New technologies can provide you with a chance to rethink your business and improve it in ways you might not have imagined. Take augmented reality/virtual reality. A number of companies have begun using new technology as a tool for training employees. The MIT Technology Review recently reported that Walmart used VR to help workers prepare for Black Friday – simulations simply can’t convey what it’s like to be in the midst of that shopping crush – as well as teach more mundane lessons in customer service or how to stack produce.

Even surgeons and firefighters are acquiring new skills through the integration of VR devices. In the past, companies would build highly realistic sets at their campuses to teach train employees on how to tackle a particular situation. But, of course, covering every possible situation was never an achievable goal.

Virtual reality/augmented reality have helped with that problem. With AR/VR, we are now able to simulate many novel scenarios, making our training more robust. AR/VR also helps those new to the workforce pick up concepts more quickly, as it leverages a learning platform built upon technology they’re already using in social and entertainment settings In mixed reality (sometimes called hybrid reality), virtual content is not only overlaid on the real environment (as in AR) but is anchored to and interacts with that environment.

Put simply, in mixed reality you can see virtual objects just like you can in augmented reality, but these objects can also interact with the real world. In a sense, the mixed reality is a more immersive and interactive type of augmented reality.

Mixed reality takes human civilization one step closer to the future described in science fiction. MR technology enables immersive communication experiences that help people collaborate more efficiently. Employees can put on headsets and start collaborating without being blocked off from the real world. Just like VR and AR, mixed reality comes in handy in education. Unlike VR, MR allows students to see both the real world and holograms. This provides immersive learning experiences and helps people better understand what they’re studying. Mixed reality can be used for many purposes, from school education to medical training.

The development and implementation of an AR/VR system can lead companies of any size to look at their procedures with fresh eyes. And its use can have unexpected effects that extend well beyond the training of new employees.

Here are three surprising impacts that may inform your efforts to optimize your business processes when integrating AR/VR technology.

1. AR/VR can encourage companies to review the basics.

Transferring your business practices to an AR/VR platform can help you discover gaps in your curriculum that you might not have otherwise found. This can give you the opportunity to improve your training, adding value to the employee experience and strengthening customer service.

2. It can reveal opportunities for improvement.

In many companies, employee training is often shaped by a small group of in-house experts. But, the point of AR/VR should be to offer a more robust training experience, and for that, you may need to do some process mapping. In our case, we had to bring in field experts to provide a full range of new scenarios to build into the curriculum. You may find that you need to incorporate outside expertise, diverse perspectives and the latest industry developments in your training. In turn, this enhanced understanding can boost your company’s core competencies and add to your marketplace value.

3. It can also present new challenges.

AR/VR can deliver efficiencies and improve the training process, but you may find that you lose something when you shift to a virtual environment. For example, when new adjusters from around the country used to come to our home office, they had the opportunity to absorb our corporate values and culture. Now, with training occurring virtually in our field offices, that assimilation process doesn’t occur in the same way. You may need to be on the lookout for similar side effects and create, as we did, alternate ways to pass on your company’s irreplaceable human-to-human lessons.

The financial and operational benefits of emerging technologies usually get shouted from the rooftops. But, we don’t always hear about the secondary benefits that emerge when they enter specific businesses. New technology like AR/VR may provide you with unexpected opportunities to improve your business processes and make them more efficient. More disruptive technologies will only continue to arrive. Better to make the most of them.

At Day One Tech, we work with AR/VR and mixed reality in our projects to turn any client’s VR into his actual reality. With a vast array of experience from making mobile apps to web software, supplementing the use of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence, we can make solutions to your needs a reality. Contact us for a quote.