There is a shift in the way we interact, consume, make purchases, and conduct businesses; convenience is an almost obvious expectation among today’s consumers. And for consumers to be convenient, employees must find convenience in their work. This article looks into the need for a frictionless workplace experience and the role Augmented Reality can play here. Read on.
Part I – Reducing Friction, the Basics First
Let’s understand the background of this subject, of the ways to reduce friction.
The Need
The way of work and nature of workplaces are changing, and soon wouldn’t be what it is today. Flexible communication and ease of contact is the order of the day, with tremendous scope for efficiency (the examples are many and obvious – Glassdoor, Spotify, Amazon Prime, etc). It’s not only the environment and the infrastructure that counts but the tools that can lead to a simplified, empowered, and productive work experience. Without this, the role of your workforce could be painful and complicated, making the retention of staff challenging.
Bring That Tech In
A study suggests that 59% of employees with outdated workplace technology have negative relationships with their employer.
Technology is the most potent resource in the modern-day business environment, as employees can spend quality time completing tasks more effortlessly, quicker, and efficiently. Frictionless technology could be cloud-based, secure, and efficient, with all real-time features.
Be Inclusive
We live in a cultural melting pot. And this where companies must come up with creative ideas to innovate and create safe work environments that help the workforce to join together for a single purpose. Here’s our observation on this entire subject.
Encourage Autonomy
In a recent survey of working Americans, 64% of respondents said they weren’t sure who was responsible for what at their workplaces.
As we all know, the chain of command can sometimes get complicated, owing to the many touchpoints and longer approval processes. This can in effect stifle ideas and support.
Hence, it is crucial to evaluate all the areas that necessitate approval and empower your workforce in taking ownership of their roles. The role of each and every person must be clearly and explicitly defined. A frictionless workplace achieves this and more. And it can be created by simply asking your people. Yes, brainstorming is key here.
Part II – How Can AR Help?
Here’s an overview of how Augmented Reality can help achieve the above-mentioned objectives:
The Need for Changed Format
Field teams are constantly challenged to conduct repairs, operations, maintenance, and even product presentation using 2D information – which isn’t interactive, organized, simplified, and automated. This creates a heavy burden on them to transform information from 2D to 3D while performing a task.
Currently, many companies are making use of paper or PDF through electronic means, by just making it digital. This somehow doesn’t solve the problem as the data used is still 2D in another format.
Visual Collaboration
There is a significant knowledge gap among technicians today, owing to the communication barrier that denies them access to the right information at the right time. And even when they are presented with some information, they find it too complex to understand.
The issue may well be small, but the solutions are hard to come by. This is where a quick video call can do the trick. Augmented Reality can help you to reach any experts for a given issue and solve it in minutes.
And is it handier than a Zoom or Meet? Find it here
3D Work Instructions
Users can receive step-by-step instructions on anything they find complex. With ServeVis visual assistance platform, you can render this with the help of photo/video, annotations, sticky notes, FAQS, user manuals, etc.
Automated Workflow
Companies are required to maintain a lot of data and information. It may be related to customer transaction records, product details, etc. While these details are always available with them, it isn’t there in a meaningful format. This makes it extremely difficult to not only retrieve data but to use it productively, posing an additional burden on employees.
Augmented Reality remote support doesn’t merely provide workers with the essential remote support but takes it further by automating the entire workflow – which means your access to details such as transaction history, warranty details, worker performances, issues resolved, track-record of issues, etc., is within the click of a button; everything is systematically recorded in the system.
Conclusion
The recent Pandemic has shown the world that there’s a better way to function, and the formal way of functioning is neither consistently possibly nor is efficient. So, here’s to a future that is productive, cost-efficient, and simplified.