St. James’s Place Enhanced an Award-Winning Training Program with VR

Trainers were intrigued by a PwC study that made a compelling case for the effectiveness of soft skills training through virtual reality. Among the key findings was an increase in learner confidence, a greater connection between the learner and the material, and greater focus and retention.

SJP decided to build its own virtual role plays based on the content in the academy. Each learner in the academy received a headset they could keep throughout the 12 weeks of their cohort. During that time, they could access training scenarios any time and any place they wanted.

In the first 18 months of the program, learners went through the on-demand simulation more than 1,000 times. It enabled them to apply what they were learning in a judgment-free environment, developing their ability to not just sell financial products, but to listen and identify a client’s needs.

“It was a bit of a foray into gamifying learning content because ultimately, the learner had to choose how to interact with the client on the other side of the table,” Social Learning Tech & Innovation Manager Hannah Frame said. “It was a branching narrative in which the scenario could go hundreds of different ways. And they got a score at the end.”

How St. James’s Place Implemented VR Programming

Getting Actionable Feedback from VR Training

Role playing is a critical part of soft skills training because it offers an opportunity to practice appropriate actions and reactions. But the feedback from traditional person-to-person role playing tends to be subjective based on the people involved, their knowledge of the subject matter, and their real-life relationship.

Learners being tested in a role play scenario often feel inhibited, keeping them from performing at their best. Particularly early in their training, they may worry so much about being judged that they can’t focus on their role.

VR role playing removes the subjective variables. It ensures everyone gets the same experience, measures performance consistently, and gives actionable tips for improvement.

“We could, for example, score them on active listening, or on asking open questions to build rapport, and give them feedback on how to improve. It also means practicing in a safe space. They can practice as many times as they want and not feel like they’re getting judged when they make a silly mistake.”

Josh Ellick
Immersive Technology Manager

SJP is actively developing new training programs to prepare advisers for the variety of experiences they may encounter in the field. One recent addition is a 360-degree film depicting a grieving client in cognitive decline, developed to help advisers recognize, understand, and help emotionally vulnerable clients. On the horizon is VR training to help advisers spot and address financial abuse.

Making VR Technology Accessible to 16K Employees

The success of the training simulations inspired SJP to scale its use of VR to include workshops and social connections. With more than 16,000 employees scattered across the enterprise, one of the first challenges was making the technology accessible.

SJP partnered with ArborXR to manage its growing fleet of devices and its growing content library. ArborXR’s MDM solution allows SJP staff to monitor and interact with devices across the country.

Getting headsets to employees was another challenge. In 2023, SJP began establishing VR hubs across the UK. No matter where employees are based, there is a hub nearby where they can find headsets charged and ready to go.

Of course, accessibility doesn’t just mean access to devices. It also means individuals’ ability to process the material. After getting feedback from the first cohort of learners that not everybody was comfortable in the 360-degree simulation, SJP created desktop versions of the scenario that can be accessed without a headset.

Developing Bespoke VR Content

SJP developed its first VR training simulations in house. Since then, it has created additional bespoke content on its own and with the support of developer partners.

The VR space is evolving rapidly, particularly with the advancement of AI. As it continues to find new use cases for VR, SJP is exploring AI-integrated platforms that make it faster and easier than ever to develop new VR content.

How VR Transformed Training at St. James’s Place

One of the greatest strengths of VR training is its ability to collect objective data. SJP’s training metrics show that the more times a new adviser goes through a role play, the more quantitative measures like active listening and asking open-ended questions improve.

SJP has tracked qualitative feedback on its VR training, too. Advisers who trained in virtual role plays report feeling more confident going into their first client meetings.

“Because VR is so similar to how people tackle problems in their actual day-to-day life, there’s an easier transition from learning to application. A lot of digital content before was theory-based: you learn generally what you need to do, but not necessarily how to do it. VR plugs that gap of being able to practice.”

Josh Ellick
Immersive Technology Manager

VR training also hones soft skills that are difficult to quantify. SJP developed its role plays so that if an adviser jumps too quickly into a sales pitch without first establishing rapport, the virtual client withdraws and becomes disengaged.

Learners who have taken the training report experiencing greater empathy for their clients when they get out into the field, and having an easier time putting themselves in the client’s shoes. Increased empathy leads to better fact finding and more personalized advice, which results in happier clients and better outcomes.

Transform Your Business With VR

St. James’s Place was in search of a consistent, scalable way to develop employees so they can deliver outstanding client results. Like many companies, the key to unlocking that development was VR.

Wondering how virtual reality can help your team develop empathy and real-world skills? Talk with ArborXR. We can walk you through your entire VR plan, from choosing the right hardware to finding the right app developer to managing content and devices.

Get started with a free trial today.