Over the last two decades, organizations have seen
tremendous value in outsourcing corporate eLearning development. In this
article, I outline 5 practical tips that you can use to maximize the gains from
outsourcing.
Maximize Your Gains From Outsourcing Corporate eLearning
Development
Outsourcing corporate eLearning development is an
established practice and has been there for over two decades now. The success
stories across the world clearly highlight that it delivers the required
benefits.
Consider the following data that enumerates the impact
of outsourcing eLearning
content development:
- Based
on a Docebo report, companies allocate roughly 42% of their budget on
outsourced online training services. This is a strong indication that
organizations acknowledge the importance of investing in L&D in order
to improve training ROI. They know that hiring a trained eLearning
professional will provide them with the experience and skills they
require.
- Traditional
classroom training involves a lot of travel. eLearning has the
potential to reduce the combined cost by as much as 70%. However,
outsourcing eLearning gives you the ability to reap these budget benefits,
even if you don’t have the time or know-how.
- Larger
organizations tend to outsource more of their online training needs
than mid-size organizations. In fact, 60% of large companies reported that
they outsourced some, if not all, of their online training efforts. This
may be attributed to the fact that eLearning is so flexible and adaptable,
as it is constantly improved to match industry standards.
In this article, I highlight the top 8 benefits for which
outsourcing of corporate eLearning development is done. Then I share 5
practical tips that you can use to maximize this gain.
Top 8 Benefits Of Outsourcing Corporate eLearning
Development
- Reduction
in costs
This typically is the first reason and the most obvious benefit that the outsourcing of corporate eLearning development brings to the table. Furthermore, it brings the added value of getting more done in a shorter time with the required quality. - Flexibility
to scale up or down
The organizational business needs are dynamic, and they often lead to headcount increase/reduction to manage the training needs. While this is difficult to do with your in-house team, this flexibility to access additional resources, when needed is the second biggest benefit that outsourcing of corporate eLearning development offers. - Access
to new skill sets and more varied talent in a given domain
Authoring tools and related technologies are changing so rapidly that it is virtually impossible to keep track of all of them. Equally tough is the mandate to have in-house expertise across all of these. This is where outsourcing corporate eLearning development gives you yet another significant advantage as you can now bridge the specific skill gap with ease. - Faster
turnaround time
Most outsourcing partnerships give you access to a dedicated talent pool that can be used to complete your projects in a relatively shorter time. - Access
to the best practices leading to the optimization of your development
practices
While you may have a great in-house practice for eLearning content development, there is always room for further improvement and optimization. This too is possible as you consider outsourcing corporate eLearning development wherein your partner’s capabilities can help you enhance your current approach further. - Addition
of more innovative solutions to your portfolio
While most eLearning development organizations have access to a similar portfolio of tools and technologies, your partner can add value to your learning designs through innovative and creative Instructional Design approaches. - Enhanced
focus on your customers
Whether you are servicing internal or external customers, outsourcing the development of your eLearning content provides your internal team with additional bandwidth to pick up other related aspects. These could help you devote quality time with your customers that can help you create further business opportunities. - Focus
on strategic activities
As an extension, the delegation of outsourcing corporate eLearning development frees up your team’s calendar that can be better spent on strategic initiatives.
What Are The Tips That Can Help You Maximize Tthe Gains from
Outsourcing Corporate eLearning Development?
Now, I share 5 practical tips that will enable you to
maximize the gains from the outsourcing corporate eLearning development
initiative and see gains beyond the benefits highlighted here.
Tip 1: Refine Your Approach And Factor For The “New
Normal”
There has been a sea change in the online training offering
in the last couple of years. There has been a significant transition in many
aspects including the change in devices learning happens on (read smartphones)
to the kind of learning experiences learners want (read microlearning,
video-based learning, gamification, and so on).
As a result, these aspects need to be incorporated into your
charter, and this new set of needs should be used as you outsource corporate
eLearning development.
Some of the key trends that you should factor are listed
here:
- Mobile
learning in contrast to traditional eLearning
- Conversion
of Instructor Led Training (ILT) to blended or fully online training
- Mobile
learning solution designs featuring both mobile friendly (adaptive) and
mobile-first formats (fully responsive)
- Microlearning
- Approaches
that are fun yet provide serious learning experiences (like gamification,
videos, and animated videos)
- Learning
paths that include both formal training and informal training
- Social
or collaborative learning
- Personalization
of learning
- Content
curation and user-generated content
Look for a partner who can fulfill these learning
approaches.
Tip 2: Identify Measures To Collaborate, Communicate,
Review, And Work Effectively In The Distributed Development
Whether you select an onshore, a near shore, or an offshore
partner, the success of outsourcing
corporate eLearning development hinges on the model that is in place.
Look for a partner who has the required frameworks for
online collaboration, communication, and review to maximize your gain.
Tip 3: Change To Agile Development Methodology
The usage of Agile development methodology is an established
practice in software development.
Now, its usage in eLearning content development has created
a different approach that focuses on an iterative process that emphasizes
continuous quality improvement.
- It
includes “huddles” that bring all stakeholders (yours and your partner’s
teams) on the same page.
- The
development happens over small chunks that are built in short “sprints”.
There is room to iterate and enhance the learning experience at each
sprint.
- It
reduces the overall development time and provides higher predictability.
This is another significant aspect that you should look
in a partner for as you carry out outsourcing corporate eLearning development.
Tip 4: Enhance The Workflow By Integrating Techniques
Like Design Thinking
As an extension of the Agile approach, you should also
evaluate the integration of the design-thinking approach that enables your team
to collaborate innovatively with partner teams. The result is a solution that
aligns better with your mandate.
This, too, is an important aspect that you should look
for as you outsource your corporate eLearning development.
Tip 5: Establish Methodologies That Can Measure And
Enhance Your ROI
A positive ROI is the final litmus test in determining the
success of your initiative. This success is an aggregation of many aspects
notably:
- Learner
reaction
- Sticky
learning strategies
- Learning
effectiveness or learnability
- Support
to learners at the moment of their need (supplementing formal training
with Performance Support Tools/job aids that are available to the learners
within their workflow)
- Measurement
of the gain/business impact
Look for a partner who can work with you not just for
content development but who can add value across the spectrum from Training
Needs Analysis (TNA) to training evaluation and ROI computation.
I hope this article provides insights into the benefits of
outsourcing corporate eLearning development. I hope my tips will help you reap
further gains from the outsourcing of your corporate eLearning development.
If you have any queries or need any specific support, do
contact me at apandey@eidesign.net.
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