Level Up: BPO Takes Gaming and VR Industry to New Heights

Developing gaming consoles, virtual reality (VR) headsets, 3D video games, and related products is laborious and expensive. In-house teams with limited resources and tight deadlines might find research, testing, and production challenging.

This is why many gaming companies hire business process outsourcing (BPO) providers instead. Service providers offer the human and technological resources to help game developers save costs and meet timelines while ensuring high-quality products.

BPO has augmented the gaming and virtual reality sectors in recent years. Keep reading to discover how to optimize this practice to drive your projects! 

How BPO Levels Up the Gaming and Virtual Reality Industry

According to the IMARC Group’s recent report, the global VR gaming industry generated $37.4 billion in revenue in 2023. The organization expects the sector to reach $136.8 billion by 2028, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29%. 

The rising demand for VR games and the increasing number of gamers drive the market’s continuous expansion. Additionally, the rise of commercial VR gaming zones strengthens the sector’s growth.

Due to this rapid development, many businesses seek third-party support. They hire BPO companies to ensure smooth front- and back-office operations without overspending. Offering affordable hourly and monthly fees, service providers help level up games’ VR experience through the following efforts:

Accelerate Customer Service

Outsourcing companies combine artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and human resources (HR) to speed up customer support for gamers. Third-party agents regularly train to troubleshoot VR game-related issues quickly and effectively. 

BPO teams are also proficient in using the following cutting-edge technologies to boost the customer experience:

• Advanced ticketing systems. These AI-powered solutions automatically categorize customer inquiries sent via email. They help BPO agents prioritize urgent and complex VR game-associated issues, resulting in faster response times and resolutions.
• Chatbots. Usually used on official company websites and social media accounts, chatbots provide instant replies to common VR game questions. This robotic process automation (RPA) tool lets human agents focus on more complicated problems.
• Data analytics tools. BPO companies optimize these capabilities to study customer behaviors and preferences. The resulting insights inform their efforts and help them provide personalized support services and recommendations to VR gamers. 
• Augmented reality (AR) platforms. Support vendors leverage AR technology to provide interactive guidance for gamers facing complex technical challenges. BPO agents use AR-enabled solutions to remotely and visually demonstrate real-time troubleshooting steps.
• Cloud-based solutions. BPO contact centers specializing in the gaming and virtual reality sectors use a cloud platform to enable omnichannel customer support. This centralized dashboard allows them to answer gamers’ concerns seamlessly through multiple communication channels without losing important data. 
• Predictive analytics tools. Third-party vendors use these solutions to forecast potential technical issues and assess their root causes. The collected data guides BPO companies in drafting effective strategies to prevent disruptions and user frustration.
• Remote collaboration platforms. Asana and Microsoft Teams are examples of these cloud-native tools. Providers use them to ensure seamless knowledge sharing and task distribution with your in-house team. They accelerate daily operations and improve customer satisfaction through quicker and better responses. 

Enhance VR Product Sales and Marketing

What is BPO’s role in marketing and selling your VR devices and game products? In addition to providing highly skilled sales agents and marketers, they also use AI and RPA to advance the following efforts:

• Perform comprehensive market research. This action helps determine your target audiences by analyzing user behaviors and industry trends. This data-driven approach assists you in developing well-founded marketing strategies and tailoring your virtual reality gaming products to meet consumer demands.
• Generate and qualify leads. BPO companies execute targeted marketing campaigns and outreach initiatives to identify potential customers interested in VR technologies and gaming products. Search engine optimization (SEO) and web scraping help expand your customer base and increase sales opportunities.
• Conduct customer profiling and segmentation. This measure categorizes your VR gaming consumers based on their needs. The gathered insights help your BPO partner customize sales and marketing programs for your gaming and virtual reality products. 
• Deliver multichannel sales and marketing support. Vendors use cloud contact center software to promote VR gaming products across multiple channels. Additionally, implementing digital marketing, social media, and email campaigns helps you reach a wider audience and increase brand visibility.
• Streamline content creation and management. BPO professionals use specialized skills and tools to develop and organize engaging content. They highlight your unique VR gaming products by producing creative promotional videos, social media posts, and blog articles.
• Conduct performance analytics and reporting. This approach helps your third-party team track the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and sales initiatives. The provider uses key performance indicators (KPIs) to identify areas for improvement and constantly update strategies to attain desired outcomes.

Support VR Game Localization

BPO organizations offer cost-efficient solutions to successfully localize your VR game products and services. Data from CSA Research shows that 76% of customers prefer to buy items with details in their native language. Another 40% avoid purchasing from sites in other languages. 

Third-party vendors help you address such demands by adapting VR gaming content to various languages, cultural contexts, and regional preferences. The following localization initiatives can expand your global reach and provide a culturally relevant gaming experience:

• Collect and analyze user feedback. The resulting insights guide the outsourcing provider in understanding the preferences and expectations of VR players in different regions. This data helps your in-house and third-party teams develop localization strategies to satisfy and retain your customers’ specific needs.
• Provide language translation services. Support vendors employ well-trained professionals who can accurately translate in-game texts, user interfaces, and other content elements into multiple languages. They enable your VR gaming enterprise to reach a global audience.
• Ensure cultural adaptation. BPO companies match gaming and virtual reality graphics and references with local customs and norms. This step establishes more immersive and relatable gaming experiences for players worldwide.
• Deliver dubbing services. The VR gaming sector’s strategic outsourcing plans involve translating and recording in-game dialogues, narratives, and instructions in various languages. Third-party vendors ensure these localized voiceovers and sound effects are culturally appropriate and linguistically precise.
• Offer subtitle and closed captioning services. In addition to translation and dubbing, providers deliver closed captions for players with hearing impairments. This service also accommodates those who want to play with subtitles in their native languages.
• Comply with regulatory standards. As part of a contract, your potential BPO provider helps your gaming and virtual reality products adhere to local content rules and regulations. Their regular audits prevent you from paying the high cost of violations and game system downtimes.
• Conduct comprehensive quality assurance and testing processes. This method validates the localized VR game’s accuracy and consistency. Vendors ensure all localized versions of your VR game have the same quality and user experience as the original.

Boost VR Game Development

Companies of all sizes rely on outsourcing to boost VR game development as the demand for these interactive recreational activities increases. Statista reported that the gaming sector will reach $455.3 billion in 2024. 

The industry’s expansion is driven by the constantly growing number of players and rising in-game purchases. However, hiring more in-house game developers increases expenses. The need to offer competitive income, benefits packages, and training also contributes to the cost.

Service vendors address such gaps by giving access to game development experts at affordable fees. These BPO professionals help create innovative gaming and virtual reality experiences through the following practices:

• Deliver technical support. This function covers VR hardware and software development, 3D modeling, programming, and animation. Providers help navigate technical challenges and build immersive gaming experiences.
• Perform quality assurance and testing. This function enables support providers to promptly identify and mitigate technical issues, bugs, or glitches before releasing the VR game. It validates the final product’s compliance with high-quality standards.
• Provide art and design services. These offers include creating concept art, unique character and setting designs, logos, and in-game assets. The third-party team’s creative input helps create captivating virtual gaming worlds without adding too much to your expenses.
• Coordinate task distribution and scheduling. BPO companies manage your project timelines, streamlining the game development process. They effectively organize tasks, set deadlines, and monitor progress, letting your in-house staff prioritize more pressing matters in VR game creation.
• Support content creation and storytelling. This function encompasses narrative development, scriptwriting, and dialogue writing services. Outsourced experts help craft compelling narratives that improve the VR gaming experience for players.

Strengthen VR Game Security

Hiring BPO providers helps enhance the security of your gaming and virtual reality products. Note that games involving purchases and subscriptions are prone to cyberattacks. In 2022, Kaspersky Lab discovered a 13% year-over-year increase in attacks against gamers.  

In a separate report, Akamai found a 167% year-over-year growth in web application attacks targeting online programs, such as mobile games. To prevent these exploitations, providers implement the following strategies to strengthen your VR game security:

• Data encryption. Vendors execute robust encryption protocols to safeguard sensitive user data and in-game transactions. This measure keeps such datasets safe from unauthorized access and malware risks.
• Vulnerability assessment and penetration testing. BPO companies perform this action to determine potential weaknesses and security loopholes within your VR gaming systems. Proactive detection prevents security breaches beforehand.
• Real-time monitoring and threat detection. Providers deploy AI-powered threat trackers to continuously monitor your VR gaming networks and environments in real time. This capability promptly identifies and mitigates security threats, combating suspicious activities or unauthorized access attempts early on.
• User authentication and access controls. BPO firms use robust multi factor authentication and access control mechanisms to verify players’ identities and limit access to sensitive VR game resources. 
• Incident response and recovery planning. Vendors draft and implement these comprehensive strategies to resolve security incidents effectively. These plans include predefined protocols and procedures for containing security incidents.
• Compliance with data protection regulations. BPO organizations assist you in processing your VR gaming system’s legal requirements. They conduct regular audits to ensure your business complies with relevant data protection regulations and industry standards, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 
• Employee training and awareness. Tap into BPO gaming and virtual reality companies to hold regular training and awareness programs. These initiatives educate employees about best practices for maintaining VR game security. 

The Bottom Line

As technology advances, the gaming industry must continuously optimize its processes to satisfy loyal customers. Virtual reality technologies are among the modern tools that help them achieve that goal. Additionally, partnering with an outsourcing provider improves their business offerings at affordable costs. 

BPO gaming and virtual reality providers optimize their human and tech resources to improve their products and services. They help you deliver unmatched VR gaming experiences, boosting customer satisfaction and retention rates. 

Are you planning to work with a reliable BPO partner to improve your VR game offerings? Let’s connect and discuss your options. Unity Communications employs a diverse talent pool and updated tech to fulfill your requirements, from customer service to data security.