The metaverse to change doing business in Melbourne

“Colling-wood…Colling-wood… Colling-wood…”

The atmosphere is euphoric, and the crowd is pumping. 

The Pies lead by 6 goals deep in the third quarter.

It’s been scrappy, but it’s great to have footy back at the ‘G.

Melbourne is back…well, the traffic certainly is…as it was gridlock on Punt Road trying to get the ground. So maybe it was easier to sit back watching Fox Footy instead sitting high in the sky in the Ponsford Stand with rain lashing at your face.

Imagine if watching the footy was more than flicking on Foxtel or even attending the G.

What if you were together with other Pies fans watching the game, having a few drinks and immersed in the experience? 

And no, I don’t mean at the pub.

It may seem far-fetched, but the metaverse could shake up the way you watch your favourite sport in a few short years. 

It will be possible to catch up with mates, no matter where they are, share a drink, buy a new guernsey or beanie and watch the game. 

In the metaverse, you could walk alongside the players onto the ground, watch the game from different angles and experience the footy in a way that seems unimaginable today.

You are no longer watching the game, and you’re part of the action. 

So what does this mean for our great game’s future and your Melbourne business?

Is it just something Facebook (Meta) or other social media giants have invented? 

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has said the metaverse is coming and “life without AR will soon be unthinkable.”

So with industry leaders publicly announcing their intent, companies and businesses must prepare for what the metaverse means for them. 

The metaverse refers to a collective upgrade of the internet to a 3D virtual environment. This would be a world interconnected between various sites. These sites would reflect the immersive games that you see today.

Did Meta invent the metaverse?

The short answer is no. 

The idea of connected 3D immersive worlds has existed for decades. Several online gaming platforms have made territorial claims in the metaverse. But have failed to connect their applications.

One of the best representations of the early metaverse is short-lived software called Adobe Atmosphere. This 3D immersive experience included interconnected online worlds with the ability for users to chat with others live. Adobe Atmosphere was revolutionary then, demonstrating that the metaverse concept has been around for a while.

So, why all the sudden attention on the metaverse now? First, there has been a rapid increase in technology, including faster internet and immense processing power. And a delivery method for 3D that works on most PCs.

Microsoft joins forces with Meta

Recently, Microsoft announced a partnership with Meta to bring Microsoft 365 apps into the metaverse. This exciting development means collaboration in a new, transformational way. Microsoft believes that 50% of Gen Z and Millennials anticipate completing some of their work in the metaverse in the next two years.

How will the metaverse impact your business?

With large companies like Microsoft looking at the future of AR/VR, the metaverse could soon be a way of life. So you can expect the metaverse to touch your company in some way in the next few years. 

Here’s a preview of how we see it impacting:

Opening a VR site

With the arrival of the internet, many businesses didn’t adapt quickly enough to maximise their potential. Now, there wouldn’t be many companies operating without a website to drive leads and convert prospects. 

If the metaverse takes off as a new 3D iteration of the internet, then one area to consider is advertising. This could mean exploring metaverse-type advertising in virtual worlds or creating your own VR site or showroom.

Transforming customer service

Social media changed the customer service landscape, as 79% of consumers expect companies to respond to a direct message. And within 24 hours.

With the metaverse, your clients and customers may expect to interact with you in that space if they begin hanging out there, just like they do now with Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

It will be essential to understand growing consumer trends and how they interact with the metaverse as it grows. One way to gauge the metaverse’s impact would be to ask your customers in your annual survey. 

An immersive employee training experience

The metaverse brings the ability to improve training delivery by being able to replicate a task in a virtual world. Imagine how powerful an immersive training experience would be for a surgeon, airline pilot or forklift driver. And allowing them to make mistakes to learn from safely. 

Now is a fantastic time to consider the training your employees need and how the metaverse can help improve that experience. It might be a year or two, but it’s worth considering.

Improved remote team collaboration

Virtual meetings on Microsoft Teams or VoIP (Zoom Phone) are now as ordinary as your annual industry conference. But the ideation of the virtual meeting moves into the metaverse, especially with Microsoft and Meta joining forces to bring its app into a virtual space. Imagine a virtual meeting a few years with your avatar and a completely immersive experience. 

Another way to enhance remote team collaboration in the metaverse is with building design and maintenance. Imagine walking through a 3D recreation of a space before it’s built. And it is being able to put the finishing touches during the construction while inside that space.

Is your Melbourne digital workplace ready?

Need help figuring out where to begin? Have you started planning your business’s digital transformation for next year or the following years? If you need assistance or looking to get ideas on how to start, contact us to help guide you.