Microsoft executive shares three ways mixed reality empowers frontline workers

Mixed reality is helping frontline workers in the manufacturing industry to reduce downtime and improve productivity, according to Lili Cheng, corporate vice president of business applications and platform at Microsoft.

“To help address these issues, Microsoft is investing in frontline worker enablement across a broad range of technologies,” she said in a blog post titled ‘3 ways mixed reality empowers frontline workers’. “This includes new solutions to help frontline workers deliver exceptional service with next-generation artificial intelligence, as well as our ongoing investment in mixed reality hardware and solutions.”

First, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides and Dynamics 365 Remote Assist allows manufacturers to resolve issue quickly through remote support and communication. “A communication hub, Microsoft Teams enables collaboration across the workforce,” said Cheng. “Its integration with Dynamics 365 Guides allows workers to extend this to the physical world on any device.”

Dynamics 365 Guides is also helping to mitigate the risk and costs associated with physical training. Frontline workers can use 3D models and digital twins in the solution to better understand the machines they are using.

In addition, one third of manufacturing executives claimed that retaining and replacing high-performing employees is a strategic priority for 2023, according to Deloitte’s 2023 Manufacturing Industry Outlook. The mixed reality features in Dynamics 365 Guides are embedded in Dynamics 365 Field Service Mobile to facilitate knowledge retention and transfer.

“Dynamics 365 Guides offers industrial workers the opportunity to document unique situational processes and procedures not included in asset operating manuals,” said Cheng. “Step-by-step instructions, annotations, and ‘on the ground’ insights are placed in context and immediately accessible throughout the day.”