In-House Vs Vendor-Led Online Training Development: 4 Benefits Of Each For Your Organization
In-house vs. vendor-led eLearning: When weighing the options there is a variety of things to consider, from the size of your eLearning budget and the scope of your corporate eLearning project to the experience level of your staff. In fact, this important decision can be one of the most challenging aspects of developing your online training course. This article will walk you through the advantages of vendor-led vs. in-house corporate eLearning, stating the 4 benefits that each can offer your organization.
Advantages Of Developing Your Online Training In-House
Taking care of your online training development in-house is typically more cost-effective, as you won't have to pay for the experience or expertise of an eLearning vendor. However, you will need to build a Learning & Development team to create every aspect of your online training course from start to finish. This may include an Instructional Designer, Graphic Designer, Subject Matter Expert, and IT support staff. You'll also need to leave room in your eLearning budget for tools, such as eLearning authoring tools, and Learning Management Systems. Fortunately, once you have all of these resources on-hand you can develop a broad range of online training courses, modules, and online training activities for your corporate learners.
Developing online training in-house is ideal for organizations that already have all their online training materials ready to go, including storyboards, online training activities, text-based online content, images, videos, and multimedia components. It's also a good option for companies who already have talented, skillful, and knowledgeable eLearning professionals in their employee pool. More specifically, some of the top advantages are:
1. Data Safety
Ensures that your data stays safe and secure, especially when sensitive information is involved. You won't have to worry about your data falling into the wrong hands, as it will all be stored in your local server.
2. Creative Control
Developing your online training in-house offers you complete creative control over the eLearning project. From the color scheme to the layout, you have direct input in every aspect of your online training course design. Since your employees will be working on the online training activities and materials, you can rest assured that every piece of the online training content will align with your brand imaging. They are already familiar with your company message and the tone you are trying to convey.
3. Improve Employee Skill Sets
Your corporate eLearning developers will have the opportunity to put all of their knowledge into use and build their skills throughout the process. When it's time to create the next online training course, they will be even more experienced and knowledgeable than before.
4. Greater Flexibility
If you want to make a significant change to the layout of your online training course or add an extra online training activity halfway through the design process, you can simply notify your Learning & Development team. This would be much more difficult if you went through a vendor, and it would come at an extra cost.
Companies like Adobe are working hard to develop tool that empower you to not only create elearning but also deploy and track learning all by yourself. One such tool is Adobe Captivate Prime which is a self-service Learning Management System that lets you roll out courses in under 90 minutes.
Advantages Of Using A Vendor For Online Training Development
Opting for vendor-led online training development typically means higher costs, but you also have an experienced and qualified Learning & Development team at your disposal without having to add them to your payroll. However, you need to choose the right eLearning vendor in order to get the most out of your investment. Check their references and request an estimate for the deliverable. Ask about their past eLearning projects, experience level, skills, and which team members they have on board. You may even want to conduct a brief interview to get a feel for their professionalism and personality. Prepare a list of questions that you want to ask in advance and request to see their eLearning portfolio.
Outsourcing your corporate eLearning project to a vendor is ideal for organizations that need help developing online training materials and analyzing their current online training course. You should already have a clear idea of what you hope to achieve, your online training goals, and performance gaps that you need to fill. In fact, you may want to create a roadmap for the vendor to follow, just to be sure that everyone is on the same page. The top advantages of outsourcing your online training development to an external vendor are:
1. Access To A Diverse Talent Pool
Vendors typically have diverse group of eLearning professionals at their disposal, from graphic designers to experienced writers. This means that you have access to their talent pool once you contract them for your online training project. Instead of having to hire full-time online training specialists, you can simply enlist the aid of a vendor.
2. No Surprise Expenses
Vendors usually give you an estimate and detailed pricing sheet beforehand. As such, you won't have to worry about any unexpected fees down the line. In many cases, they even offer a free trial period, for both Learning Management Systems and eLearning authoring tools. If you develop your online training in-house there is bound to be at least one or two hurdles that incur extra costs.
3. Ideal For Larger Online Training Projects
Larger online training projects call for larger eLearning development teams, additional eLearning authoring tools, and a broader range of skills. Vendors already have all of these things in place. As a result, you may want to take this route if you have a corporate eLearning project with a larger scope.
4. Faster Turnaround Times
The extra manpower, experience, and expertise allow vendors to meet tighter deadlines. Instead of allocating three months to develop your online training in-house, a vendor may be able to take care of it in one. They will also give you a specific timeline for the eLearning project.
So, which choice is best for your online training needs? Both in-house and vendor-led online training offer their own unique benefits, and choosing the right strategy depends on your corporate eLearning budget, staff experience, development timeline, and organizational objectives. Hopefully this article has given you some food for thought and brought you one step closer to making your final decision.
Are you an eLearning professional looking to develop exceptional online training content? Request your free trial for Adobe’s stellar Captivate (2017 Release) authoring tool, and craft content beyond imagination. Also, don’t forget to ask for the Adobe's Captivate Prime Demo to witness the experience of one of the best Learning Management Systems in the market.
