Virtual Reality Revolution: 5 Innovative Uses for VR in E-Learning

1. On-the-Job Tours

Give new hires a head start by developing virtual reality on-the-job tours. New hires have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the facilities and work tools before they head out onto the sales floor. They won’t be as nervous when it’s time to clock in, given that they’re already acclimated to their surroundings. You can even include clips of co-workers and customer personas to give them the full online training experience. For remote employees, a workplace tour might involve several meetings with clients at their locations. Of course, these won’t resemble the facilities they visit while on the job, but it will give them the opportunity to gain more experience dealing with different locales. For instance, they may have to adjust their usual product demo due to limited space.

2. First-Person POV Online Training Simulations

Some of the most popular video games let players experience the first-person point of view (POV). It enhances the immersion because they get to see everything from the character’s perspective. Virtual reality takes this even further by eliminating external distractions, which makes it the ideal delivery method for your online training simulations. Employees perform tasks, apply their skills, and identify knowledge gaps in a virtual environment. This enables them to learn from their mistakes without having to face any real-world consequences.

3. Interactive Product Demos

Give employees the chance to use the product, see how it functions, and experience the many practical benefits it provides. Your sales staff needs to be able to convey all this information to the consumer. An interactive product demo that you can easily create with your e-learning authoring tool enables them to explore every feature and function on their own, even if the product is still in the development phase or they want to practice pitching it to virtual customers.

4. Customer Persona Scenarios

Dealing with customers is one of the most challenging aspects of sales and customer service jobs. It’s primarily because they’re the unknown variable. Employees know the product’s selling points and how to carry out the return process. But when you add consumers to the mix, anything can happen, especially if they are unhappy about a product or service they received in the past. Use VR customer persona scenarios to impart experience so your employees are prepared for every eventuality. For example, the branching scenario begins with a brief introduction to the situation. Then corporate learners must click on virtual buttons to make their decision and venture down the next path. The goal is to achieve the best outcome by applying their skills and experience.

5. Real-World Examples in a Real-World Setting

You probably already use text-based examples in your e-learning course design to tie the information to practical uses. But you can transform them into interactive online training tools with the help of VR technology. Instead of describing the surroundings or the situation, replicate it in a virtual environment. Then allow corporate learners to explore the story firsthand and create an emotional connection.

Even though it’s still in its infancy, there are a variety of ways to utilize this immersive technology in your online training course today. The trick is to wade into the VR waters and conduct test cases to see how well it’s received. Also, bear in mind that VR isn’t the answer to everything. There may be some subject matters better suited to other technologies, such as good old-fashioned anecdotes or narrated online presentations.

Is your organization ready for the VR revolution? If not, it may be time to invest in a new e-learning authoring tool that allows you to achieve learning use cases, such as be-in-the-shoes-of, virtual tours, crisis management, safety drills, and more.