PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) -Businesses of any size are experiencing challenges due to staff shortages, limited budgets, and the rise in costs from everything from gas to raw materials. But, a local business leader says a new virtual reality service is helping address those problems around the world and here in the MOV.

“This is the new way, this is the new age, this is the way we’re going to be doing things.”

Mike Williams, President of iTech in Parkersburg says the new way comes in the form of AR…or Augmented Reality.

Williams said they are using a new software called Care AR- a software that allows them to remotely see and solve issues related to any service device.

“This is actually using visual, kind of like face timing, but actually allows us to be able to log in so that we are helping the end-user saying, ‘hey, here’s how you change the toner on your printer.’ But it also allows us to be able to maybe have a junior tech that’s out in the field and a senior tech can be able to communicate with,” he said.

Williams said instead of having to call a technician who then has to drive out to a location to look at a broken piece of equipment or IT devise, they can use either their phones or special AR glasses to show a technician the problem remotely. Williams says he hopes soon other local businesses will see the benefit of using AR to solve mechanical or IT problems.

“One of our clients says it’s kind of like Iron Man. Remember how Iron Man has the helmet…they can be able to see that and see the entire documentation, the home office can see what the person on-site is using and what they’re seeing,” Williams said.

" It allows them to be able to complete the service call quicker…or on the other side of it what we found, gas prices are going up…if we don’t have to roll a truck…number one that helps the customer get up and running quicker, but number two it helps us to reduce the gas emissions and the increase in gas prices.”

Williams said this AR software can also show what needs to be fixed on a device like an ATM machine or a printer by simplifying scanning a QR code. Williams also said he believes the software won’t break the bank for any local businesses.

“If you can eliminate one truck roll, one on-site service call, you’ve paid for the software,” he said. " It’s that affordable.”