Avatar robots make remote work possible

Oono Sosai is a funeral service company headquartered in Miemachi, Bungo-Ono City, Oita Prefecture. Last year (2023), an ace female employee with seven years of experience at the head office decided to move to Kumamoto Prefecture due to her marriage. Despite the happy event of her marriage, the company was concerned about not wanting to lose such a talented employee.

What prompted the introduction of avatar robots?

As we discussed the future of our female employees at Ace, the idea of ​​using avatar robots came up. We thought that avatar robots could complement the "local connection" that was insufficient with conventional video conferencing. We consulted with the Oita Prefecture Advanced Challenge Division and conducted a test run of using avatar robots within the prefecture. As a result, we felt that the results were satisfactory, so we decided to introduce one avatar robot each at two locations and continue remote work for Ace's female employees.

Remote work roles and performance

Currently, she works with an avatar robot for an average of about three hours a day. She performs her managerial duties, including training new employees, remotely, and uses appropriate tools to work remotely, such as responding to customers over the phone, responding to customers and participating in internal meetings via online conferences, and using the avatar robot for internal work (internal training and management work). In this way, she is able to maximize her performance even when working remotely.

Further applications of the avatar robot include participation in recruitment information sessions as recruiters and operational testing for customer service at funeral halls. Through these efforts, Dai Funeral Services aims to provide high-quality services even when working remotely.