How To Save Time And Cut Costs In Extended Enterprise Online Training
Organizations always seek a partnership in order to grow and expand. They need to be able to extend to new markets without having to hire dedicated teams in every locale, which has led to the rise of the extended enterprise concept.
However, this immense opportunity leads to immense training challenges. A joint training program will consume time and resources, especially when it comes to planning and logistics. Learning technologies can minimize this headache. In the digital age, all you need to provide relevant online training materials across the board is internet access. Here are 7 tips to help you cut costs, save time, and maximize results in Extended Enterprise online training.
1. Identify Your Target Audience
When organizing an Extended Enterprise online training course, it is pertinent to identify your target audience. This will help you create online training content that is useful to external partners instead of trying to cover too much ground.
If the goal of Extended Enterprise online training is improved customer relations, it is ideal to focus on public relation organizations. As a result, your organization needs not to waste time instructing external teams who have absolutely no need for those specific training tools. Similarly, it will help you concentrate on the intended participants and relevant performance pain points.
2. Set Measurable Goals
All online training initiatives require sufficient resources. This also applies to Extended Enterprise online training. However, despite its importance, the budget is the first place executives look when trying to trim expenses. All online training programs require both development and ongoing maintenance costs. The catch is that you must have a way to prove that external partner online training is worth those resources.
This involves measurable goals and outcomes to validate the Extended Enterprise online training program. Clarify what you hope to achieve and how you’re going to monitor the results. For example, through weekly assessments, LMS reports, and surveys. This will also help you fund the corporate eLearning project as soon as possible to avoid any budgeting bottlenecks thanks to the fact that upper management knows about the benefits your Extended Enterprise online training can bring.
3. Enlist The Experts
To teach, you must first know. After having identified your goals and target audience, the next step is to make a decision about the key players. Of course, you will not get a human resource expert to speak on a topic about company image, as this will be a waste of time and resources. You should contact Subject Matter Experts and presenters early on so they can pencil in the corporate eLearning project.
Hiring experts may seem counterproductive if you’re trying to cut costs. However, they’re more likely to provide credible and reliable information, as well as create more effective online training resources. Which means that you get high-quality content the first time around instead of having to pay someone else to redo the work.
4. Create Quality Content
Since we’re on the subject of top-notch content. You wouldn't want to spend all that money and time implementing an LMS platform to end up delivering poor quality materials. You must provide external partners with meaningful online training content which allows them to more effectively comprehend the subject matter and achieve the desired learning outcomes.
As an added bonus, good content can be recycled for different teams or departments in the supply chain at different times. All you need to do is customize the online training resources to the specific needs of the target audience.
5. Choose The Right Learning Management System
The next step is choosing an LMS that goes beyond PDF and PowerPoint. Select an LMS for Extended Enterprise training with an asset or microlearning online training library. This enhances the User Experience, so each partner can access online training materials and individualized paths.
Additionally, it’s wise to invest in an LMS platform that enhances self-paced learning and features a course builder that supports multimedia content. Assessment engines are another engagement tool that will help quantify responses and progress. Finding a credible LMS platform will help you save money and reduce the time needed to master the software.
6. Aim For Sustainability
Ultimately, Extended Enterprise online training needs to be sustainable in order to improve ROI. Traditional training is expensive, as it involves printed training materials, travel expenses, and site rental fees. With Extended Enterprise online training, however, all materials are available with just a click of a button. You can further enhance the cost-saving benefits by properly documenting your external partner program and ensuring the online training resources are well organized and easy to maintain. For example, use eLearning templates that allow you to quickly update online training material to reflect new rules or regulations.
7. Gather eLearning Feedback
eLearning feedback gives you greater insight into your Extended Enterprise online training course. Specifically, whether it lives up to expectations or falls short. You have access to LMS reports that highlight areas for improvement so that you can focus your efforts. Thereby, streamlining your online training strategy and cutting costs where appropriate. For example, your product knowledge online training tutorials have low engagement scores. This means that they may need some work to bring them up to par and get a better ROI.
These 7 tips can help you cut costs and save time for your next Extended Enterprise online training course. As a plus, they don’t negatively impact the quality of the online training by cutting corners, but maximize the benefits for your organization and external partners.
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