eLearning Partner: 10 Signs That They Are The One
The internet, no wonder, has changed the way we shop, learn, eat, or even breathe!
Among other revolutionary things given to us by the internet, that surround us in every aspect of our lives, learning seems to have taken a whole new shape in the form of eLearning.
Over the years, eLearning solutions have proven to be one of the most effective, powerful ways to grasp and absorb information, irrespective of the age, gender, or location of the learner. These solutions have taken the learning industry by storm, especially during and post-pandemic. The pandemic, no wonder, has added more fuel by leaving little or no scope for physical learning. It has impacted nearly everyone and everything, from people to businesses, to economies, to countries, like no other health emergency in the near or distant past. Social distancing, controlled lockdowns, and curtailed staff strengths have facilitated remote working and online learning, what we call the "new normal."
In these times, can organizations and other institutions afford to pause the learning or training of their staff? Can they stop onboarding new members due to a lack of training or other facilities? The answer is a big no!
Everything must go on, just different this time, which is why online training and education technology solutions have climbed up the charts.
Why Do You Need An eLearning Solutions Provider?
Indubitably, online learning is remarkably different from its offline counterpart. From context to content, to approach, to method, they differ on several grounds.
Till now, trainers, teachers, institutes, businesses, employers, corporates, and other educators have had a grasp over offline learning. However, with the drastic shift from traditional to digital or offline to online, it’s crucial than ever to move along because it’s going to stay and grow. If you don’t believe us, you will definitely believe the statistics collected by Techjury:
- The worldwide eLearning market is projected to be worth $325 billion in 2025.
- eLearning increases retention rates by 25% to 60%.
- The corporate eLearning market could increase by $38.09 billion between 2020 and 2024.
- A survey of 2,500 companies found that those with "comprehensive training programs" have 218% higher revenue per employee and 24% higher profit margins.
- IBM saved approximately $200 million after switching to eLearning.
- The rise of audiobooks is redefining the way people learn, read, and listen. In fact, the audiobook market size, measured by revenue, is expected to reach $1.3 billion by the end of 2021.
That’s both eye-opening and the reason why you should provide eLearning solutions to your staff. That being said, some of you might want to create a course in-house, some might leverage a tool/software, some might simply put their skills to work, and some might simply partner with a third-party service provider. Among all the options, collaborating with a third-party eLearning solution developer seems to be both worthwhile and constructive. Here’s why:
- Your course or program must be designed in a way that keeps the audience engaged and hooked.
- It must possess interactive and entertaining elements without compromising on the quality or depth of the content matter.
- The content must offer the right blend of simplicity, sophistication, and uniqueness so that it can be clearly understood in the absence of trainers or educators.
- A well-made program uses a relevant amount of multimedia, including images, GIFs, or videos to enhance user engagement and deliver an enticing learning experience.
- Last but not least, the course material must be customized to suit the cognitive ability and learning objectives of the target group.
More than dedication, time, and effort, such modules or programs require subject matter expertise. Maintaining an in-house team that is highly qualified for eLearning technology solutions development can be financially overbearing. This is why you must outsource eLearning content solutions to a specialized vendor.
However, it is equally important to choose the right partner; one that can fulfill your requirements and deliver beyond your expectations. Whether you decide to hire a freelancer, an agency, or a full-spectrum eLearning solutions provider, you must trust your partner enough to get the job done in the right way, at the right time. To ease down the process of selection, we have listed the top 10 crucial things that you must consider before picking one. Let’s have a look:
10 Questions To Consider Before Choosing An eLearning Vendor
1. Do They Understand Your Goal?
Before you get down to hiring a training and education technology solutions provider, make sure you have defined your goals including:
- What do you expect from your eLearning solution?
- What do you want to use it for?
- How do you want it to look?
- Who do you want to target with the solution?
As important as it is for you to clarify your goals, it is equally important for your vendor to understand them. Before you choose a vendor, brief them about your goals, expectations, or other requirements, and make sure they consider them. If a vendor understands your goals, they will work in tandem with you to achieve them while delivering exceptional outcomes.
2. Do They Have A Large Client Base?
Believe it or not, the client base matters when looking out for an outsourcing partner. The clients that the vendor has worked with in the past or is still working with can give you an idea of the service they provide. Also, the larger the client base, the more projects the vendor has delivered in the past. This means if you have any doubts about the vendor, they can suggest solutions and showcase examples from their previous work.
The large client base further suggests that the vendor provides good quality services. Perhaps that's why they are a preferred choice. Likewise, it also means that the vendor has industry-best experience of working with clients from diverse backgrounds and, thus, can handle complex requirements.
All in all, when choosing an eLearning solutions provider, take a look at their clientele, have a word with them (if you want), and hire once you are out of doubt.
3. Does Their Work Look Like Something Your Learners Will Like?
One of the most crucial considerations for selecting an eLearning vendor is getting acquainted with the work they have produced in the past or are still producing. Check out their sample work, including live demos or screenshots, and see whether they fall in line with your organization’s requirements. Once you get a hold of their work, ask yourself questions like:
- Will this course keep my audience engaged?
- Is it fulfilling my requirements?
- Will it help me succeed and gain a competitive advantage?
If the answer is a yes, you can definitely take a step further and contact the vendor for further clarifications. But in case it’s a no or you are unclear, don’t be disappointed. Rather, look out for more samples by searching potential websites or simply asking the vendor for their latest work. Hire once you are sure that the work resonates with your brand’s as well as the audience's needs.
4. Does Their Working Style And Culture Match Yours?
Let’s accept the fact that neither every vendor is perfect for you nor are you the perfect customer for every vendor. Thus, focus on striking a balance with whoever you choose to work with. Besides the quality of the work they produce, get to know the values and approach of the vendor, and make sure they line up with yours. This will, in turn, help you understand their priorities and how they define their work.
In addition to this, when you outsource eLearning content solutions, go the extra mile by cultivating a relationship with the vendor that goes beyond project delivery. What we mean to say is, except for the final course or material, you can gain something out of the partnership. This can be achieved by understanding how experienced and willing the vendor is to not only create your course but also to empower you along the way.
Remember, a lot goes into getting your eLearning project into shape, so make sure your and your vendor’s efforts don’t go in vain. Know their working style or culture, see whether it matches with yours, and kick off while gaining maximum throughout the journey.
5. Are eLearning Solutions Their Expertise Area?
Talking about how to choose the right eLearning outsourcing partner and missing this point is not fair. Well, here we go.
During your hunt for the right eLearning vendor, you will come across numerous companies or brands whose forte isn’t eLearning or developing training courses. It might be an extension or an up-charge to their primary services, which is why you should think twice.
eLearning or training should not be an add-on but predominant. Make sure the partner you choose primarily specializes in and focuses on eLearning solutions. They must, in the first place, possess the skills, tools, and methodologies required to develop exceptional education/training solutions.
Though a company with eLearning as their second preference can also deliver best-in-class solutions, a vendor with eLearning as their métier can create something exemplary, and that’s what you need.
6. Do They Provide Multiple Training-Specific Services?
This question differs from the one above because here we’re talking about multiple training-specific services. Companies that solely focus on training can afford to diversify into multiple designs and delivery modalities. Now, before you assume, let's demarcate.
If you already have a team of experts and are looking to outsource eLearning content solutions in a specific area (say designing), then you can skip over this section. However, if you want a partner who can handle multiple needs as your requirements change, then this is for you. Check whether the vendor is capable of providing multiple training services, based on your diverse, unique requirements. By partnering with such a vendor, you can free yourself from the hassle of maintaining multiple contact points as there’s only a single party responsible for keeping things coordinated and on track.
7. How Do They Manage Their Projects?
Among other considerations for selecting an eLearning vendor, project management is a crucial one. Regardless of your project size and type, you must find out how efficient the vendor is when it comes to coordinating project resources, tracking status, or maintaining transparent, seamless communication. It doesn’t matter whether they rely on project management tools/software, internal methodologies, or other strategies, what matters is having something in place that facilitates coordination and transparency. Your project success heavily depends on effective management, transparent communication, and seamless coordination.
8. Which eLearning Development Tools Do They Use?
When you outsource eLearning content solutions to a partner, they handle 100% of the work for you. However, that doesn't mean you should not be acquainted with the development tools or software they will use. Even if you aren’t going to develop your course, you must get your hands on the software for ownership or maintenance at a later stage. Let’s consider two situations:
- You might need minor edits or changes here and there. Asking your vendor every time you need to make a change will result in an unwanted wastage of effort, time, and money.
- Even if you aren’t going to touch the files, you want to make sure you can find other developers if you need to change partners.
In either of the cases, holding the knowledge of the eLearning development tool (used) can be quite beneficial.
That being said, you could ask your partner:
- To stick to the mainstream tools for robust development, exceptional courses, and easy learning (both for you and your learners).
- To provide you with some basic training or idea of the tool/software.
Another way could be leveraging the power of YouTube or other online websites/apps for a quick, yet efficacious insight. The right outsourcing partner will not only create a robust course but one that's easy to maintain.
9. Can They Provide Interactive Content Within Tight Deadlines?
No matter how user-friendly or attractive your LMS is, if your content isn’t interactive and engaging, your learners or trainees might simply lose interest. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that content is the backbone of an effective eLearning platform. Therefore, among other considerations for selecting an eLearning vendor, ensure whether the provider is capable of delivering content in diverse formats, such as HTML, PPT, Flash, video-based, audio-based, scenario-based, game-based, etc. Also, it must be compatible across multiple devices including laptops, tablets, desktops, or mobiles.
Along with providing interactive content, it is important to provide it on time. In short, your eLearning partner should be able to work under pressure and meet deadlines without hampering the work quality.
10. Do They Provide Customized Solutions And Post-Deployment Support?
If you want to succeed in the highly competitive market, you need a solution that fits your and your users’ requirements. In other words, one-size-that-fits-all can no longer take you places. Every organization has unique needs and, thus, requires a partner who can fulfill those needs with customized education technology solutions. Look for a vendor who can develop a solution that falls in line with your unique needs.
In addition to this, their role shouldn’t be limited to solution development and delivery but extend to post-implementation support to ensure eLearning success.
Finding The Right eLearning Partner
Follow these hacks to get yourself the right eLearning partner. The process, no wonder, is time-taking and cumbersome, but a few tips and tricks can definitely land you up at the right place.
Look for a partner who’s ready to take up the challenge with you, is invested in your success, and offers more than just an eLearning module. Outsource eLearning content solutions to experts to give your staff an interactive, intuitive, and engaging learning experience.
