Revolutionizing Field Service: The Impact of Remote Expert Augmented Reality
Revolutionizing Field Service: The Impact of Remote Expert Augmented Reality
When people working in an office have a question about their job duties, they can look this information up online or get an answer from experts via traditional video conferencing tools. Naturally, people working in the field also require professional guidance every so often—but there’s a catch. Due to the unpredictable environments associated with fieldwork, these technicians often find it impossible or impractical to use their phones or laptops for this purpose.
Remote expert augmented reality offers an exciting new solution to this dilemma. With the help of AR devices such as Vuzix smart glasses, technicians can get trustworthy advice without interrupting a repair or looking away from their work.
While the thought of using AR for fieldwork may sound futuristic, these devices are already widely used today. The market size for AR glasses across consumer and enterprise applications was measured at $3.8 billion in 2022, and this market is expected to grow to $35.1 billion by 2026. In this article, we’ll explore the many benefits that come with adopting this cutting-edge technology for field service applications.
Improved Quality of Work
Your company’s service quality will ultimately determine its overall success. The more effective your repairs are, the happier your customers will be—and the more money you’ll bring in over the long term. That said, your business will have a hard time reaching its full potential if your technicians don’t always know what they’re doing.
When field workers utilize remote expert augmented reality, they’ll have no trouble accessing the knowledge they need to get the job done. Because of that, they’ll be capable of delivering high-quality repairs and keeping errors to a minimum.
Faster Repairs
Even if they don’t have AR equipment at their disposal, qualified technicians should eventually be able to solve the problems they encounter in the field. The key word here is “eventually”—i.e., this process will inevitably take valuable time to complete. Fortunately, remote expert AR can help field workers find answers to their questions as quickly as possible.
AR can even help employees save time before they arrive on the job site. When technicians gather visual data from customers before being dispatched, they can determine exactly what they need to do and create a game plan well in advance. As a result, they won’t have to spend time in the field thinking about their next move.
Reduced Costs
Employees in any industry need training to do their jobs effectively, but traditional training methods aren’t exactly cheap. That’s an even bigger issue when your workers have to travel out of the area for training sessions or fly in an expert from across the country.
If your technicians can work with experts no matter where they are physically, they won’t have to travel elsewhere to get this knowledge. Thus, utilizing AR headsets for training should allow you to eliminate (or at least significantly reduce) your training-related travel costs.
The AR advantages listed above can have a positive effect on your company’s bank account, as well. When your workers can provide exceptional repairs faster than ever before, you’ll be able to save a great deal on labor costs.
Improved Safety
The fact is, fieldwork isn’t always free of risks. When they’re out in the field, your employees could face any number of unexpected hazards—including hazards posed by the equipment they’re responsible for fixing.
Remote expert augmented reality can’t eliminate these dangers, but they can help your workers deal with them as safely as possible. Technicians who have remote guidance on their side will get real-time warnings from knowledgeable professionals and tips on resolving issues before they have a chance to escalate.
More Effective Training and Education
Traditional training methods aren’t just costly—they’re also time-consuming and less effective than you might assume. However, that doesn’t mean you should cut corners when it comes to this vital part of the employee onboarding process. Instead, you’ll want to consider adopting AR or VR training for this purpose.
While AR and VR-powered training are undoubtedly convenient, their benefits go deeper than that. Research suggests VR training has a 75 percent retention rate; in comparison, the retention rate for lectures was found to be as low as 5 percent. The immersive, hands-on nature of the training can significantly boost your onboarding and training programs.
When your workers are consistently capable of remembering the training you give them, they’ll be able to complete repairs successfully and stay safe while on the job.
Find Your Ideal AR Solution
Remote expert augmented reality isn’t just a handy tool for your technicians—it’s the future of fieldwork. By adopting this technology, companies can keep their workers safe, arm them with the knowledge they need to provide exceptional service, and save time and money along the way. But to take advantage of these benefits and others, you’ll have to invest in AR equipment.
At MACE Virtual Labs, we specialize in providing custom XR solutions for enterprise clients. With that in mind, we’d be happy to build an AR kit that meets your company’s unique needs. Our all-in-one solutions don’t just come with hardware—we’ll also provide the software you’re looking for and long-term support to keep your AR fleet up and running well into the future.
By ordering a complete AR solution from MACE VL instead of buying hardware and software from multiple vendors, you won’t have to worry about getting everything to work together. Better yet, going this route can help you keep expenses to a minimum. If you’d like to get started, drop us a line today!