TD Bank Group (TD) launched an immersive learning virtual reality pilot to enhance customer service training in its branches, delivered in collaboration with Strivr, an enterprise VR platform for workforce performance. The programme runs under TD Invent, the bank's approach to innovation, and was showcased at TD Tech and Innovation Day in May 2024.
Wearing VR headsets, branch colleagues are transported into a virtual TD branch where they are approached by virtual customers and must resolve their inquiries in a meaningful, personalised and empathetic way. After each simulation they can review their own performance and grade themselves. Colleagues completed three modules: finding empathetic solutions for a customer who appears stressed about a cheque hold; asking open-ended questions to better understand a customer's financial goals and give personalised advice; and recognising unconscious bias and microaggressions and their impact on interactions with peers and customers.
The Canadian pilot ran between November 2023 and May 2024 across 20 branches - 10 in Ontario and 10 in Alberta - and was open to both new and long-serving colleagues rather than new hires alone. A survey of participants found almost 80% considered VR more effective than traditional training, 93% rated their retention of the material as high or very high, and almost 90% said they would be confident applying what they learned in real situations.
Following the Canadian pilot, TD expanded the programme into the United States, deploying VR in 10 TD Bank stores in the Greater Philadelphia and New Jersey areas between June and August 2024. In January 2025 the programme, named TD Immersive Learning, was recognised in the Product category of the BIG Innovation Awards.
The headset used in the Canadian pilot was the Pico Neo 3. Accessibility features included closed captioning, with the team exploring 2D versions of the experience for colleagues with visual impairments.
