7 Pros And Cons Of Investing In Custom Tailored New Hire Solutions

7 Pros And Cons Of Investing In Custom Tailored New Hire Solutions
StudioByTheSea/Shutterstock.com
Summary: You’re on a tight budget but still want to invest in custom-tailored employee onboarding software for your new team members. Do the rewards outweigh the risks? Or should you stick with a pre-packaged solution?

The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Custom Tailored New Hire Solutions

Pre-built employee training software or courses do have their advantages. They often require less setup time and lower up-front investment. This means that your stakeholders may try to convince you that 'canned software' or third-party courses are the better bet. However, there is something to be said for custom-tailored new hire solutions that check every item on your L&D list. Before you make your final decision, let's look at some of the pros and cons of investing in customized employee onboarding software versus pre-packaged solutions.

eBook Release: New Hire Solutions For SMBs
eBook Release
New Hire Solutions For SMBs
Discover the essential steps to implement a successful employee onboarding program for your diverse workforce.

1. Pro: Personalize The Training Path

Custom new hire solutions focus on employees' sticking points and gaps. While a pre-packaged course only brushes the surface and usually offers a more generic approach. Thus, you're able to offer your new team members the resources they need to address areas for improvement heads-on. For example, you can develop a certification course that covers all the skills your company looks for in a new recruit. So that employees built a solid foundation before venturing onto the sales floor or helping their first customer. You can even offer them a JIT library for follow-up. Or host live events via the LMS that make them feel like they're part of the team.

2. Con: Costs More Than An Off-The-Shelf Solution

Developing your own content with an employee training LMS usually costs more than purchasing a pre-built course. You must consider up-front fees, payroll hours, content creation, and a variety of other expenses. Not to mention ongoing maintenance and upgrades. That said, many software options have built-in templates to reduce costs and help you stretch your resources. Plus, in the long run, a custom solution may be more cost-effective. As you can reduce seat time, improve employee engagement, and avoid monthly subscription fees of paid course upgrades, such as newer versions of the course.

3. Pro: Allows You To Focus On Organizational Outcomes

With employee onboarding software, every aspect of your onboarding program aligns with outcomes and objectives. Because you built everything from the ground up to fill gaps and address employee pain points. Sure, you can repurpose existing third-party content to compile a course that hits on areas for improvement. But the end result may be fragmented and won’t reflect your brand image or company vision. You can also use the employee training LMS to monitor specific reports to ensure that objectives are met and employees are hitting their targets.

4. Con: Takes Longer To Implement

Another downside of investing in custom-tailored new hire solutions is a longer timeline. Off-the-shelf options are quick to deploy. You simply purchase the product and give your employees the login details. It's as simple as that. With a customized solution, you must purchase the software, personalize it to suit your needs, and develop support resources before you roll out. Then there's the matter of monitoring, measuring performance, and fine-tuning your strategy afterward. And those are just a few of the tasks to add to your schedule. However, you can streamline the process by mapping out the implementation process in advance and getting your team on board. They'll be able to tell you how long each task will take, what's required, and create backup plans.

5. Pro: Pick And Choose Your Own Integrations

You probably have a broad range of software you use to carry out business tasks. From CRM platforms to authoring tools. All of these systems must mesh with the others to streamline operations. Otherwise, you need to pay for replacements that do or lose them altogether. A custom-built new hire solution allows you to pick and choose your own integrations so that you can ensure compatibility. For example, invest in an LMS that seamlessly integrates with SalesForce or has a built-in authoring tool.

6. Con: Requires A Dedicated Team

The final downside is that you may have to hire a dedicated team of IT experts, content creators, and other L&D professionals to implement custom software. A pre-built course required a team of its own to develop. But that wasn't your expense. The vendor had to pay for all that expertise. And so will you if you choose the custom-tailored route. However, an in-house team comes with its perks. For example, you can quickly update the content to reflect new compliance rules or policies. Employees can also turn to your IT team if they have a problem instead of having to rely on the vendor for support.

7. Pro: Total Creative Control

Let's end on a high note with the fact that you have complete control when you invest in custom new hire solutions. Your team can modify any aspect of the course or enhance the visual appeal based on employee interests/preferences. This covers everything from incorporating your brand logo and color scheme to adjusting the layout so that it's more user-friendly for tech-newcomers. With pre-packed courses, you’re usually stuck with the layout and content they provide. You might be able to integrate some branding elements, but it's very limited.

Ensure Success From The Start With The Right Onboarding Solution!
Discover, choose and compare the top Employee Onboarding Software!

Every organization has different objectives and needs. So, this list is just a starting point for the LMS discussion you must have with your stakeholders. That said, custom-tailored new hire solutions do allow you to enhance personalization, focus on organizational outcomes, and maintain total control. You can also ensure that other tools, such as CRM software, still have a place in your toolbox without having to worry about combability issues. Even if that comes at a higher cost, and you have to bring in IT experts to achieve the best results.

Learn the most common onboarding errors that may cost you your top talent, and tips to avoid this. Download the eBook New Hire Solutions For SMBs: Your Guide To Choosing The Best Employee Onboarding Software For Your Business Goals And Budget to check on the onboarding best practices when using a new employee training LMS, and much more.

Originally published on January 2, 2020