10 business processes that can be taught with virtual reality
VR is especially useful for teaching processes that are dangerous, expensive, infrequent or hard to reproduce: machinery operation and maintenance, safety and emergencies, work at height and confined spaces, assembly, quality control, customer service, sales, leadership, onboarding and healthcare procedures.
1. Machinery and equipment operation
Train operators to run a machine before putting them in front of the real one: start-up, shutdown, adjustments and how to react to incidents. It avoids damage and stoppages.
2. Maintenance and repair
Sequences for dismantling, diagnosis and assembly, with the equipment broken down in 3D. It is especially useful for large, expensive or restricted-access equipment.
3. Workplace safety and risk prevention
Recognise hazards, use PPE and follow procedures. VR makes it possible to expose the worker to hazardous situations with no real danger. See VR for health and safety.
4. Emergencies and evacuations
Fires, leaks, evacuations and first aid, under the pressure of a realistic scenario. Impossible to practise like this in real life.
5. Work at height and confined spaces
Situations where a mistake is serious and real training is complex. VR creates a controlled sensation of height or confinement.
6. Assembly and production
Learn a product's assembly sequence with visual guides, timings and an assessment of accuracy.
7. Quality control and inspection
Identify defects, interpret measurements and decide whether a part is acceptable, using examples that are infrequent in real life.
8. Customer service and conflict management
Conversations with simulated customers, including the difficult ones. Tone, listening and resolution are practised, with feedback.
9. Sales and product knowledge
Simulation of sales meetings, presentations and negotiation; and product training for salespeople without the need for physical equipment.
10. Onboarding and company culture
A virtual tour of the facilities, an introduction to teams and processes, and guided first tasks for new joiners. See onboarding with immersive technology.
Other processes with a lot of potential
- Healthcare and hygiene procedures.
- Logistics and the warehouse (forklift trucks, picking, safety).
- Driving and vehicle operation.
- Hospitality and catering (service, food hygiene).
- Leadership and communication.
How to know whether a process is a good candidate
| Question | If the answer is "yes"… |
|---|---|
| Is it dangerous or expensive to practise for real? | Good candidate |
| Is it repeated with many people? | Good candidate |
| Are the mistakes costly? | Good candidate |
| Is the situation hard to reproduce? | Good candidate |
| Is it standardised and well documented? | Easier to develop |
| Does it change constantly? | Plan for maintenance |
First steps
- Choose a process with high impact and good documentation.
- Define learning objectives and assessment criteria.
- Run a pilot with a small group.
- Measure the results against the current method.
- Scale to other processes, reusing the environment.
Key ideas
- VR is ideal for processes that are dangerous, expensive, infrequent or hard to reproduce.
- Safety, maintenance and operation are the most established cases.
- It also works for soft skills and sales.
- Choose processes that are well documented and high impact.
- Start with a pilot.
Frequently asked questions
Which process is best to start with?
One with high risk or high cost, clear procedures and many people to train.
Can the environments be reused?
Yes. One environment (for example, a plant) can host several processes.
Does it work for service sectors?
Yes: customer service, sales, hospitality, banking and healthcare.
How long is a session?
Between 5 and 30 minutes, depending on the process.
More guides on this topic
How augmented reality can help employees while they work
How augmented reality supports employees in their role: guided instructions, maintenance, picking, quality control, remote assistance and training at the moment of need.
How to create a virtual reality training simulation
A guide to creating a virtual reality training simulation: learning objectives, instructional design, scenarios, assessment, development, testing and rollout.
How to measure whether immersive training really works
How to assess whether VR or AR training works: a four-level model, metrics for learning, behaviour and the business, control groups and common mistakes when measuring.