Remote operations
Marc Prempain
15 April 2024
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The business-to-business (B2B) sales process differs in many ways from selling to consumers. Business customers often order large quantities of one product for their employees, from computers, to software licenses, or even vehicles. Business owners may demand custom configurations of products and will require more robust customer support for after-sales service. Finally, B2B marketing works according to a different logic. Business customers are logic-driven in their purchasing decisions, whereas consumers are more emotionally driven. The fierce competition for clients is pushing both B2B and B2C companies to innovate to attract and retain business customers.
One way companies can differentiate themselves is by implementing augmented reality (AR) tools. AR can be used in several different ways in B2B sales. All along the sales process, AR provides opportunities to attract customers, better explain how your product works, and provide more customized service without requiring an in-person visit. The possibilities of augmented reality technology for B2B sales are constantly expanding!
However, AR technology is still in its infancy for consumer uses due to the high-cost barrier to entry. For businesses, specialized equipment is often justified for specific use cases. So how exactly is AR being implemented for commercial uses today?
Microsoft Hololens is one of the more famous commercially-focused AR tools. The Hololens headset can display superimposed images over the user’s field of vision. The integrated camera and sensors connects to a powerful Holographic Processing Unit, allowing the user to be guided remotely in real-time. For technicians, mechanics, and other hand-based professions, this is a game-changer for productivity. Hololens also enables voice commands to allow an employee to use both hands for their work.
RealWear is a competitor to Microsoft’s Hololens. Compared to Hololens, RealWear’s device is cheaper, lighter, and has longer battery life. However, the Hololens is a “mixed reality” device that projects the image onto the glass. In contrast, RealWear uses a small monitor to “augment” reality. Hololens has more advanced capabilities needed in specific environments like clean rooms. RealWear integrates into ViiBE’s platform-agnostic download-free video call software, allowing an expert to join in on a call. Instead of navigating a complicated corporate directory, the technician connects to the expert instantly thanks to expertise call routing.
First of all, during the pre-sales process, AR can help with sales enablement for B2B companies and other business clients. Providing an AR experience can give potential customers a closer look at your product line without requiring an in-visit person to a showroom. AR can also be the new future of advertising that transforms traditional methods of advertising, such as print advertisements into immersive experiences through the integration of digital content. A potential client can browse and experience products without feeling pressure to interact with sales staff. It is a great way to add some creativity in your pre-sale processes and stop only relying on old fashion touch points such as the LinkedIn B2B sales.
At the same time, you can enhance the pre-sales process with co-browsing tools to follow along with a potential customer’s browsing. Beyond co-browsing, you could even give customers the option to connect to a specialist on a ViiBE call. With a simple web link, customers can speak with a product specialist who can answer any of their questions. For business customers, the specialist can give customized pricing quotes or product demos.
Once a customer decides to make a purchase, AR can help with purchasing decisions. Are you ordering office furniture? AR apps like Ikea Studio can help visualize what layout will work best in your office space. The same goes for factory equipment. Say you need to replace some parts of your equipment. Connecting to a ViiBE call, say wearing a RealWear headset, you can guide your customer through this process with a sales representative or a technical expert. In fact, ViiBE’s web app will work on any smartphone. For the sales team, ViiBE’s ticketing solution integrates seamlessly with major CRM systems.
Ideally, a reliable product will require minimal follow-up from customers. But sometimes parts fail or reach the point where they need replacement. AR can help technicians access maintenance records for specific equipment. It can also help train employees by simulating equipment repairs.
Following up with customers using AR has never been easier. ViiBE includes built-in AR features like allowing an expert to indicate key components with a superimposed red dot. Experts can easily mark up screenshots and share photos and documents. Best of all, ViiBE’s knowledge management tool makes it easy to keep track of customer interactions. It can save past interactions, and the ticketing solution stores repeat interactions under a single, easy to retrieve ticket.
The most significant barrier to mainstream adoption of augmented reality software is hardware cost. Microsoft’s Hololens costs several thousand dollars, and Google’s Glass Enterprise Edition is just one dollar below the $1,000 mark. Large companies with specific needs can justify these prices because of the utility of AR for their operations. However, for individual consumers, it is harder to justify. As long as the cost of the hardware remains high, AR will be relegated to specialized industrial cases.
We are slowly seeing progress towards achieving affordable consumer-focused AR products. Apple is gradually implementing LiDAR sensors on its high-end products like the iPad Pro. The eventual expansion of this tech to lower-cost offerings and Apple’s support for augmented reality is promising. Reality kit helps developers optimize 3D models for AR, and ARKit helps apps interpret reality for AR-enabled apps. With the number of developers present in the iOS and Mac App Stores, and the popularity of Apple’s devices, the democratization of AR could be only a few years away.
ViiBE is a solution you can easily implement today to enhance the B2B sales process. While it is compatible with AR devices like RealWear, it also works on any internet-connected device with a camera. ViiBE empowers your sales team to customers where they are, instead of only offering an enhanced experience to customers who have purchased expensive specialized equipment.
AR is a technology that is slowly becoming more commonplace. AR devices are now used in many industrial applications. While consumer-oriented AR has yet to become mainstream, it holds a lot of promise. For B2B sales, AR already has some use cases. ViiBE’s video call solution helps augment the sales process whether your customer has AR equipment or not. Its download-free web app works effortlessly on any device. Perhaps one day, AR will be as easy to use as ViiBE.
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