Is outsourcing your online training a viable option for your organization? Or do the drawbacks outweigh the benefits? In this article, I’ll share nine unexpected advantages of outsourcing your online training.
Outsourcing Online Training: 9 Unexpected Benefits to Consider
Outsourcing your online training takes a bite out of your budget. It also involves a significant amount of time, organization, and planning. Fortunately, all the effort usually pays off in the form of high-quality online training courses that bridge performance gaps and improve productivity. Here are nine unexpected benefits that you may want to consider if you’re still on the fence about outsourcing online training.
1. Access to External Talent
Outsourcing online training gives you access to experienced eLearning professionals who have worked on countless online training projects in the past. Best of all, you don’t have to add them to your payroll as they are employed by your eLearning outsourcing partner. These individuals have unique and expertise that will add value to your online training content. For example, graphic designers enhance the aesthetic appeal of the online training and subject matter experts provide targeted takeaways, thereby improving the online training experience for your remote employees.
2. Focus on Other Aspects of Your Business Operations
There’s only so much time to get the job done and handle daily business operations. Outsourcing your online training gives you the ability to focus on other aspects of your organization such as balancing the books and ensuring superior customer service. You may even have room left in your schedule to take that much-needed day off. The same goes for every member of your Learning & Development and management staff. They can devote less time to the development of online training content and concentrate more on their other work responsibilities.
3. Reduction in In-House L&D Costs
Many people naturally assume that outsourcing online training is going to be more expensive than tackling the task internally. They think it’s an extra expense your company cannot afford. However, outsourcing online training helps reduce in-house L&D development costs. This means that you can allocate your resources more effectively and enhance the benefits of your online training courses. Thus, you may actually spend less in the long run as you won’t have to dedicate payroll hours to continual upkeep and updates.
4. More Effective Online Training Courses
eLearning professionals know what it takes to create high-quality online training content that targets your employees’ needs, especially if they are knowledgeable about your niche and have the right data, such as clear learning objectives and employee performance reports. As a result, you are more likely to end up with online training content that achieves the desired outcomes. Their skills and experience give you the chance to deploy meaningful online training experiences that facilitate professional growth. These experiences yield a whole host of secondary benefits, such as an increase in employee satisfaction.
5. Access to the Latest Tech Tools
When you develop online training in house, there is a broad range of tools to consider, for example, authoring tools to develop interactive branching scenarios. One of the perks of outsourcing online training is that you don’t need to foot the bill for the latest tech platforms. Your outsourcing partner already has access to these top-notch tools, and these tools are included in the package. This also allows you to stay on the cutting edge, courtesy of your outsourcing partner’s tech savviness.
6. Quickly Adapting to Your Organization’s Evolving Needs
Modern organizations must be able to adapt to their industry’s evolving needs at lightning speed or risk falling behind and losing to their competition. Outsourcing your online training gives you the power to stay up to date and rapidly adapt your online training content. In most cases, have past online training projects on file so that they can quickly make the necessary changes.
7. Expediting the Content Development Process
eLearning professionals can wrap up larger online training projects more rapidly. They know which authoring tools to use to get the job done efficiently. Thus, you can deploy your online training initiatives in a fraction of the time. As a result, you’re able to give your employees the online training resources they require to do their job effectively without having to worry about burdening your in-house L&D staff with additional work duties. You can also incorporate a periodic evaluation into your online training strategy to identify areas for improvement, then meet with your outsourcing content provider to adjust your approach accordingly.
8. No Project Management Headaches
Managing an online training project is no easy task. It takes a significant amount of time, focus, and dedication to produce high-quality online training materials. Outsourcing online training gives you the ability to avoid project management headaches and leave it to your outsourcing partner, for example, having to resolve conflicts among team members or dealing with overly complicated authoring tools. However, you should still request a list of individuals who’ll be working on your online training project including their qualifications, especially when working on long-term online training projects that involve larger development teams.
9. Improved Employee Retention
Employees who receive the online training they need are happier on the job. This is because they are able to upskill and bridge gaps whenever the need arises. They don\’t have to wait until a scheduled online training session, as is the case with traditional corporate training. All of this results in greater employee retention rates, which reduces the cost of onboarding training and helps you retain your top talent. Outsourcing online training allows you to create more effective online training content for your employees. They can access it anywhere, anytime, as long as they have access to a learning management system. Furthermore, employees are getting the individualized online training materials they need to address their areas for improvement.
These are just a few of the benefits that outsourcing online training can offer your organization. If you’re still undecided about whether hiring an external eLearning outsourcing partner is a wise investment, consider weighing the pros and cons of each approach. Is it best to take care of the L&D in-house or enlist the aid of an eLearning specialist?
