According to the AARP, approximately ten thousand Baby Boomers will reach the age of retirement every day until the 2030s. This surging number is creating a significant skills gap in the industrial sector. Service organizations need to find an effective way to transfer the existing knowledge from retiring domain experts to the new workforce, or risk losing it if they cannot adapt. Recruiting and training new technicians is a lengthy and expensive process, adding more pressure to the situation.
Augmented reality (AR) represents a solution that can help service organizations improve knowledge transfer with a more compelling way to document and share valuable expertise. Here are four ways that AR solutions are making service teams smarter.
On-the-job training
The widening skills gap in the industrial sector means that service teams must devote more time and resources to ramping up new technicians. With visual, graphically rich active training experiences, AR provides new technicians with a deeper level of understanding of the material that will help them better retain information. When it comes to servicing industrial equipment, the ability to visualize and interact with its digital twin gives new technicians a better feel for the product and how it works than what they would get from a video or manual.
Remote expert guidance
Inexperienced field technicians often run into unfamiliar or unexpected equipment problems that can cause costly repair and maintenance delays. AR solutions like Vuforia Chalk instantly connect them to remote experts for over-the-shoulder support so they can resolve these types of issues faster. This updated model makes both field technicians and expert resources more efficient, allowing service teams to take on more with less resources.
Global scale
With AR removing the geographic barriers to expert guidance, service organizations can truly scale their operations globally. Remote experts have more time to resolve issues and collaborate with field technicians if they don’t have to travel. The option to work out of an office environment can help to increase job satisfaction and sway veteran workers from retiring early. Service organizations that utilize local field technicians instead of sending an expert on-site can delight customers with newfound speed and flexibility at lower costs.
Recruitment of digital natives
As skilled veterans inevitably reach retirement age, service organizations need to prepare for a new generation of workers. The ‘digital natives’ who will make up the future workforce are accustomed to technology and learning experiences that are immersive and engaging. Industrial organizations with a reputation for using leading edge technology will have an easier time attracting and retaining high quality talent, while providing workers with the knowledge and skills that will drive success for years to come.
Learn more
This blog is part of a series about how AR drives value for service organizations. Check out the previous post here to learn about how AR increases productivity, or download this complementary infographic to learn more.
