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Emerging Tech Proof of Concept

Applying Virtual Reality for Empathy Training

By: ADAM SCHOUELA | April 9, 2020

Fidelity is using VR to train associates on client interactions. The technology provides an immersive environment, taking our associates to places they would not typically be able to go, such as inside a customer’s personal space. The hope is that interaction via VR will help our associates can get a better understanding of their customers and result in even better customer service.

The Challenge

With any emerging technology, there are questions initially. Will people like it? Will they find it useful and effective? Will there be an appetite for greater adoption? To create the best possible experience for our customers, our mission was to put trainees in a customer’s home or office while they deal with authentic customer interaction scenarios.

The Value

How to create an impactful VR training experience is a challenging problem to solve, one the Fidelity team is dedicated to mastering as it looks toward the next phase of growth. Given the current COVID-19 restrictions, we are gaining more insight into how VR can be utilized to enhance the training of associates.

What we Learned

Fidelity has acquired a wealth of knowledge regarding the VR production process by vetting use cases through development to deployment. Perhaps the most significant takeaway is that while the work is difficult, it is worth it. Guiding the team as it develops its modules are design principles that are emerging in conjunction with the technology itself: namely, that a VR experience should appeal to a wide audience.

Team & Tech

VR software specialists, user experience designers, researchers, computer animators and customer-facing Fidelity associates were all engaged in various aspects of the project. We also tested a range of third-party VR software products to research and compare effective approaches.

Next Steps

VR triggers an emotional response that is authentic. Across the VR training spectrum, the term “productive failure” is gaining popularity as organizations and trainees recognize the value of learning from mistakes in a scenario in which failure could have serious consequences. New-hire trainees need to be prepared to have difficult – and at times, highly emotional – discussions with customers who are facing challenging circumstances and looking to Fidelity for help.

The Deep Dive

Fidelity is now well into its VR development and is using VR to train associates on client interactions. The trainees that have experienced VR training have been very positive in their assessment of the experience, offering feedback such as:

"I felt like it was really good to see the client on the other side of the call in the virtual reality. I think it was really helpful and opened my mind up about how to handle calls."

"I like the VR training. It gives us a better feeling for what the customer sees or thinks. It is good to have it to mix up the training regimen and have variety."

"It was a great experience. I hope Fidelity implements more training ideas like this one to help us perform better.”

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