From paper to computer, from computer to internet, from internet to the cloud. The way we work is changing rapidly and the next potential revolution is just around the corner: virtual reality. And this revolution will come faster than you think, because according to investment bank Goldman Sachs, the virtual and augmented reality market will be worth no less than 2025 billion dollars by 80. Just for comparison, that's about the same value as the current desktop computer market. To give you as a manager some practical examples of how to use this potential new revolution, we briefly explain how virtual reality can literally and figuratively turn your company upside down.

Meetings

From hearing to seeing. By using videoconferencing via Skype or Google Hangouts, you no longer had to wait in traffic for a meeting outside your home. With the arrival of virtual reality, a proverbial new door is opened, because meetings are now also possible in a virtual world. Imagine that it is raining heavily outside, not really conducive to the atmosphere of the meeting. Why not have a meeting in Central Park in New York, with the sun in the background? Virtual reality makes all this possible. In addition to the location, the way of communicating is another advantage over videoconferencing. VR glasses, such as the Oculus Rift, can also use sensors to measure body language and other non-verbal communication that you would normally miss during videoconferencing. Other future benefits of virtual reality include live subtitling, which removes language barriers and makes a conversation with someone from China a lot easier, or actually 'touching' each other in the virtual world, so that you can shake hands after concluding a conversation. deal.

Training

Our Company Manus VR develops gloves for training applications, among other things. They work together with the American aerospace agency NASA. NASA has been using it for years
of virtual reality in training. This means that astronauts already have the necessary 'experience' before they go into space to carry out complex assignments. But not only NASA, but also the medical world is now following suit with the use of virtual reality. For example, VR glasses are used as a treatment method for anxiety disorders. But your employee does not have to be an astronaut or doctor to receive training via virtual reality. Take customer service as an example, every company has one or more service employees. In this department, virtual reality can be used excellently in training, where various customer contact scenarios are practiced in order to keep the service level high.

Recruitment

It's not very often that you hire someone without ever meeting them. Virtual reality can provide a solution here in various ways. To give an impression of your company, you can, for example, give a virtual tour. This way, the applicant immediately discovers whether the corporate culture suits him or her and you prevent a possible mismatch. A good example of this is this video from the employment agency YoungCapital. If we look a little further into the future, the application can now also take place in a virtual world. This way you can meet each other virtually and a tour can immediately take place in your virtual business premises.

Research

With virtual reality, consumer research is also at the beginning of a new phase. In June last year, the Dutch company Consumatics launched the OSQAR app, the first research panel where people have to answer questions at home using VR glasses. These questions are about the layout of different spaces, such as a shop, hotel room, office, waiting room, you name it. For example, research is conducted into an experience, so that capital decisions are taken with more consideration.

Sell the internal setup to an external party

Suppose your customer is really unsure between product A or B, wouldn't it be easy if this customer could actually test the products in the virtual world? This is already happening in various sectors, such as in real estate where potential buyers can walk around their future home. In addition to testing prototypes and showing an 'experience', virtual reality can also stimulate sales in another way. Consider a new way of review marketing, where the potential customer undergoes a virtual review of your current customers.

Currently, VR glasses are still on the pricey side at around €500. But just like the first webcams, VR glasses will become cheaper, lighter and more user-friendly. Do you think virtual reality is just a hype? Or have you become curious about the possibilities with virtual reality? Then watch the video below from Samsung about virtual reality and the business market.