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Though we spend ample time examining consumer-based XR endpoints, greater near-term impact is seen in the enterprise. This includes brands that use AR to promote products in greater dimension (B2B2C) and industrial enterprises that streamline their own operations (B2B).
These industrial endpoints include visual support in areas like assembly and maintenance. The idea is that AR’s line-of-sight orientation can guide front-line workers. Compared to the “mental mapping” they must do with 2D instructions, visual support makes them more effective.
And with VR, employee training and onboarding can be elevated through immersive sequences that boost experiential learning and memory recall. It also scales given that far-flung employees can get the same quality training, versus costly travel for senior training staff.
Altogether, there are micro and macro benefits to enterprise XR. The above micro efficiencies add up to worthwhile bottom-line impact when deployed at scale. Macro benefits include lessening job strain and closing the “skills gap,” which can preserve institutional knowledge.
But how is this materializing today and who’s realizing enterprise XR benefits? Our research arm ARtillery Intelligence tackled these questions in a recent report. It joins our report excerpts series, with the latest below on some of enterprise XR’s biggest barriers & challenges.
XR and PR
Picking up where the last part of this series left off, though XR carries ample opportunities and advantages in the enterprise, it’s not without challenges. Practical barriers include organizational inertia, internal politics, and fear of new technology among key stakeholders.
But as we examined in the previous part of this series, the name of the game is XR sales pitches that are targeted to different interest groups and personas in a given enterprise. So how is it done? It’s all about communications, change management, and implementation processes.
For example, a common trap is top-down implementation from execs or corporate innovation centers. They’re often so eager that they fail to solicit the input or buy-in of front-line workers. This results in failure to address true pain points or achieve commitment from end-users.
Bottom-up product planning conversely breeds success by involving the valuable perspective of front-line workers. That not only pinpoints features that will solve real operational issues, but it gives front-line workers a sense of ownership… which leads to more effective adoption.
Another key tactic is communications. As we stated in the previous part of this series, enterprise XR is sometimes more about HR than XR. Here we’ll use a different term: PR. In that sense, internal comms for enterprise XR deployments should resemble a marketing campaign.
And sticking with the theme of solving the pain points of specific groups of XR end-users, speak to them and speak their language. Devise scripts and narratives for “objection handling,” using carefully devised and plain-spoken language. And use that language consistently.
Friend or Foe
When considering the XR deployment tactics examined so far, it’s also important to apply them across the enterprise to varied stakeholders. Earlier we used the example of front-line workers as a point of resistance. But there are other roadblocks beyond that influential constituency.
For example, one dreaded barrier is the IT department. It can be a powerful friend or foe in any internal tech rollout. One way to lessen resistance according to Boeing’s Paul Davies is, if possible, to start with proven hardware that’s a known quantity, such as smartphones and tablets.
There can be less resistance from risk-averse IT folks when trusted hardware is the vessel. Then, evolving at a natural pace toward head-worn hardware can follow. Similar to a point made above, it’s also advisable to involve IT early so they can weigh in and gain a sense of “ownership.”
Lastly, keep in mind the nature of bureaucracies. Rolls Royce’s Andrew Lowe reminds us that bureaucracies are built to favor the status quo and resist change. So anticipate friction and be tenacious. He also espouses a classic forgiveness-rather-than-permission approach.
“You shouldn’t ask if they’ll let you do it,” he told us on stage at AWE USA 2024 during a panel discussion that we moderated (see below). “You should ask ‘Can they stop me’?”
We’ll pause there and pick it up in the next installment with more challenges facing Enterprise XR, and how some adopters are getting over the hump…
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