Like many disruptive technologies in the enterprise, VR training is rewriting the rules on how to calculate the impact of corporate training’s fusion with experiential learning. Using quantitative and qualitative data from Strivr’s many scaled deployments and intelligence from millions of VR training sessions, we now know the VR training benefits that are allowing many companies to be so successful.
Here’s a look at the 8 VR training benefits that companies are seeing in terms of cost savings, operational efficiency, and employee engagement.
01
Accelerate speed to proficiency
To rollout innovation that will provide a competitive edge, it needs to be done at scale consistently and efficiently. VR training is an effective replacement for instructor-led and on-the-job training because it significantly reduces time spent training without sacrificing effectiveness or engagement.
Walmart wanted to introduce an in-store pickup option via new technology called a pick-up tower, but needed to maintain a strong customer experience. They could not afford a lack of consistency or long wait times for pick-up.
VR training benefits associates by affording them the opportunity to train before the equipment is even installed, making virtual use of the best teachers. This removes interruptions to the regular business flow, and trims the time needed for training from eight hours to 15 minutes.
%
Walmart shortened training time for associates on a new technology by 96%.
02
Improve customer service
There are so many factors that go into customer satisfaction, one of which is well-prepared customer-facing employees. VR training benefits customer service agents by affording them on-demand practice learning both the procedures to be effective and productive, as well as the empathy and communication skills to handle all types of customers, from the frustrated to the inquisitive.
Call center agents at a major financial institution face difficult and emotional financial conversations regularly, and navigating them properly and with empathy is key to maintaining strong customer satisfaction scores. One main VR training benefit is that it allows people to practice critical thinking and gain a holistic picture of customer needs. For call center agents, this helps them better develop empathy and communication skills.
The financial institution also gained higher visibility into employee performance and the ability to identify gaps in training and skill, leading to a 10% increase in customer satisfaction in less than six months.
%
Major financial institution boosted customer satisfaction by 10% in less than 6 months.
03
Reduce onboarding time
After a new employee is hired, that person needs to contribute as quickly as possible. VR training benefits new employees by providing realistic training in a virtual world that replicates the real world so new hires gain the necessary knowledge and skills faster.
As a result of the pandemic, Sprouts found itself needing to hire thousands of new employees quickly, even as protocols were changing to keep everyone as protected and healthy as possible. Faster, safer onboarding was critical to meeting customer needs during a challenging time.
With VR, Sprouts reduced new hire values training from four hours to 45 minutes – an 81% decrease. Most importantly, Sprouts can continue to hire and onboard as needed because they no longer rely on an approach that requires days-long group instruction or travel.
81
%Sprouts reduced new hire values training from 4 hours to 45 minutes
04
Improve workplace safety
For employees to thrive, they need to feel confident and prepared, even in the most high-stress, rare situations. VR training enables mental repetitions in a safe environment that feels like real life, making it an ideal approach for such critical moments.
Verizon wanted to provide realistic training to teach employees how to react to armed robbery situations. By teaching employees how to manage emotions, the company emphasized what was most important: the safety of their employees and customers.
VR training benefits Verizon associates by affording them the experience of going through the critical steps of de-escalating a high-risk moment and making the right decisions under intense pressure. With VR training, 97% of Verizon associates felt prepared for these real world, dangerous situations.
%
of Verizon store employees felt prepared for dangerous situations.
05
Decrease turnover
VR training can provide a realistic job preview to candidates and new hires, reducing the likelihood of turnover and increasing retention rates. In the headset, they are exposed to the sights, sounds, and atmosphere of their future workplace. There are no surprises when they step onto the job on day one; they show up mentally and physically prepared.
For a global shipping company, loading dock workers turned over at an exceptionally high rate, oftentimes because they did not fully comprehend the nature of the work they would be doing. In some cases, new hires would even quit the same day they started.
VR training benefits every new employee across the company. Employees are getting the same realistic preview of the job experience. This improved consistency and the right expectations are set at scale. Not only are new employees extremely excited and intrigued by the training, but the company has doubled the retention rates of loading dock workers since implementing VR training.
2
xGlobal shipping company provided a realistic job preview, resulting in 2x retention of package handlers
06
Decrease incident costs
One powerful remedy to create a safer workplace is better workforce preparation, and that does not come with reading a manual. VR training benefits companies by allowing their employees to practice critical job skills in a realistic environment. The experiential learning medium helps develop situational and spatial awareness that leads to safer workplace behaviors, fewer incidents, and reduced costs for Strivr customers.
A multinational food processor trained employees to work safely and efficiently on the line and practice safe behaviors in the virtual plant environment. VR training is a unique medium of experiential learning; it has transcended language and cultural barriers, while touching both managers and new hires for refresher training and onboarding, respectively.
After just a 15 minute immersive training experience, 89% of employees felt more prepared to handle safety hazards.
89
%of employees at multinational food processor felt more prepared to handle safety hazards
07
Improve brand & scale culture
As onboarding moves to be more remote, it becomes more challenging to communicate brand values and engage employees in company culture meaningfully. VR training benefits Learning & Development organizations by offering real world experience with company values. For both new employees and as a refresher for tenured employees, VR can help create and improve brand consistency around customer experience.
VR training helps Sprouts to scale their unique culture in a standardized way, all while reinforcing the importance of customer service. When employees were tested on their conceptual understanding of the core values, 48% of the learners who did VR learned all six values perfectly, compared to only 3% who trained using traditional methods – a 16x improvement. VR learners even outperformed senior managers who had trained under the old paradigm.
X
Sprouts increased retention of all six company values by 16 times.
08
Eliminate business interruptions
Whether it’s pulling an employee off the sales floor or paying for an aircraft to be taken out of commission, training can be a significant disruption to normal operations. VR training benefits companies by giving on-demand access to high value material anywhere, anytime, and providing effective training in the flow of business.
At a major U.S. airline, Immersive Learning allows ground technicians to get valuable practice on A320 inspection, building the capability to identify key mistakes on a “dirty” plane and ingrain the correct order of process. The training offers real world, hands-on practice on planes that normally would cost $10,000 at a time to rent, reducing the need to rent planes and take them out of commission for training purposes.
10000
Major U.S. airline avoids commissioning real aircrafts, a daily cost of $10K
The data is in… VR training benefits companies
Never before has the promise of VR-based training in the enterprise been more clear than it is today. We can now measure and prove the impact of this groundbreaking approach, setting the stage for unprecedented growth in adoption. Download the ebook, Measuring the impact of Strivr’s Immersive Learning platform, to read more stories.
