{"id":5899,"date":"2017-04-28T08:25:16","date_gmt":"2017-04-28T12:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-digit\/submission\/upskill-re-training-todays-workforce-with-ar\/"},"modified":"2017-04-28T08:27:12","modified_gmt":"2017-04-28T12:27:12","slug":"upskill-re-training-todays-workforce-with-ar","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-digit\/submission\/upskill-re-training-todays-workforce-with-ar\/","title":{"rendered":"Upskill: Re-training today\u2019s workforce with AR"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The team at Upskill is reimagining the world for 46MM deskless employees in the US[1]<\/a>, for whom AR improves productivity by allowing daily tasks to be conducted truly hands free. \u00a0Field service work and manufacturing assembly are being transformed as workers use AR to superimpose customer data and assembly instructions within their field of vision. \u00a0Upskill creates value for 1) enterprises that rely on deskless labor, 2) these enterprise\u2019s end-customers, and 3) smart glass hardware complementers.<\/p>\n

By driving the cost of AR app development and the total cost of ownership of smart devices down, Upskill is poised to change the axis upon which their enterprise clients compete, away from a world of commoditization pressure to one of greater customization and value-add services. \u00a0While Upskill\u2019s SaaS revenue model allows it to continue to profit as client success grows, it\u2019s unclear the extent to which hardware vendors will benefit as greater value is ultimately placed on software insights rather than hardware, increasing the pace of commoditization.<\/p>\n

Amidst growing competition, Upskill must prove a clear ROI. <\/em>\u00a0This can be achieved through data-driven insights<\/em>, which require honing operating model capabilities in comprehensive data collection and algorithmic power.\u00a0 This calls for open API\u2019s<\/em> to facilitate Upskill compatibility with a spectrum of data sources and perhaps even subsidization of hardware<\/em> and new AR training content <\/em>to promote Upskill software uptake.<\/p>\n

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Background<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

With clients like Boeing and GE, Upskill\u2019s \u2018Skylight\u2019 software can be deployed on a range of smart glass hardware for specific use cases.\u00a0 Specifically, these include 1) field service assistance with AR-superimposed Salesforce data, 2) superimposed manufacturing instructions with voice-free commands, and 3) referenceable inventory handling data on customer demand and inventory levels.\u00a0 Critical to this is Upskill\u2019s integration of data from clients\u2019 existing systems (ERP, CRM, etc) to provide a comprehensive view of the customer.<\/p>\n

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Value creation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Via its operating model competencies of software expertise, Upskill creates value for enterprises, hardware vendors, and consumers.<\/p>\n