
Much has been written about the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the pace of digital transformation for companies around the world. Still there is one area where this phenomenon has been especially dramatic: augmented reality (AR). Forward-thinking companies have been leveraging AR technologies for many years. Still the pandemic shifted interest and adoption of AR into overdrive across a wide range of industries and use cases. And as the world slowly looks to move beyond lockdowns and quarantines, AR technologies will only become more embedded and important to many companies’ future success.
One of the key ways AR has helped organizations manage their challenges over the past two years is by bringing remote expert videoconferencing capabilities to frontline workers. While executives, managers, and knowledge workers may lament the back-to-back video meetings resulting from the worldwide shift toward hybrid work, many employees in the field have long wished for the ability to connect with a colleague who could help them solve a complex issue on the fly. Remote expert videoconferencing lets frontline workers use a mobile phone or AR headset to connect to a colleague and show the colleague what they see. By putting a second set of eyes, often with more experience, on the problem, it’s often possible to solve issues immediately versus requiring an expensive and time-consuming second truck roll.