How To Choose A Custom Training Vendor
When it comes to training, the benefits of a quality experience are clear. Better training means better performance and equips your users with the skills they need. So if you’ve decided to go with custom training over off-the-shelf, you’re then faced with the task of finding a partner. And the act of choosing the right custom training vendor can be stressful.
There are hundreds of options, many with different areas of expertise, and the sheer number can be overwhelming. With so much to choose from, how can you be sure you find the best custom training vendor for your company’s needs? What kind of learning experience does your business deserve? What priorities should top your list?
There’s a lot to consider, and everyone’s individual needs are a little bit different. Even so, some factors apply across the board. Here are 5 important points to consider in selecting a custom training vendor that works best for your needs.
1. Make A Match
It’s important to make sure the vendor you choose matches up with your needs as a client. Budget, scale, and duration of your training are all important factors to consider, but there’s more to it than that. Are your ideas of what constitutes great work and your vendor’s standards on similar ground? Will their time management and Instructional Design processes work with the deadlines you need to set?
Ask a lot of questions. A mutually productive relationship where your vendor’s specs complement your needs is key for the best results.
2. Reputation And Work That “Wows”
To ensure your end result has the “wow” factor to make it stand out for your audience, take a good look into your vendor’s track record. Ask for references- and follow up on them! Look for high-quality samples and past portfolio work that really highlights a personal touch. A good custom training vendor will go above and beyond to deliver quality training for your team, so take the time to see if they’ve done that in the past. Thorough investigation in these factors will help ensure you find a vendor with the reputation for excellence that you deserve.
3. Content That Sticks
There’s no point in spending the time and money on custom training if it’s just going to go in one ear and out the other. A good partner will work to present information in a way that’s efficient and practical. Simple, easy-to-implement objectives are best to ensure your training content is retained. And the more individualized your training can be, the easier it is for a trainee to start using what they’ve learned. Make sure to ask about post-training reinforcement, or what types of ongoing support your vendor may be able to offer.
4. More Than Just A Lecture
Sitting in a stuffy room and listening to an instructor drone on hardly worked in high school, and it definitely won’t work to train professional adults. For the best effect, training should provide an experiential learning journey. There’s a big difference between merely presenting a learner with what he or she needs to know, and actively engaging them in the material. If there’s room for humor, banter, and group socialization in your subject material, make sure your custom training vendor can make it work.
A good custom training vendor is willing to offer innovative solutions for your objectives. Not only is an active, immersive learning journey more interesting than a lecture, it’ll help your content stick in the minds of your learners. Showing is better than telling, but doing trumps them both.
5. The Perfect Fit
To develop content that will be the most useful and relevant to your trainees, it is essential to select a partner who can exhibit a deep understanding of your industry, and its day-to-day realities. Good training should resonate with the user base it’s designed for. Look for a vendor that pays attention to not just the challenges your industry faces, but the unique challenges your company faces. A one-size-fits-all industry approach doesn’t reflect the work your employees do, or the values, learning styles and best interests of your workers.
The last thing a trainee wants is to feel patronized by assumptive writing or generic content. Look for a vendor willing to forge an empathetic connection through their content presentation. Your users deserve a vendor that’s knowledgeable about the subject matter, understands the work they do and treats it with respect.
Final Word
These factors together create an effective shortlist of what to keep in mind as you conduct your search. Remember to keep the needs of your trainees in mind, and you’ll have a more productive custom training vendor search!
