XR technology covers everything from Snapchat filters to 360° videos, from exposure therapy training to immersive visits to construction sites.

Its main selling point is that it can create lifelike simulations of reality – something that can make a tangible difference in business settings.

One area where it's making waves is in the world of remote assistance. This is where a member of frontline staff wears a headset – and an expert in another room, city or country can look through their specs and see what they see.

This confers all sorts of benefits on businesses. You can see why by thinking about the alternative.

Let's say a factory, office or construction worker is faced with a problem on-site. They need expert advice on how to fix it – fast.

Traditionally, they would call the expert and explain the problem. Even at its smoothest, the conversation would likely be plagued by crossed wires – especially when the issue is technical.

Imagine you're having trouble with your fuse box and are having to explain what you see to an engineer over the phone. Chances are, you would both find the experience frustrating.

In an industrial setting where safety is paramount, it becomes even more of an issue – not least because this phone conversation is only the start of the process. The expert then has to get to the site, with all the delay, travel costs and carbon emissions this entails.

Then they have to order spare parts. Then you have to book an engineer.

All of this downtime is bad for productivity and can sometimes lead to angsty clients.

What's the solution? You could recruit a team of in-house experts – but then their job is basically to sit around waiting for the thing to break.

A more efficient solution is to use XR headsets in combination with a video call platform.

In this situation, a remote expert can literally look at the problem and make recommendations in real time. It doesn't matter if they're on the other side of the city or lying on a sun lounger in the Seychelles.

Information can be exchanged quickly and effortlessly – be it a picture, video or supporting document.

All in all, it's a far more streamlined process that gets things back up and running sooner rather than later – and it keeps your staff safe because they're no longer trying to fix the problem with a phone in their hand.

But repairs are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many ways in which remote assistance can resolve issues in your company, from customer service to quality control, from training to site visits.

Customer service

Even before the XR revolution, customer service had made great strides.

Gone are the days when you had to take your broken bit of kit into the store to have it looked at. Now, you can quickly send pictures and videos for customer service to examine.

XR takes this one step further. A member of the customer service team can be in the room with the customer without leaving their office. They can diagnose the problem and make helpful suggestions on the spot, increasing customer satisfaction and cutting down on travel.

Quality control

Quality control is a critical part of any manufacturer's process – from blueprint to final product.

XR-enhanced remote assistance means that a company can use quality control as and when it's required. This gives greater flexibility over the process and ensures that no time is wasted.

Training

What's the best way to learn a new skill? It's a huge question with many answers – but again and again, people testify to the power of learning through doing.

Rather than reading a manual or observing and copying a trainer, a staff member with a headset can be coached in real time. The trainer can see through the trainee's headset and give instant advice.

This means that staff can learn on the job without any sacrifice in safety or quality.

Case study one: Soletanche Bachy

Here at SimplyVideo, we've provided a range of firms with XR solutions to help them with remote assistance. One partner was geotech firm Soletanche Bachy.

Soletanche Bachy is an international company – meaning it has to constantly juggle time zones, languages, compliance frameworks and even telecoms systems.

A big part of its job is carrying out regular site inspections to ensure safety. But when the pandemic hit, this became impossible.

So it started using SimplyVideo's remote collaboration platform in tandem with the RealWear HMT-1 head-mounted computer. This is fitted with a microphone, speakers, a camera and a small display to enable remote "see-what-I-see" assistance.

Among other things, Soletanche uses it to provide quality assurance and quality control (QAQC).

As a spokesperson says, "If there is a problem, equipment experts from any of our locations worldwide can join in and see for themselves, enabling them to advise on how to resolve it".

While these measures were brought in because of lockdown measures, they continue to add value – and in the process help Soletanche to hit sustainability targets by cutting carbon emissions.

Case study two: Overbury

Our second case study concerns office fit-out and refurbishment company Overbury.

During COVID-19, it became extremely difficult – if not impossible – for Overbury to get the right person for the job on-site to carry out checks and sign-offs. Nor could it show clients how the projects were progressing.

Like Soletanche Bachy, Overbury deployed SimplyVideo and RealWear headsets. Staff captured live content through these headsets and then shared it with both contractors and customers.

This was in response to the health risks that the pandemic posed – but in the post-pandemic era, the firm has stuck with it as a safe, efficient, low-carbon way of keeping on top of site visits.

Whatever sector you're working in, the remote assistance tools that XR offers can make a huge difference to your productivity, efficiency, sustainability – and above all, your bottom line.

Interested in finding out more about SimplyVideo, our XR-enabled video collaboration platform? Get in touch or sign up for a free 30-day trial today.