Virtual reality (VR) emerged as one of the technology winners of 2020 because the dramatic shift to work-from-home forced companies to look beyond the “Zoom Experience” for remote workers.

 

As a result, VR is getting more consideration than ever as a distance learning and training platform.   The VR industry, which has received mostly gamer focused attention over the last decade, had to mature quickly to be considered as a serious enterprise training solution.

 

If Formula 1 racing drives most of the innovation in the automotive industry, gaming is the catalyst for the VR industry.  Thanks to a major push by Facebook (Oculus) and other headset manufacturers to reach gamers with high performance hardware, the performance to price ratio has never been more attractive for corporate leaders to leverage low cost hardware to drive compelling VR training and learning experiences.

 

The same engaging technology that makes a video game come to life, makes VR training a totally immersive experience that connects at a deeper emotional level than traditional video.  Studies show that VR makes it easier to learn more quickly, retain more knowledge and gain a deeper comprehension of the matter at hand. A recent PWC study found that employees in VR courses can be trained on soft skills up to four times faster than traditional classroom and remote learning tools.  In addition, employees proved to have greater focus and confidence in applying what they’re taught.

 

Because of the headwinds that the pandemic lockdowns provided, VR has become a predominant trend of 2021 across entire organizations. With mostly remote-work environments, a wide array of departments — from HR and safety and facility management to customer service and sales — can significantly benefit from VR training.  Additionally, VR has shown that it intensifies the comprehension of both novice trainees and experienced workers.  What makes VR powerful in the more intense training scenarios is its ability to simulate dangerous workplace scenarios without any risk to the worker or the trainer.

 

 

When VR technology came onto the corporate scene in the late 90’s, it was complicated an expensive. Almost all VR projects involved brand marketing, where the budgets could subsidize the high technology, engineering and support costs.   However, today the cost of admission is dramatically lower. The cost of VR headsets have dropped drastically over the last three years and managing them within the enterprise has also matured.  The ability to manage a “fleet” of VR devices in a large enterprise is now as easy as managing computers or tablets.

 

From a content perspective, custom training modules produced using 360 degree video is the most cost-effective.  While it differs greatly from traditional video production, the basic principles of it and computer-based training applies.  The big difference is that VR training leverages 360 degrees of viewing freedom.   Whether it is soft skill training, onboarding new employees or more dangerous training scenarios, VR provides a captivating yet cost-effective way to deliver impactful training scenarios.

There is no doubt that the future of training and learning is unfolding in the virtual world.  VR’s rising popularity is driving more and more training professionals to seek out qualified partners to create solutions for their organizations.  BigLook360 has over three decades of experience creating training solutions for Fortune 1000 companies and government entities.  Reach out to a representative by clicking the link below to schedule a free consultation.