VR for training and gamification
Virtual reality devices could be the next major computing platform to follow mobile. Just ask Facebook, which recently acquired Oculus VR, a technology company revolutionizing the way we experience video games. Some other major players in the virtual reality realm include Google Glass (through their augmented-reality capabilities in various games and apps), Sony's Project Morpheus, Microsoft's Kinect, CastAR and Canon's MREAL.
Virtual reality is about more than just gaming. The emerging technology is breaking boundaries into immersive and augmented experiences that can easily be applied to business practices. This is not to say that the future of the workplace and business strategies is centered around one technology like the Oculus VR, but rather on the approach to enhancing reality to bring the mundane world to life in new, previously unimagined ways.
Virtual reality can be applied to business practices in many ways. Think virtual tours of a business environment, a 360-degree view of a product, or a more immersive way to train new employees. These types of deeper-than-reality initiatives are the way forward for most businesses looking to drive their initiatives forward with innovation.
Customer service training involves teaching current and new employees the skills and knowledge required to increase, retain and understand customer satisfaction. Training generally includes how-tos on greeting customers, listening, body language, dealing with disgruntled users and appropriate tones of voice. All of these skills are difficult to hone when learning in the hypothetical. Imagine being able to simulate real-world situations with a disgruntled customer and walking through the process of addressing their concerns, resolving the issue and turning the unhappy customer into a satisfied one. Thanks to virtual reality, employers can now create a 3D customer service experience to place employees into replicated situations that will help them more easily prepare.
Gamifying virtual reality is a great technique as it taps into some fundamental principles of the human psyche. Games are competitive and status-oriented, and are responsible for delivering instantaneous feedback, which leaves those involved with reinforcement that drives hunger for more. This lends itself seamlessly to sales teams within corporations that are already used to performance-based environments, particularly those that are driven by competition. Competitions could consist of simulated sales situations; for example: a customer wandering the sales floor, deciding between models or trying to get a random passerby on the street to sign up for a service. These competitions can be designed to grade the salesman on merits such as close-rate efficiency, price point achievements and overall sales style.
HR, product development and in-store experiences
Virtual reality can also be a huge benefit to the human resources departments of organizations as they try to woo potential employees to join their teams. As of late, company culture has become one of the biggest considerations for job seekers, particularly in a workforce made up in large part by millennials, who consider flexible and forward-thinking work arrangements to be key indicators of a fruitful employment opportunity. What better way to show what a day in the life of an employee at your organization is like than simulating it through virtual reality? Now, candidates can experience a full, realistic tour of a company's offices, as well as a run-through of what a typical day of an employee would be like. This can drive more informed decisions by potential candidates when choosing their next employer, which benefits human resource departments who will see a decrease in turnover and increase in retention rates as they will be making stickier hires.
With augmented reality technology, businesses have the opportunity to take 2D ideas into the 3D realm. Virtual reality technology can revolutionize development, allowing businesses to test scenarios and designs, and experience products before they are even made. A great example of this is Ford's use of virtual reality technology to develop its designs, which began in 2000 and have become central to their automotive development using the Oculus Rift headset. Using the headset technology, Ford is looking for the perceived quality of vehicles, as a customer would see them; they want to be able to see their cars and experience them before actually having produced them. Examining the entire exterior and interior of a car design, the virtual reality technology links right into a computer aided (CAD) system. While adoption of this still has a long way to go despite proven success with 111-year-old Ford, this application of the virtual reality technology can be extremely cost- and time-efficient for businesses across all different verticals, but especially those which manufacture tangible products.
Virtual reality can also be a great tool for team-building, particularly as companies continue to globalize and expand their teams into different markets. Keeping international teams collaborative and connected is hard, even with modern video chatting and messaging technologies. With our current processes, it can leave different global offices feeling isolated from their international teammates, leading to a less productive and less cohesive team. Using virtual reality technology, companies can instate realistic conferencing for global teams, as well as other team-building exercises that can help everyone feel engaged. Management teams can set up virtual retreats and social events via virtual reality technology to encourage deeper communication and engagement between colleagues in a way that doesn't require costly and time-consuming international or regional flights, but still accomplishes the relationship-building necessary to nurture a successful team.
Virtual reality can turn the way we shop online upside down, as well. Up until now, our "in-store" experience with Web and app-based stores has been flat. Two-dimensional pictures of what we're purchasing, single-toned pages with blocks of lengthy, descriptive text and little-to-no help when making purchase decisions. By applying virtual reality, we can turn our online shopping experience into an immersive and personal one, similar to what we experience in-store. Imagine virtual sales representatives providing us with valuable information about products we are considering, as well as insights into similar options. Or how about actually being able to experience the product in three dimensions, getting a deeper look into size, weight, and appearance? This can be a game-changer for e-commerce, lowering the barrier to entry for online shopping as users who were previously too nervous to purchase something online without a deeper engagement with the product.
At its core, augmented and virtual reality is all about enhancing user experience, so we shouldn't be surprised as brands begin to wake up and try to conquer the utility of virtual reality to enhance their business practices. Using this digitally enhanced view of the world in which we live and interact on a daily basis, companies will be able to build brand loyalty, employee retention, and impact the bottom line with improved operational and training tactics. It shouldn't be long until virtual reality becomes a tangible one for companies across the board.
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