7 Online Safety Training Outsourcing Secrets Every Company Should Know

Online Safety Training Outsourcing Tips
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Summary: The key to outsourcing success is knowing about all the risks and potential pitfalls before you even begin vendor vetting. This article features 7 safety training outsourcing secrets every organization should know.

7 Online Safety Training Outsourcing Tips

They say that when hindsight is 20/20, you can see the past with perfect clarity. Even if you completely overlooked the obstacles beforehand. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to avoid outsourcing pitfalls and skip right to the perks? After all, why make your own costly mistakes when you can learn from someone else’s? Well, I’m here to share 7 insider secrets I’ve gathered over the years. Some are from personal experience, while others are jewels of wisdom from industry experts. But they all have one thing in common: trial and error. Every insight is the result of derailed projects, launch delays, and overspending. Without further ado, here are 7 online safety training outsourcing secrets every company should commit to memory.

eBook Release: Safety Training Success For SMBs: How To Prep Your Team For A Post-Pandemic Workplace
eBook Release
Safety Training Success For SMBs: How To Prep Your Team For A Post-Pandemic Workplace
Find out how you can implement a successful health and safety training strategy in your organization.

1. Don’t Underestimate In-House Talent

You may be able to wrap up the project internally, at least to a certain extent. For example, your L&D staff already has the necessary skills and eLearning authoring tools. They also have room in their schedule for the additional workload. Thus, you shouldn’t automatically outsource all the safety training tasks without surveying your team’s talents. That said, there are other factors in play, such as development and implementation time. Can your L&D department quickly curate and create resources to keep up with new regulations? Or should you outsource to expedite the process?

2. Hire Outsourcing Partners For TNA Beforehand

Many organizations do all the prep work on their own. Then, when the content provider enters the picture, they hand over the relevant data and let them work their magic. But you may be missing a golden outsourcing opportunity. Many companies offer Training Needs Analysis services to identify hidden gaps and sift through LMS metrics. They evaluate survey findings, business reports, and other crucial data sources. Then help you make sense of the metrics. Thus, you might consider hiring outsourcing partners before the safety training project commences.

3. Niche Know-How Is Crucial

You may be tempted to hire a generalist. An outsourcing jack-of-all-trades who can take on all your online training projects, now and in the future. However, niche expertise is essential. You need a safety training content provider who understands all the implementation pitfalls that come with it. Additionally, they must know how to deliver the information in a way that’s easy to comprehend and can engage employees. This calls for industry experience and coronavirus safety training specialists.

4. RFPs Are Always Worth The Effort

Do you really need to draft a request for proposal? Can’t you just contact your top choices and explain the project? Truthfully, RFPs are always worth the investment in terms of both time and money. Think of requests as a road map that paves the way for vendors. It gives them all the information they need to estimate costs, development time, and resource requirements. The more effort you put into your RFP, the better the responses. In turn, you prevent overspending and project delays because content providers are aware of the project scope.

5. Choose Training Companies That Are Passionate About Your L&D Success

It’s not enough to understand the industry and regional compliance issues. Your online safety training outsourcing vendor must be passionate about what they do. As well as your company’s success. Of course, one of their biggest motivating factors is to make a profit because they’re running a business. But they must also collaborate with your team and prioritize CX. Simply put, top-notch training vendors adapt to the situation and immerse themselves in your brand image to achieve the online training objectives.

6. Major Compromise Is Not Part Of The Package

Hiring a content provider to help you develop safety training courses may involve small sacrifices. For example, you have to invest in an eLearning authoring tool to upkeep content or it may take a week longer than expected to develop the VR safety training simulations. On the other hand, major compromise is not part of the deal. The vendor should never ask you to omit important deliverables or double your budget, for instance. If this is the case, it may be time to consider other vendors. It’s a matter of minor concessions versus deal-breakers. Ultimately, you should be comfortable with the contract terms and conditions.

7. Draw Up A New Contract For Every Outsourcing Project

Some organizations prefer to create a long-term contract with a broader scope. For instance, it includes ten different phases, with five deliverables in each round. All the payment milestones and completion dates are mapped out. However, it’s best to create a separate agreement for small-scale projects so that you can adjust accordingly. For example, evaluate their work after the first round of content and possibly amend/expand the second phase. Even if it’s with the same provider, you should draw up a new contract for every project. Their standard fees may have changed since the last time. Or they need to adjust the development timeline. This also gives you the opportunity to update the deliverables list and itemize costs. Finally, a fresh contract reopens negotiations so that everyone is happy with the agreement.

Whether you’re new to the world of outsourcing or simply want to optimize your strategy, these tips can help. However, you should also start compiling a list of your own based on in-house experience and past projects. Or even create a guide to help your future L&D team avoid common mistakes and achieve maximum value for money. Frequently update the informal handbook to incorporate new online training objectives and required deliverables. This way, you always know what’s next on the outsourcing docket and can prep your budget accordingly.

Health and safety training should be high on your list of L&D priorities, now more than ever. If you want to find everything you need in order to launch an effective safety training strategy for your organization, download the eBook Safety Training Success For SMBs: How To Prep Your Team For A Post-Pandemic Workplace and benefit from its valuable insights and best practices.