How you can use virtual reality in business

We’ve all seen those videos of a new VR headset being tried out for the first time on Christmas morning – and the ensuing chaos – but have you considered ways in which you can use virtual reality in your business?

 

Virtual reality introduces the idea that experiences aren’t confined to the physical world. The technology allows us to travel to anywhere in a matter of seconds or play out scenarios without any real-life ramifications – all aspects that can be very useful when it comes to business.

 

There are many ways that virtual reality can be used in business. Here we focus on key approaches that you could incorporate it into your organisation and the potential benefits.

 

Marketing

Businesses of any size can utilise virtual reality in their marketing strategies – from the small scale to the large.

 

One such industry that currently uses VR effectively is the property industry. It is often the case that property developers will use VR to show potential buyers what a finished new build home will look like even before the first brick has even been laid.

 

Consider ways in which VR could help your business showcase a yet unfinished product or one that is difficult to transport to events, exhibitions or customer showcases. For example, virtual reality can be used to make your exhibition space seem larger in order to showcase a new product model.

 

Virtual reality is the ideal tool to give potential customers a walkthrough of your product or destination in a matter of minutes. 

 

Customer experiences

VR can also be used to enhance the customer experience of product demonstrations or create an immersive experience of locations or activities at events and online.

 

If your business exhibits at events, or even hosts events, consider how you could use VR to enrich this experience for your customers.

 

VR can be used to make a great first impression, whether it’s a product demonstration or a perk of choosing your business over a competitor’s. Enriching your customer relationship by utilising virtual reality in fun and useful ways will make you stand out from the crowd.

 

Employee engagement

When it comes to internal communications, you should always be on the lookout for new ways to engage or communicate with your employees. This is exactly what VR can offer.

 

With an increase in remote workers, the use of VR can be used to make those employees feel a part of the wider team without having to travel. By providing headsets to remote employees they can join in team meetings or check in on office life – virtually.

 

Staff training

Staff training can be a lengthy and costly process. By using VR to introduce new employees to the company training programme or simulate real life business scenarios, you will limit the time and resources needed for training staff and also stand to make the process much more engaging.

 

Virtual reality makes training sessions much easier for businesses. It can be used in a multitude of sectors, for example a new recruit on a building site could be trained in health and safety with real life examples prior to setting foot in any potentially dangerous real-life situations.

 

Employee rewards

While VR can be useful for training or everyday business purposes, let’s not forget its main draw – it’s fun! Access to VR devices can provide you with a great reward for employees. 

 

If hosting a company-wide event, set up a breakout area where employees can escape reality with a virtual reality experience – such as a zombie apocalypse escape or a high-flying rollercoaster.

 

Data and business management

Out with marketing or employee engagement, there are VR tools currently being developed that could help in the way you run your business.

 

VR can help you when it comes to visualising outcomes of business decisions, risk free. Creating scenarios your business could face and playing these out in a virtual world can help to make you a more effective manager.

 

It is possible to view your business statistics and results in 3D making them easier to manipulate and interact with, through VR technology.

 

It’s clear there are several ways in which businesses can be utilising the new technology being developed in the world of VR. Whether internally with your team or offering new and exciting digital experiences to your customers or stakeholders, VR can change the way you engage, communicate and do business whilst also providing you with a competitive advantage within your industry.