Whether we like it or not, the coronavirus is here to stay for the foreseeable future. However, life must go on and hence many businesses have changed the way they work, indefinitely or even permanently.
The trend towards remote, adaptable and a more distributed workforce was already noticeable; however, the pandemic has accelerated this transition and brought the use of innovative and remote-working technology to the next level. This is even true for frontline workers, who have become a part of the digital transformation for the first time in a meaningful way.
Let us take a look at some of the ways that Augmented Reality is shaping the future of the way frontline workers work and help them operate efficiently with quality and safety.
AR Provides Remote Assistance
Frontline workers can use an Augmented Reality tool on a mobile device to ask for assistance from an expert who is working off-site or even from home. The expert can use a digital model to show the frontline worker what to do in a physical work environment. Even better than video conferencing, displaying information on a flat screen using AR is much more immersive and creates a bridge between the physical and digital worlds.
During the coronavirus pandemic, AR technology can help workers become more efficient when it comes to debugging problems and resolve issues anywhere in the world.
AR Reimagines Training
During the pandemic, many businesses are making flexible staffing a norm, which is why training is becoming more important than ever. Many businesses are looking to AR communication and technology to help shorten training times and hasten the onboarding of new employees. By leveraging AR technology, contextual information and visual aids are used to guide workers through complicated tasks and help them gain experiences using AR as a training method. In fact, the Manufacturing Leadership Council also claims that AR can reduce worker training time by 50%.
AR Offers Improved Productivity
According to the Manufacturing Leadership Council, 48% of companies have already adopted Augmented Reality or planned to deploy it by 2022. During the pandemic, thousands, if not millions of companies have adopted AR technology to sustain their operations, despite social distancing.
Work instructions with the help of AR can guide manufacturers, customers, dealers, and field technicians to complete the assembly, installation, repair, and maintenance work at 100% quality without requiring physical expert support.
In addition, the same report also claims that AR can enhance workers’ productivity for performing physical work operations by 30% to 50%. Plus, it also reduces human errors by 60% to 90%.
AR Enables Continuous Improvement
The purpose of AR for frontline workers isn’t just to deliver remote support and training. It can also help to optimize the performance of the ecosystem of connected workers.
Thanks to AR, businesses can recommend improvement actions to frontline workers via the stream of activity data. AI-connected workers can use granular data to identify the biggest opportunities for their frontline workers in terms of productivity, quality, and training, and deliver them to your team automatically through insights in the system. This allows the system to learn about their worker’s proficiencies and capabilities and close any skill gaps that may exist.
If you haven’t started using AR for your frontline workers, now is the time to start. This technology can be very beneficial and can provide an effective way to reduce and even close skill gaps and help organizations transform their training and mentoring efforts. Visit CDS Visual if you are interested in AR technology for your business.
Back to Blog
