Research by Gartner suggests nearly three-quarters (70 per cent) of small to midsize businesses will be experimenting with immersive technology by 2022, with 40 per cent currently evaluating and piloting augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology.
When evaluating the research, GetApp, a Gartner brand, concluded that field service businesses are the best placed to adopt immersive technologies. Around 46 per cent of respondents felt the remote field support use case for AR would have the most impact on their organisation. This technology is so impactful in field service because each business provides similar equipment and services.
The original research, which surveyed 93 small and midsize businesses, showed that 18 per cent were planning to start evaluating and piloting AR and VR technology in the next 12 months, and 25 per cent will have deployed them to production by 2022.
GetApp’s conclusion of this research suggested that AR is vital in the field service industry for two reasons. It will provide technicians with on-site guidance and allow remote experts to facilitate collaboration by providing customers with step-by-step instructions, helping to reduce the costs caused by sending field service technicians to sites in order to diagnose and repair.
Victoria Wilson, specialist analyst at GetApp, commented: “From this research, we’ve been able to conclude that businesses operating in the field service industry are at risk of falling behind if they don’t invest in immersive technology in the next few years.
“The cost reductions associated with the use of immersive technology in the field service industry, for everything from improved productivity on remote repairs to increased staff retention resulting from interactive training programs, mean that businesses who implement this tech stand to benefit in the long term,” she added.
