Five Elements to Determine ROI of Extended Reality for Mixed Reality Training Applications

The time for mixed reality in business is now. Hesitancy is the final bridge to cross for many business owners looking to integrate mixed reality (which combines both the best of augmented reality and virtual reality) in their workplace. What feels “too advanced” is a dated outlook that underestimates today’s employees. Most people who work in offices or in the field, or do any form of on-the-job training, want to embrace new ways of engaging in their work — to break from the traditional monotony of reading PDF manuals, death by powerpoint, or following step-by-step videos. Employees want to connect with their work in real-time; mixed reality provides that bridge to becoming part of the work rather than observing. Mixed reality (MR) has the power to help shift employees from compliant to committed.

Businesses that are successful embracing MR integrate the technology in a timeline based on criticality, difficulty and frequency. The first project may also incorporate in-person or traditional instruction, along with the powerful digital capabilities of mixed reality training. Doing so provides a “risk free” transition, while also proving tangible metrics of the ROI achievable with MR. In today’s environment, mixed reality saves time, risk and cost when an employee cannot be physically present. Here are five elements to determine ROI: 

Higher Levels of Accountability

The transition of physically interacting with employees, to waiting for a response to a Skype message sent an hour ago, is one of the greater challenges of shifting to work from home. By putting employees in a collaborative, engaging MR work environment reliant on their interaction, increased productivity is a by-product of no longer being disconnected from work colleagues in the midst of real-time business demands. 

Relevant Data – At the Point of Need

Constantly moving and evolving, data is a linchpin to employee success and engagement. Interacting with relevant real-time data through MR helps workers instantaneously support the business and its clients. Providing users with the right data – at the point of need – in the way they need to see it, mixed reality can ensure  your business stays many paces  ahead of the competition.

Increasing Safety 

Workplace health and safety is a daily objective for every business owner. Being able to interact with the real world and virtual assets –  particularly when the physical environment/objects or scenarios are not present – provides employees the confidence to train without trepidation. Ranging from medical device maintenance to scenario planning, mixed reality reduces the limitations of in-person training, or even on-premise training. The hands-free approach is shaping technicians, doctors, and other professions by making training widespread and accessible from any location. Using MR for digital reenactments and procedures is the next generation of training. 

Adapting To All Employees

Mixed reality is an ideal tool for all levels of employee upskilling. Some users prefer a hands-on approach to learning new procedures or improving communication skills. Others need textual support as a backup. Fortunately, mixed reality as a visual training and job aid can integrate not only augmented overlays, but also audio, text, videos, graphics, haptics and real-time collaboration similar to writing on a whiteboard in a meeting room. By integrating multiple methodologies, MR caters to many training styles and needs that far exceeds the limited value of a one-trick system. For example, providing accurate guidance as new procedures are introduced, mixed reality is a highly effective method to understanding complex routines. By adjusting the work element to a user’s preferred learning style, every worker can choose the method they best respond to,  rather than feeling boxed in by old-school methods. 

Joining the Mixed Reality Community

This return on investment is made possible by embracing the MR solutions that are already taking place at companies like Google, Facebook, Tesla, etc. By becoming a part of the next generation of workers, you will find more qualified applicants that are looking to ditch the old ways of working in favor of a technologically dependent paradigm of training and doing. The reason why these companies nab the best recruits across the world is due to the innovation of finding new answers to old questions. 

With AVATAR Partners, you can join the ranks of companies successfully integrating MR into their workforce. Improve employee success by integrating adept procedures in an engaging manner. By becoming part of this community, you will share in the problem-solving that top Alphabet Inc. companies face and learn from their solutions as your business poses its own solutions.  To learn more about AVATAR Partners and the real-time capabilities and ROI of mixed reality, please contact us or visit our website. 

 

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