How To Train Employees Effectively With Virtual Reality

Technology and methods are constantly changing in today's fast-paced environment. Organizations must keep pace with changing technologies and methodologies to stay competitive in today's market. The company must be up-to-date with new technologies and methods. However, it is equally important that the workforce is well-trained and equipped.

Most upcoming companies have made workforce training their top priority. It has proved to be a problem for many reasons, including safety concerns and complicated training scenarios. These difficulties have been exacerbated by the pandemic. However, VR training has been a relief.

In 2021, the global virtual reality market was worth $21.83 billion. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 15% between 2022 and 2030. This is a clear indicator that VR training can revolutionize the corporate world. It's especially important when we learn to adapt to constantly changing work environments. With the advent of the pandemic, the need for skills-based training has grown even more important.

According to the research, the market for virtual training and simulation is valued at $204.41 million in 2019 and is expected to grow to $601.85 billion by 2027. growing with a CAGR of 13.7% between 2020 and 2027.

What is Virtual Reality Training?

Training in virtual reality is the use of simulated experiences that are very similar or identical to real-world situations. Virtual refers to an imaginary situation, while reality refers to a real-world scenario. It can be described as creating a real-life scenario without actually training people.

Employee training used to be a blended learning approach. This included videos, manuals, classroom sessions, mentorship, on-the-job training, and video tutorials. This method proved to be costly as it required additional time from employees, which affected productivity, travel time, as well as infrastructure costs for the trainer and training materials. This could not be extended to a larger audience. However, training larger groups with such training is not as effective.

VR training allows for a 360-degree interactive learning environment that includes sound and sight. This breaks down the barrier between virtual and real reality. The gadgets allow the learner to respond and react to the created situations. Traditional training, which was expensive and dangerous, can now be done in a safer environment that is more efficient and faster.

Combining the practical training with the narrative and curriculum created by subject matter experts creates a positive experience that increases retention and reduces the learning curve. This improves team collaboration, job performance, workplace safety, and costs.

VR Training Benefits an Organization Can Use

The use of VR in business is changing the rules of training. Its benefits are enormous, not just in training but also in business overall. This combination of corporate training and experience learning has a significant impact on companies and helps them to rise in this highly competitive business world.

Below are some benefits companies are using to save money, engage employees, and improve operational efficiency.

Improved Customer Service

Customer satisfaction can be defined as a broad concept that encompasses many perspectives. A well-prepared employee can approach customers with empathy, emotion, and professionalism. Virtual Reality training is a great way to practice your skills with customers.

Customer service is not complete without communication skills. Agents will be better equipped to deal with all types of customers, from those who are frustrated to those who are curious.

VR Training Benefits allows customers to develop critical thinking skills while also assessing the whole picture. Customer service representatives in financial institutions face challenging customers. In less than six months, VR training can increase customer satisfaction scores by approximately 10%.

Reduced Onboarding Time

Every company wants its new hires to be productive as soon as possible. This is possible with VR training. The virtual training environment simulates real-world scenarios, which makes it easy for new employees to learn the skill quickly.

United Rentals is one such example. Employees could easily walk-through construction sites by using a virtual reality platform. This saved them time and reduced travel time. The training time was cut by 40%, but the training effect was not affected.

Higher Operational Efficiency

Businesses must constantly adapt to new technologies to maintain their competitive edge. These rollouts will only succeed if they are done at scale and with the same consistency and effectiveness. Virtual reality training can be used to train employees in different geographies.

Training employees in VR is possible even before equipment is installed. The virtual environment can be created and employees trained to use it. This will reduce training time and instill confidence in the product, which will lead to higher customer satisfaction scores.

Lower Employee Turnover

Training with VR can give prospective employees a realistic view of their job. This will aid in the hiring of the best candidates, which will also increase the retention rate. VR training for employees can get a 360-degree view of the workplace, culture, and environment so they are ready to join the team.

Training can be provided for both new employees and existing employees. They can learn about the new products, refreshers, and other training to help them see the learning path and how to grow within the company. This will increase employee engagement and happiness, which in turn will reduce turnover.

Reduced Incident Cost

Preparing employees with safer workplace rules is the best way to create a safe work environment. Traditional rules books are not kept with employees, and information is lost over time. Research has shown that VR training can increase information retention. Experiential learning's interactive scenarios prepare workers for any situation, whether it is good or bad.

Use Cases and Applications of VR in Training

The acceptance of VR training in the business world is high and the market growth speaks for itself. It can be overwhelming to embrace new technology. However, it is worth learning about its features and benefits before you make a decision. Below are some benefits of VR training and their impact. Here are some examples of VR training that are highly effective if you still have doubts.

Crisis Management

Virtual reality training, as we've been discussing, is the creation of realistic scenarios that are close to what you would see in a job role. Virtual reality training allows you to create scenarios that are not possible in a traditional setting. This allows you to adapt the possible crises to your liking. It also encourages the learners to examine the situation carefully and improve their problem-solving skills.

Virtual scenarios can be used to simulate real-life situations that require employees to handle critical situations. By practicing in virtual theatres, surgeons can improve their skills in critical procedures.

Employers can get measurable data about individual employees and track their growth over time. Employees can get immediate feedback which helps improve their performance and focus on better results.

Decision Making

The creation of specially-designed scenarios allow employees to analyze their decision-making abilities and helps them improve their skills.

Virtual reality allows you to create dynamic scenarios that are relevant to your employee's job. This allows trainees to experience an immersive learning environment that helps them navigate through any situation that may arise.

Hands-on Experience

For those who need hands-on experience to do their job well, they should be trained on the job. These come with many challenges, however, as we mentioned previously. VR training is the solution.

VR allows employees to learn difficult tasks in a controlled environment. VR training can be used by the construction industry to teach employees how to operate heavy machinery.

Advanced VR headsets allow users to fully immerse themselves in the scene, rather than just watching and learning. Learning becomes engaging, fun, and memorable when this happens.

Remote Training

You and your employees might be forced to work remotely in the wake of a pandemic. Remote working environments can also be a reason organization might adopt them. This could be because of the existence of offices/staff members at different locations. Although this may be a sign that there is growth, it can make training employees in remote locations difficult and time-consuming. It is also expensive to bring the entire team to one place or have the trainer visit the location. However, it is ineffective.

VR training is a boon for such challenges. It ensures consistency in the remote training process.

How VR Can Help Reduce the Stress of High-Risk Training

Specialized workers are those who can perform hard tasks in industries such as construction, manufacturing, and cargo handling. There are constant physical dangers. On-the-job training can prove costly and dangerous.

Virtual reality is now being used by organizations to train in these scenarios. It is safer, more efficient, and cheaper than traditional training methods. It also offers virtual training in medical fields by involving actual patients. It allows organizations to train their staff online, allowing them to do so at their own time and location. Distributors and manufacturers can maintain their critical supply chains online, without having to spend time training their employees.

These industries can benefit from virtual reality training solutions shortly. Healthcare Education, the commercial sector, and aerospace and defense industries.

Companies are using virtual reality software and hardware to train their employees efficiently.

The industry is already in short supply due to the increase in healthcare needs. Insufficient training can quickly lead to deficiencies in critical skills. According to a University of Michigan study, one-third of surgeons can't operate on their own.

VR-enabled experiences can help reduce this gap by providing realistic simulations of operation theatres to aid practitioners in learning the real-time stress levels and making the right decisions.

The cargo handling industry is another industry that is taking advantage of it. Airports are now spread over acres of land, some even larger than six soccer fields. Virtual reality can be used to teach cargo handlers how to load and unload shipments, coordinate with others, and operate the forklift in a simulated environment.

Other industries can also benefit from virtual reality solutions. They can offer the best training and increase their operational efficiency, thus increasing their growth potential.

PerfectionGeeks Can Help You Integrate Virtual Reality in Your Corporate Training

An organization must strive for a diverse workforce, effective processes, and a shorter but still highly effective training period.

PerfectionGeeks is a partner that can help you improve your corporate training program. Our VR app development services can help you achieve greater employee retention and growth.

Our innovative and experienced team developed a VR-based app for Avatus that helped them achieve outstanding business results.

Let's work together to build a VR-enabled learning platform for your company. Get in touch.

Conclusion

Companies must adopt new technologies to remain competitive. VR for business is a revolutionary technology that allows employers to adapt to changing working conditions and quickly respond.

VR training is a great way to offer immersive training. It will keep your employees motivated, highly trained, and productive at a time when they are most needed.