Vermeer had just started dipping their toes into the VR space, and the perfect opportunity to leverage this technology arose with the launch of an innovative product: the ZR5. The ZR5 was the industry’s first self-propelled baler. Originally launched as a concept, the ZR5 gained early interest from prospective buyers. Vermeer’s dealer network was met with an influx of customers requesting demos. The problem? There weren’t enough already built machines to send to each demo. In order to bridge this gap, the Vermeer AV team created a 360º video experience to serve as a virtual demo.
I was tasked with making this video accessible for dealers to use in their sales process - while keeping in mind that this may be the first time a sales rep was using VR technology. Ininitially, I identified three problems to solve:
Initially, the business wanted to host the 360º online and have users access it via a link, but I wanted to take it a step further and make the experience more personal. Our target user group was hesitant to adopt new technology, and their frustration tolerance for new tech was very low. I did not want to just send a link to users and force them figure everything out on their own. Also, after doing a bit of discovery on how and where the video may be used, I identified a need for accessing content offline.
I researched available VR options and decided it would be best to standardize the platform users would leverage to access content. This would help eliminate mobile device compatibility issues and standardize the training process. I decided to use Oculus Go headsets due to their low cost and simple user interface. My team also found a software that supported offline use, as well offering a remote deployment solution for future VR video content.
At first, the business wanted to be relatively hands-off with the content deployment. However, with our user group in mind, I advocated for an in-person kickoff and training session. The goal was to coach users on how to use the VR headsets and answer any initial questions they had. This was to help reduce frustration during early adoption. I also planned to create a reference manual. The manual would provide instructions on how to use the headset and access video content - in case users forgot or didn’t use the headset for a while.
It’s safe to assume that any technology will run into share of problems, so I wanted to make sure we had a support plan for our users. Again, to reduce frustration and not push away new users. VR was very new to Vermeer, so we couldn’t depend on our typical IT support desk for help. Our small team of three was spearheading the VR initiative, so our plan was to handle support until we could train the appropriate parties and hand it off to the larger support team.
The solution was a comprehensive VR marketing pack that included a headset, reference manual, and carrying case. The headsets were pre-loaded and set up for users ahead of time, so everything was ready to go the first time they were powered on. Standardizing device setup also helped with support calls - our team kept a headset to help walk users through screens while troubleshooting.
We launched the headsets to 15 users, and everyone was brought on-site for the initial kickoff and training session. Our team’s contact information was included in the reference manuals in case users ran into issues, and I sent follow up emails the first week after launch to check in on users. All in all, the project was well-received, and it resulted in sales reps adopting VR as part of their sales toolkit. We even had users request content for other machine models they wanted to sell.
