How to get Buy-in for Virtual Reality Training

The first step in getting executive buy-in for VR training is to identify what problem you are trying to solve and what its resolution would mean for the company. Consider the common reasons that companies adopt VR training from the list provided and determine which best fits the gaps or opportunities at your company. Once you’ve identified the primary problem to focus on, gather some basic info on what that problem is costing the company and the potential impact. Here are some ideas for the information to gather on each focus area.

Key Information to Gather to Identify Potential Impact of Virtual Reality Training:

Reason to adopt VR training:

To reduce costs

Information to gather to prove impact:

• What is the cost incurred for employee travel to training locations?
• What is the cost of shutting down production equipment for training?
• What is the cost of job shadowing/mentoring?

_________________________________________

Reason to adopt VR training:

To fill a skilled labor gap

Information to gather to prove impact:

• What is the missed revenue opportunity from not having enough skilled labor?
• What is the cost of recruitment to find existing skilled labor?
• What is the onboarding time for training new employees using traditional training methods?

_________________________________________

Reason to adopt VR training:

To improve safety

Information to gather to prove impact:

• How many workplace injuries have happened over the past few years?
• What is the cost of these injuries in disability benefits and work missed?
• What are the penalties from OSHA incurred from safety violations?

_________________________________________

Reason to adopt VR training:

To engage a younger workforce

Information to gather to prove impact:

• What is the cost to recruit and retain employees?
• What is the cost of job shadowing/mentoring?
• What is the onboarding time for training new employees using traditional training methods?

_________________________________________

Reason to adopt VR training:

To enhance soft skills

Information to gather to prove impact:

• What is the cost incurred to handle employee complaints and lawsuits?
• Is there a culture or retention problem with the workforce?
• How effective and engaging do employees feel current training methods are to teach soft skills?

_________________________________________

Reason to adopt VR training:

To improve employee wellness

Information to gather to prove impact:

• What is the cost incurred for employee sick time or  mental health days? Consider both lost productivity as well as insurance/benefits costs.
• Are employees feeling stress at the workplace? And if so, is this impacting productivity or retention?
• Is improving employee wellness a strategic objective for the company to improve culture/retention?
• Once you’ve gathered the information to illustrate the impact this problem is having on your company, you can start to make a case for how VR training can help solve it.

This is an excerpt from our whitepaper: ‘How to Bring Virtual Reality Into Your Employee Training Program’

Read the entire whitepaper here, or click the image below to download the PDF!