CustomerXR is introducing its showcase of extended reality (XR) business applications to the indirect channel. Available in the Meta Quest Store, the company’s offerings include virtual and augmented reality applications that the company developed for Bath Fitter, Kitchen Saver, Egress Pros, Meineke and more.
“One of my valid criticisms of the channel is that it tends to follow trends too often. We tend to wait for new technologies to emerge, and then we flood the zone,” said Kevin Sheehan, co-founder, president and chief XR officer at CustomerXR. “That’s certainly happening with AI right now. This is an opportunity for the channel to get in on the ground floor of something special.”
CustomerXR specializes in applications that can train employees before they start new jobs. For example, the company’s VR showcase includes apps developed for fast-casual restaurants seeking to train staff more efficiently, the company said.
CustomerXR also recently debuted the Innisfree Garden tour, a proof-of-concept application that marks the company’s entry into immersive tourism. Providing users with a 360-degree view of a scenic botanical garden in Upstate New York, the Innisfree Garden tour is available for Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro headsets.
“Once you put a potential customer in a headset, they realize VR isn’t just for gaming. They get to see these business use cases,” said Christopher Fonte, chief technical officer, CustomerXR. “It opens up what I call their VR third eye. They consider the ways that they can use the technology, and their mind starts racing. Once they’re at that stage, it’s an easy sell because they see the value in it.”
The XR sales model is similar to unified communications, officials said. It starts with the upfront cost around application development, then the channel partner licenses the headsets. The headsets are monitored and kept secure with frequent software updates, similar to what a hosted phone provider would offer, according to the company.
“There are always going to be 10 percent or 15 percent of clients who are forward-thinking enough to jump in first,” said Sheehan. “The channel is a great way of reaching those clients because partners have those connections.”
