.
- LACE AI ProminorCross-promotional partnership offering 5 Keys All Access customers $1000 in savings ($500 off first 2 months subscription plus $500 donation to Hearing the Call). LACE promotes 5 Keys to their customers.
- Hearing the Call (Entheos Audiology Cooperative)minorA portion of all 5 Keys sales profits is donated to Hearing the Call, supporting international hearing humanitarian trips and local hearing projects. Part of Entheos Audiology Cooperative's give-back initiative.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
5 Keys Communication competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA): HLAA is a consumer advocacy organization providing hearing loss education and resources referenced inside the 5 Keys curriculum. It is not a competitor but is adjacent in delivering hearing-loss education to end users.
- CounselEAR: CounselEAR is a practice management software provider integrated with 5 Keys for patient enrollment. While not a direct AR competitor, it is a channel partner that touches the same audiologist workflow.
Broad incumbents
- Starkey: Starkey is a US hearing aid manufacturer that develops patient education and telehealth support for its network of audiologists, providing an alternative channel for clinic-branded AR.
- Signia (WS Audiology): Signia offers hearing aids plus companion apps and counseling tools for hearing care professionals. Its portfolio of patient engagement tools partially overlaps with 5 Keys' offerings.
- Phonak: Phonak (Sonova) is a major hearing aid manufacturer producing eLearning, training, and rehabilitation content for audiologists. Its broad portfolio overlaps with 5 Keys' clinic-facing AR positioning.
- ReSound (GN Hearing): ReSound offers patient-facing apps (e.g., ReSound Smart 3D) and AR-style training materials to hearing care practices. It competes for the same patient-education real estate that 5 Keys occupies.
- Oticon: Oticon is a leading hearing aid manufacturer that develops patient education and rehabilitation content. It competes indirectly with 5 Keys by offering manufacturer-branded AR resources to the same audiology customer base.
Emerging players
- Lexie Hearing: Lexie Hearing is an OTC hearing aid provider with a direct-to-consumer subscription model. Its emphasis on self-serve hearing care signals the market shift that 5 Keys helps its clinic customers defend against.
- Audicus: Audicus is an online hearing aid retailer with consumer-facing education and counseling content. It represents the OTC/e-commerce segment that 5 Keys positions its clinics against.
Direct peers
- LACE AI Pro (Neuromonics): LACE is a computerized auditory training program explicitly cross-promoted with 5 Keys. It targets the same audiologist channel and overlapping patient population, making it the closest direct comparable in AR-focused digital content.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
5 Keys Communication social profiles
Digital presence5 Keys Communication compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
5 Keys Communication financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
5 Keys Communication leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
5 Keys Communication funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
5 Keys Communication M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 5 Keys Communication
What does 5 Keys Communication do?
5 Keys Communication sells a branded auditory rehabilitation (AR) curriculum to audiologists and hearing care practices. The core offering is a year-long, 53-lesson educational program delivered via weekly branded emails to enrolled patients, covering communication strategies, hearing aid care, and assistive listening devices. The company also sells a companion mobile app, printed handbooks, and supplemental handouts, packaged individually or as the 5 Keys All Access bundle.
Is 5 Keys Communication a public or private company?
5 Keys Communication is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 5 Keys Communication founded?
5 Keys Communication was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is 5 Keys Communication based?
5 Keys Communication is headquartered in Littleton, United States, in the North America region.
How does 5 Keys Communication make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Online Training Program Subscription is the primary driver. The others are mobile App Subscription, 5 Keys All Access Bundle, handbook Sales and supplemental Handouts.
Who are 5 Keys Communication's main competitors?
Others on record are Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) and CounselEAR. Broad incumbents are Starkey, Signia (WS Audiology), Phonak, ReSound (GN Hearing) and Oticon. Emerging players are Lexie Hearing and Audicus. LACE AI Pro (Neuromonics) is listed as a direct peer.
Does 5 Keys Communication have an API?
No public API is recorded for 5 Keys Communication.
What industry is 5 Keys Communication in?
5 Keys Communication's product category is Auditory Rehabilitation Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAKAC, Assistive Hearing & Communication Access (Captioning, Hearing Support, Transcription), with a secondary code of EDAKAIAC, AT for Reading, Writing & Learning (Literacy/Executive Function) Tools & Training. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.