Workforce stuck at home? Virtual Reality can help.
As more and more teams transition indefinitely to working from home in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, finding technology-based alternatives to traditional, in-person collaboration will be essential to maintaining your remote team’s continued productivity.
While video and web conferencing tools provide a foundation for your remote work strategy, they often fall short of creating the sense of “embodied social presence” we see during high impact, in-person brainstorms or classroom training. Virtual Reality (VR) can help close this gap and recover some of this lost social connection by placing employees around the globe inside a shared 3D environment with avatar bodies and direct voice passthrough.
The applications range from virtual meetings to conferences, training, immersive brand experiences, or even sales demos.
For example, in a recent partnership with a global pharmaceutical client, we deployed a virtual reality coaching simulator to a remote team of over 100 sales managers. VR headsets were pre-loaded with role-play scenarios and mailed to participant’s homes, with a return label they could use to ship the device back after completing the content. As participants worked through the modules, we captured real-time data, providing immediate insight into learners’ performance, completion rates, and knowledge gaps. The results were promising: 95% agreed VR scenarios challenged their thinking and led to new learning. As one participant summarized, “VR minimizes subjectivity of live role-playing. I highly recommend we continue using this platform!”
While Virtual Reality may be uncharted territory for your organization, programs like these can be stood up quickly and effectively with an experienced partner. Here are a few tips for a successful roll-out:
Best Practices:
Train-your-Trainers. While Virtual Reality is generally very user-friendly, employee adoption rates will vary depending on individual comfort levels with new technology. Make sure you are well equipped to provide phone-based tech support for participants who hit snags or need extra onboarding.
Get your gear organized. Whether you decide to purchase or rent equipment, you are entering the world of fleet management. Assign a project manager to organize serial numbers, dates, and shipping. For larger-scale deployments, work with a partner to make sure the logistics don’t exhaust you.
Take advantage of social apps. Virtual Reality social platforms can be used for more than just chatting with friends or attending live concerts. There are useful and secure third-party apps for virtual meetings like AltspaceVR. With the right resources to get you started, you’re a simple download away from starting your first virtual meeting.
Establish a rigorous hygiene regimen. In a previous blog post, we shared best practices for events specifically, but the hygiene rules still apply. This Forbes article shares the base measures you should take when using and sharing virtual reality equipment.
This was just one example of how a virtual solution can add value and maintain productivity within your organization as we sit in high alert of the current pandemic. For more information about how your organization can leverage virtual reality, let’s connect.
Written by Joshua Setzer
CEO and Co-Founder, Lucid Dream VR
