Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), together with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning, are the up-and-coming technologies that will alter how people live their lives and how organizations function. From a simple brick-and-mortar building to a virtual workplace, businesses have come a long way. Today, companies are using various software solutions to streamline their business processes and make them cost-effective. They continuously upgrade their technology stack to respond quickly to evolving business trends and customers’ high demand. AI, VR, and AR are the next-generation technology that has a significant impact on businesses, and organizations are using them in various ways to optimize their efficiency. It has helped them to target their customers without aggressive marketing campaigns and boost their overall sales. There are many other ways AI, VR, and AR are changing the workplace, and it would be interesting to see their contribution to accelerating growth.
Applications of VR, AI And AR In The Workplace
Onboarding Employees: The HR department always attempts to put the best talent in place and retain them for a longer haul. However, in some cases, employees leave the organization within a couple of weeks or months after joining. It is because they don’t find themselves fit in the work culture or they have envisaged their profession from a different perspective. VR can help to overcome the onboarding issues and increase the employee retention rate. VR can be used to brief employees about the type of work they would involve, which gives them more clarity on their roles before they join the organization. They can explore the company’s locations, various business activities, or even a meeting in a conference room that they may not experience otherwise. It facilitates a smooth onboarding process and reduces the attrition rate. Along with AR and VR, the HR department can use recruitment software with AI capabilities that automatically filter the most suitable candidates and fine-tune the hiring process. There are enormous AI applications in the recruitment process, like using virtual HR bots to assist candidates with the hiring process, on-demand text interviewing, automated interview scheduling, etc.
Training Employees: Training employees takes an enormous amount of time and costs, and if the training sessions are not comprehensive enough, it could further add costs to the company. VR and AR technology can make this task more interactive and efficient. As per one of the surveys, employees feel more confident after VR training and exhibit 40% improvement compared to classroom training. It helps employees to grasp more information in a much shorter period of time. It can help them to give a virtual tour of business premises or manufacturing units and show them how the entire business functions and their role in the business. Without proper training, some workplaces can expose employees to physical injury; VR and AR can significantly reduce these risks by training employees in the virtual environment.
Facilitate Remote Work: Holographic images fused in AR and VR environments have allowed organizations to virtually transport employees to meeting rooms from different locations. As the trend of remote work is becoming more prominent, AR and VR can further enhance this experience. Workers can use this technology to showcase the product to clients sitting offshore and explain every segment with visuals. Imagine replacing webcams and headphones with VR goggles for a video conference. Many renowned companies have already taken steps for this new trend. Recently, Facebook announced to adopt remote work permanently, and their plans to use VR and AR technology in achieving this. They released a VR remote work app, which allows users to hold meetings as avatar versions through Oculus 2 headset.
Increased Productivity: Just like AR and VR, artificial intelligence is making a huge impact in transforming businesses. They are used in offices to automate the business process workflow and streamline the entire process. It helps to eliminate human errors and reduces the workloads over the administrators. Most modern-day task management software solutions are interlaced with AI technology that enables them to track and prioritize the tasks for the employees. It enhances workers’ productivity and makes them more accountable for their work. The advanced software monitors workflows and makes intelligent suggestions to fine-tune the business processes further.
Data Analytics: In the digital era, data is everything, and if employees can interpret this data, they can significantly improve their daily activities. AI gives employees better insights on various activities and helps to track their performance around marketing campaigns, customer relationships, project costs, etc. It helps to reduce the risks associated with the wrong decision and improves the business’s bottom line.
Enhance Customer Support: Many organizations are using AI-based chatbots to enhance customer service. These chatbots assist deeper human-computer interaction and reduce the load from the helpdesks. The AI-based chatbots are intelligent and respond well to the customer’s queries. Tech-geeks are putting more effort into designing chatbots that exhibit “human-like” behavior. AR can play a significant role in developing a chatbot that looks, talks, and reacts like a human. By merging AR with AI-based chatbots, organizations can lift the customer experience; they can utilize facial recognition and speech pattern analysis to adjust the conversation and engage them accordingly.
Conclusion
AR, VR, and AI are technologies adopted highly today to augment the digital workplace. These technologies provide enormous possibilities for employees to work with greater efficiency, accuracy, and productivity. It is mainly influencing the key areas of the workplace, such as workflow, training, and employee engagement; some organizations are already leveraging these benefits by incorporating the best AI, VR, and AR software in their business enterprises. These technologies are quite promising in the modern work environment, and business organizations can expect more from them as it advances to their higher versions.
