VR Use Cases: 5 Ways to Use VR Headsets in the Workplace

The Top VR Use Cases in the Workplace

5
VR Use Cases 5 Ways to Use VR Headsets in the Workplace
Virtual RealityInsights

Published: January 15, 2025

Rebekah Carter

Rebekah Carter

Think VR use cases are limited to the consumer landscape? Think again. Virtual reality might be great for gaming and entertainment – but it’s also an incredible resource for businesses and their teams. Worldwide, companies are using virtual reality to turbocharge training and development strategies, improve collaboration, and streamline product development.

As VR headsets become more affordable and accessible, thanks to innovations in product design, and immersive applications grow more diverse, the use cases for the enterprise are growing.

Here, we’ll cover just five of the top VR headset business applications, with real-world examples from companies already discovering the benefits of immersive tech.

VR Use Case #1: Training and Onboarding

Studies show that a positive onboarding experience can improve new hire retention by more than 82%, and boost productivity by 70%. Yet, countless organizations struggle to create and implement strong onboarding programs. That’s particularly true in a world of hybrid and remote work, where new employees won’t always have an opportunity to visit and explore a workplace.

Virtual reality gives human resources teams a great way to deliver fun, engaging, and immersive onboarding experiences. Companies can create digital twins of workplaces using tools like Varjo Teleport, allowing staff to explore an office environment from anywhere. Organizations can even use software to guide new employees through simulations on how to complete certain tasks, or use specific equipment and tools.

The VR use cases for training and development extend beyond initial onboarding tasks too. Companies can use VR for soft skill training, teaching staff how to engage with customers (like Walmart), collaborate, or lead teams. Plus, enterprise VR case studies show VR is excellent for safe and efficient technical training. As an example, Siemens uses VR simulations to train technicians on maintenance tasks – a process it says has helped to reduce training times by 66%.

VR Use Case #2: Enabling Remote Collaboration

Even as some companies strive to push employees back into office environments, hybrid and remote work strategies are continuing to gain momentum. In this new landscape, enabling more effective remote collaboration has become one of the most compelling VR use cases for enterprises.

Virtual reality headsets and applications, such as Horizon Workrooms by Meta, Microsoft’s Immersive Spaces, and custom-built “metaverse” environments, are helping to bridge the gaps between teams. Virtual reality doesn’t just give employees a better sense of “shared presence” than video conferencing tools and traditional apps.

It ensures team members can work together on tasks in virtual environments that would usually require face-to-face interaction. For instance, Accenture’s “Nth floor” metaverse environment gives employees a space to engage in team-building exercises and conduct product demos.

VR helps to strengthen human connections between teams, allowing people to express themselves more effectively through avatars. At the same time, it allows for truly productive meetings and interactions between various workers.

VR Use Case #3: Product Development

Constant innovation is crucial in any industry, but product development can be time-consuming and expensive. Fortunately, virtual reality can make it easier and more cost-effective to develop new products and systems quickly. Some of the world’s biggest brands, from Honda and BMW to Boeing, are using virtual reality to conduct design and engineering reviews.

Using VR for prototyping and design reduces the cost associated with building physical prototypes and minimizes waste on an astronomical scale. For instance, Hyundai uses virtual reality to enable product development teams worldwide to experiment with product designs in a virtual space.

With virtual reality, teams can work together in a 3D space to sketch out ideas, explore the features of prototypes and more, all while reducing material waste and transportation costs. Hyundai says its approach to using VR for product development enables teams to share real-time feedback more effectively, improving time to market for new products.

The company even uses VR to test the safety features and ergonomics of new vehicles – ensuring they meet with strict compliance standards and customer preferences before production begins.

VR Use Case #4: Upgrading Marketing and Sales

You’ve probably already seen countless VR use cases emerging in the retail and ecommerce industry. On a massive scale, virtual reality is empowering companies to connect with buyers like never before. From a marketing perspective, companies are using VR to help consumers experiment with new product collections and explore features before they consider making a purchase.

For instance, fashion brands like Gucci, and Ralph Lauren have worked with VR vendors to create immersive, virtual stores for customers who want to browse their collection remotely. Within these environments, customers can even test out products, or try items on a virtual avatar, to visualize what they’re going to look like in a new format.

From a sales perspective, virtual reality helps customers to make better purchasing decisions, by helping them to understand the features and components of a product as though they were interacting with it in-person. These days, companies are even beginning to implement AI virtual shopping assistants into metaverse environments that can help guide customers toward the right product.

Following a sale, these assistants can share onboarding information, guide customers through the initial stages of using a complex product, and more.

VR Use Case #5: Optimizing Healthcare

Finally, while numerous industries are constantly discovering new VR use cases, the healthcare sector is one of this technology’s most significant early adopters.

For years, companies have been using virtual reality to support the training of surgeons and physicians, allowing them to practice complex procedures in safe, immersive environments. Even the NHS in the UK has its own virtual reality training program. Healthcare innovators are also using VR to deliver better treatment experiences to patients.

For instance, the FDA approved the first prescription-use VR system for chronic pain management (EaseVRx) in 2021. Since then, various other healthcare providers have followed suit, creating applications that help to address neurological conditions, chronic pain, and mental health issues.

In the enterprise, virtual reality can even improve the wellbeing of staff members, reducing burnout and stress. The NHS discovered that allowing clinicians to take short breaks in VR nature settings significantly reduced feelings of anxiety and stress among workers.

Exploring VR Use Cases: Endless Opportunities

VR use cases are evolving in every industry, demonstrating endless opportunities for enterprises to improve productivity, efficiency, collaboration, and business outcomes. Today, virtual reality isn’t just a novelty – it’s a powerful resource for business leaders looking for ways to engage workers, improve customer relationships, and stay one step ahead of the competition.

Immersive CollaborationImmersive ExperienceVR HeadsetsWearables
Featured

Share This Post