It is easy to get all excited when we hear about the latest tech developments. But, often, they end up being nothing more than gimmicks or fun party tricks. Just a few turn out to be real game-changers.
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) fall into the latter category. VR and AR aren’t only used for fun; they have many real-world applications.
Many forward-thinking companies have recognized the potential of these groundbreaking technologies and have started to apply them in customer experience. It allows them to create more delightful interactions with their customers and clients.
Let’s see how businesses can use virtual reality and augmented reality throughout the customer journey.
How AR and VR Improve Customer Experience
AR and VR can help companies, both offline and online. These revolutionary technologies can enhance the way businesses interact with customers. A company can overlay content onto a customer’s view of the world by using AR and VR.
First-Hand Experience
Many consumers still prefer to shop in brick and mortar stores, despite the conveniences online shopping has to offer. This way they can touch, feel, and see products. Personal experiences carry the biggest value, no matter how great photos, reviews, or descriptions can be.
AR and VR can help customers visualize products better, and even services. Some companies have already proven that this is an effective solution. A few backs, IKEA launched their very own AR app to help shoppers test their products in real-time.
Shoppers can get a close-to-life representation of a concept, product, or place thanks to the immersive character of such solutions. VR and AR are the ultimate tools to show customers what they want to see. Customers can better appreciate the real value of products when they can see them and experience them.
Think of these AR and VR experiences as movie trailers or test drives. Let’s say you want to sell a tool that is not so safe when it is handled by inexperienced users.
VR can allow customers to test tools without the risk of getting injured. There are some experiences and situations we shouldn’t try to reproduce in real life. AR and VR allow us to move beyond these limitations.
Training Customer Service Reps to Improve the Customer Experience
Customer experience cannot be complete without human interaction. There are business technologies such as AI and chatbots that mimic human behavior to make the customers feel more comfortable, but many people still prefer to speak to a real human.
The problem is that, we humans are, well, still just human. Unlike AI tools, we have our limitations and we are prone to making mistakes. But, we can use AR and VR to become better and thus offer a better experience to customers.
Companies can use AR and VR tools to improve training, making it faster and more efficient. Let’s say your company sells a wide range of products. Your customer service reps should be able to explain each product in detail to prospects at all times.
But, they won’t be able to do this if they only have a passing familiarity with the product range. AR and VR can give your customer service reps the hands-on experience they need to reach the desired level of expertise.
Practice is vital when it comes to learning, and AR and VR offer customer reps a chance to get as much experience as they need in a more convenient and cost-efficient way.
Identifying & Reporting Malfunctions and Faults
For many people, reporting product malfunctions and faults can be tricky. If a customer does not have a strong understanding of a tool, device, or machine, they may struggle to explain what’s wrong with it.
To make things easier for customers, many companies have started to offer customers AR apps that are designed for reporting malfunctions and faults. For instance, a customer can simply point their smartphone camera to a malfunctioning product and view the components in real-time.
Engagement
VR apps and tools are very interactive, unlike many other solutions. They can make the customer experience much more engaging and entertaining.
The element of gamification can make things so much more fun. This is especially of great importance in media entertainment and gaming entertainment industries.
People have grown tired of the common ideas and concepts we are offered today. Customers want something that is more thrilling, exciting, and innovative. This is why emerging virtual reality online casinos have had great success.
Their primary aim has been to replicate the experience of brick and mortar establishments, but they have accomplished so much more than that. On top of making the players’ experience more realistic, they have managed to grant them new impressions.
Businesses from other industries have recognized this, so we can see this happening across the board. A unique VR experience can give customers a chance to feel extraordinary emotions, which in turn significantly contributes to the customer experience.
Every business that can generate excitement can count on an inflow of new, happy customers. And, since VR and AR are relatively new technologies than not so many people have experience with, they are a great way of offering customers something new and exhilarating.
Takeaway
Customer experience has become a major differentiator, and some would even argue that it is the key differentiator in today’s age.
Forward-thinking companies from almost every industry have recognized the game-changing ability of virtual reality and augmented reality to transform the customer experience. We are yet to see the full potential of AR and VR can deliver throughout the entire customer journey.
