Modern technologies like cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning and mixed reality are impacting every industry and every company in South Africa and across the globe. Companies need to innovate to stay ahead of emerging trends, take advantage of new opportunities, and meet growing customer needs.
Yet, businesses across the Middle East and Africa are just beginning to scratch the surface of what is possible with one of the lesser adopted technologies of the list: mixed reality.
In a recent IDC report, the company forecast that the mixed reality market will increase from $11.4 billion in 2017 to a massive $215 billion in 2021, which translates to a growth rate of more than 100 percent. According to the IDC, the Middle East and Africa accounted for about eight percent of global shipments in the second quarter of 2017, a figure which is projected to grow into double digits over the next five years.
Mixed reality has the potential to help businesses reimagine their processes, offering solutions that enable new experiences for how they can engage their customers while making their people more productive.
In simple terms, mixed reality is the merging of real and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualisations where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time.
Mixed reality for information workers…
Information workers are employees who use information to assist in making decisions or taking actions, or who create information that informs decisions or actions.
Mixed reality enables collaboration and remote work, allowing these workers to interact more naturally with the digital world through interfaces that help them connect seamlessly with others.
For example, although they may be spread across South Africa or even located remotely in other countries across the globe, these workers can meet in real-time or asynchronously, bring in 2D and 3D content for easy collaboration, and even change the people or the location of a meeting in a matter of seconds.
Imagine a virtual, holographic, remote meeting that allows employees’ virtual avatars to view and interact with the same 3D models in real-time, with audio, video and annotative functionality, mimicking the same experience as a physical meeting.
This unlocks the potential for information workers to be more productive, which in turn means quicker decision making and actions that benefit the business.
…and firstline workers
Often when we think about how technology can be used in the workplace, we think only of the information workers. However, it’s estimated that firstline workers account for 80 percent of the workforce – totalling over two billion worldwide.
Firstline workers are the lifeblood of manufacturing, retail, healthcare, government and many other sectors. They are the first in line to engage with customers, represent a brand and see products and services in action. Without them, the ambitions of many businesses would not be realised.
Microsoft recently introduced Dynamics 365 Remote Assist and Dynamics 365 Layout, to empower firstline workers to do their best work and ensure they are connected with the rest of the company so they receive the same information, share best practices and can thrive in the digital age. These employees need information in context to apply their knowledge and craft. Not only on a 2D screen, but information and data in context, at the right place, at the right time, so they can produce even greater impact for their organisations.
For example, a field service worker who performs semi-skilled and manual labour associated with the construction, maintenance and repair of public works, often needs to call for expert help. With mixed reality, it’s possible to bring the expert to them virtually. The expert can see what the field service worker is seeing and annotate into their space to help them solve the problem and verify that it’s been done correctly.
Additionally, construction workers can make use of the technology to overlay virtual wiring and pipes over their real-world positions, ensuring greater accuracy and avoiding costly mistakes.
And already we are seeing how global businesses are making use of this technology for their firstline workers.
For example, Chevron is achieving impressive results with its global HoloLens deployment. Previously, an inspector had to fly from Houston to Singapore once a month to inspect equipment. Now, the organisation has real-time inspection using Dynamics 365 Remote Assist and can identify issues or provide approvals immediately. In addition, remote collaboration and assistance have helped Chevron operate more safely, and serve as a connection point between firstline workers and remote support.
Optimising productivity and the employee experience
It’s essential for all employees in various sectors to be trained on new products, processes and equipment so that they remain relevant within the business, and so the business remains relevant and efficient. However, this training can be expensive and time-consuming.
Using mixed reality, it’s possible to deliver immersive training to each employee – tailored to their position, and available for them to do in their own time. Nowhere is the more apparent than at Mercedes-Benz, who rely heavily on Microsoft HoloLens to conduct faster, more engaging training sessions, they say. Their training centre is now equipped with more than 100 HoloLens units.
This goes a long way towards productivity and employee experience.
Also essential for generating a productive and happy workforce is effective space planning. Mixed reality enables businesses to view their office designs with digital objects. They can see them at scale, walk through them and iterate before they have to make costly decisions.
Helping drive the modern workplace
Mixed reality experiences will help businesses and their employees complete crucial tasks faster, safer, more efficiently, and create new ways to connect to customers and partners. Coupled with technology solutions like HoloLens and Dynamics 365, as well as AI and machine learning, it enables truly transformative experiences for the modern workplace.
By Kethan Parbhoo, Chief Operations and Marketing Officer, Microsoft SA
