An Insightful Approach Towards Outsourcing Your Onboarding Training
There are many benefits to outsourcing your employee onboarding needs to an external corporate training company, but there are 10 factors you should consider beforehand to ensure you are making the best decision.
1. Budget
One of the most important factors to consider is the amount of money you have to put towards training. this is the first factor to consider. In a recent study, 42% of the participating companies reported that their training budgets have increased [1]. Another 43% stated that their training budgets have remained the same [1]. If you have a very limited budget, you can then quickly determine that outsourcing is not a likely option. On the other hand, for those with increasing budgets or those who have a dedicated portion of the budget to utilize for training purposes then you should consider then next 9 factors in this list.
2. Time
Creating a comprehensive training program, even a small one can be time-consuming. Especially when you consider the time and effort that goes into planning the course and creating the additional materials that go along with it. If your L&D department already has a heavy workload outsourcing your onboarding training projects could help your organization save time by lightening the load.
3. Resources
Another factor to consider is whether you have the resources necessary to create a world-class onboarding program. Do you have a Learning Management System or content development tools? 77% of organizations use some form of eLearning [2]. Online training and other methods commonly used are more easily developed and managed with these kinds of tools. Outside vendors who specialize in corporate training have access to technology that will help them create and implement a streamlined onboarding process for your organization.
4. Expertise
Do the L&D professionals at your organization have experience creating onboarding programs or training materials? If you have an employee who is knowledgeable and experienced with onboarding programs, then you may be able to keep the project inhouse. It usually takes a team for a large onboarding project to be done well and you want everyone one on your team to ideally be an expert. This is the benefit of outsourcing. Outside vendors specialize in training so they know exactly what needs to be done to create the most effective program for your organization.
5. Communication
When deciding whether to outsource training clear communication should also be a factor that is considered. Some projects are more easily completed with a team that can meet in person or check-in frequently. However, with modern technology, it is easy to have a distributed team, or an outside company work on specific projects and still have clear communication.
6. Project Size/Type
Project size is a huge factor when deciding whether you should outsource your training needs. If you have a small team and large training project outsourcing probably makes more sense for your organization. Outsourcing makes sense for most large-scale projects because they require more resources, expert knowledge, and larger teams to get the work done. The type of project is also a factor. Some companies choose to outsource specific pieces of their onboarding training. The most common types of projects that are outsourced are custom content creation and the facilitation of instruction [3].
7. Quality
You not only need to think of the project size but the quality of work you are aiming for. One of the benefits of working with a training company is that they have the specific industry knowledge and experience creating quality programs and they have samples, case studies and other proof of their previous works quality so you know what to expect.
8. Liabilities
Depending on your industry there may be laws and regulations you need to follow when training new employees whether its compliance or safety-related. This is something to consider. If you outsource training with a company who is familiar with the rules and regulations that must be followed this may be the easier route. However, in-house training gives you a certain amount of control and the ability to monitor whether or not training is meeting the necessary standards.
9. Productivity
Think about how outsourcing may impact productivity. Depending on how you choose to go about training this could impact efficiency in a few different ways. If you have an in-house team put together your onboarding program, it could slow down the progress of other projects or daily tasks they may be working on. If you decide to outsource the creation of your training, there may be little to no disruption of productivity. Another factor to consider is whether the training program itself would be done on-site like with most onboarding programs or if it would be implemented elsewhere. Training of any kind that requires employees to go off-site lowers productivity the most and should be planned for.
10. Potential Partnerships
Before you decide to outsource your onboarding needs it is always a good idea to do some research beforehand to determine what your options are. Each company you could potentially work with has their own rates and specialties. Taking a closer look at what outsourcing would look like with different companies you are considering can help you determine if it is even something you want to do at all. If it is, you will already have an idea of who you would like to work with and you will know what questions to ask them to ensure they are the right fit.
Conclusion
Overall, creating an onboarding training program can be an overwhelming task. It can be difficult to determine if outsourcing is the best option for your organization. Each company and their training needs are unique. These 10 tips/factors will help you determine whether outsourcing is the best decision for your organization. Evaluating your resources and the scope of future projects will give you a deeper understanding of what you need to create a world-class onboarding program for your organization. Download the eBook The Definitive Guide To Onboarding Programs and discover essential reasons why you should improve your onboarding program.
References:
[1] Leadership Development Blog
[2] Why Companies Choose to Outsource Training Design and Development
[3] Extent of outsourcing in all companies in the training industry in the United States in 2019
