Multinational IT consultancy firm Accenture has shattered records after it ordered 60,000 Quest 2 virtual reality (VR) headsets for training and onboarding procedures.
The record-breaking sale will secure VR training opportunities for the company’s vast remote workforce and provide an engaging on-boarding process for up to 125,000 new hires.
After the news broke yesterday about @Accenture distributing ‘tens of thousands’ of #VR headsets to our new joiners, many asked like the exact number and which kind of headsets we were using, some facts and answers to your questions below:
— Nick Rosa (@NicolaRosa) October 14, 2021
In a discussion with Fortune, Julie Sweet, Chief Executive of Accenture, explained using VR would help the firm improve communication between remote employees as well as improve their work-from-home experiences, adding,
“It’s a great way to learn about Accenture in a more engaging fashion, but [also to] have an experience with people [that] you don’t get to be in a room with, going through your new joiner training”
Additionally, a tweet by Nick Rosa, Global Head of Immersive Learning and Extended Reality Practice Lead Europe at Accenture, suggests the programme was “just phase one” of Accenture’s vast VR roadmap.
Extended Reality Solutions from Accenture
Outside of its own VR rollout, Accenture offers enterprises a selection of end-to-end XR solutions for immersive learning, augmented reality (AR), virtual merchandising, and eCommerce opportunities.
The Dublin-based IT firm is using XR technology to reduce management costs and improve customer experiences for clients.
Accenture recently partnered with Kellogg’s and Qualcomm to develop an VR solution for brands that uses eye tracking to provide accurate and unique market research.
Working with IHG, InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, and Qualcomm, the Irish firm is set to launch an XR event planning tool that could potentially increase enterprise revenues up to 8 percent.
Throughout 2021, Accenture has embraced XR technologies by holding various social events on its in-house VR collaboration platform, starting from late 2020 with a VR Christmas party.
The news comes after Bank of America (BoA) broke new ground to become the first global financial services company to adopt VR to train over 50,000 workers across 4,300 financial centres.
