Designing and developing impactful training courses can be tricky. Read this blog to know when and why you should consider opting for eLearning outsourcing.
Effective eLearning design and development is integral to successful corporate training. However, crafting engaging courses requires a blend of creativity and technical know-how. This demands collaboration between highly specialized skill sets and a variety of roles, such as instructional designers, graphic designers, eLearning authoring tool experts, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), and technology specialists. But ensuring a streamlined workflow process and managing all the resources can be more difficult than it seems. Thus, motivating organizations to consider eLearning outsourcing.
Download eBook: A Practical Guide to Outsourcing eLearning Design & Development
Table of Contents
- What is eLearning Outsourcing?
- When Should You Opt for eLearning Outsourcing?
- What Are the Benefits of eLearning Outsourcing?
- How to Collaborate with Your eLearning Outsourcing Partner Effectively?
What is eLearning Outsourcing?
eLearning outsourcing involves partnering with a specialized external eLearning vendor to design and develop your training content. It allows you to enjoy the perks of the latest tools and technology along with leveraging the expertise of instructional designers, multimedia specialists, Subject Matter Experts, authoring tool experts, and technology specialists, often at a lower cost than building a complete in-house team. Moreover, eLearning outsourcing expedites your project timelines and enables you to deliver high-quality, engaging learning experiences to your employees.
When Should You Opt for eLearning Outsourcing?
Many organizations face the question: should they build their eLearning programs in-house, or consider outsourcing? Here’s an infographic to help you make the right choice.
![4 Compelling Reasons to Outsource E-learning [Infographic]](https://resources.commlabindia.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/why-outsource-elearning-infographic-1.png "4 Compelling Reasons to Outsource E-learning [Infographic]")
Evidently, eLearning outsourcing can come in handy for a variety of reasons. Now let’s take a look at the benefits.
What Are the Benefits of eLearning Outsourcing?
Wish to Go Ahead with eLearning Outsourcing but Need Some Solid Reasons?
Here’s your list:
- Better Access to Expertise and Development Practices
- Pay Less, Get More
- A One-Stop Shop Benefit
- You Can Focus on Your Core Business
- Scalability
- Export the Risk and Import Better Quality by Using Specialists
Better Access to Expertise and Development Practices
eLearning vendors are specialized in designing and delivering eLearning courses. From instructional designers to multimedia asset creators, they have a team that is passionate about the job it does. Moreover, they attend conferences, learn and apply new skills, use the latest eLearning authoring tools, etc. You can leverage the experience they have gained by working on various eLearning projects. We strive to understand the client’s requirements and have all the skills to deliver successfully. In all likelihood, an eLearning vendor will complete the project earlier than the in-house team.
Pay Less, Get More
Building a team is tough, you need to hire good employees and train them. Also, you will need to invest in rapid authoring tools and set up the infrastructure to support eLearning initiatives. All of these things will cost you time and money.
Outsourcing, when done well, improves margins and cash flows. The average cost of an eLearning designer/developer is far less in Asia than it is in Western countries. You can expect high-quality experts from this region, who work on comparatively low hourly rates. The right approach is to look for the best eLearning outsourcing partner that fits your budget.
A One-Stop Shop Benefit
An eLearning vendor will act as a one-stop shop for all your eLearning requirements. You will have ready access to a team of designers, developers, project managers, and technology experts to work on your eLearning course needs. They can design an eLearning course, develop the course using rapid authoring tools, translate the courses to multiple languages, and then host them on a learning management system (LMS).
Watch this video to know about the benefits of hosting your course on a Learning Management System.
In addition to all the major eLearning design and development tasks, they can also help you with multimedia work such as developing videos, eBooks, and infographics. You just have to give them your requirements and they will take care of the rest.
You Can Focus on Your Core Business
Outsourcing eLearning allows you to focus on your company’s core competencies and other functions of your business, such as marketing, sales, customer service, etc. You and your employees will have more time for important, high-priority tasks and can remain focused on your organizational goals. Furthermore, you can ditch the hassle of training the new in-house eLearning design and development team as the tasks are taken care of by qualified eLearning outsourcing professionals. You and your employees won’t have to juggle too many tasks.
Scalability
Outsourcing to an eLearning vendor allows you to scale effortlessly. The number of designers and developers you need will vary from project to project, and when you outsource your eLearning projects, you’ll get the exact number of team members that are required for your eLearning initiatives. So whether it’s 10 designers or 150, with eLearning outsourcing, consider it done! If you take up this task in-house, then your scope of scalability is only as high as the number of designers and developers you’ve hired. And if you plan on hiring a large number, it can be both time-consuming and incredibly expensive.
A Practical Guide to Outsourcing eLearning Design & Development
Ensure a seamless collaboration with eLearning outsourcing vendors.
- Must-do Tasks Before Outsourcing
- Best Practices
- Tips to Select the Right eLearning Vendor
- And More!
Export the Risk and Import Better Quality by Using Specialists
Developing in-house might involve risks such as missing deadlines or ending up developing a course with poor design standards. Also, as the project date extends, the cost of the project gets higher. If you outsource the eLearning development to a vendor who basically handles eLearning design and development for a living, chances are the output will be much better than what you could have made yourself. Whether your eLearning is used for internal employees or your extended partners, you’ll want your learners to remember, retain, and apply your content. This is what a good eLearning course does, with good instructional design principles applied to it. In short, by choosing an eLearning vendor for your corporate training needs, you will lessen the burden of in-house development, and ensure on-time project submission, and cost-effectiveness.
How to Collaborate with Your eLearning Outsourcing Partner Effectively?
Collaborating with your eLearning outsourcing partner can be tricky! So here’s a visual guide on how you can make the most of your collaboration with your eLearning outsourcing vendor.
In The End!
By opting for eLearning outsourcing, you can transform your L&D initiatives into innovative, engaging, and learner-centric learning experiences that boost knowledge retention and enhance employee performance. Moreover, eLearning outsourcing will empower your internal L&D team to focus on its core competencies while ensuring a world-class training experience that drives measurable business results. While all these benefits are really amazing, the key lies in finding the right vendor for eLearning outsourcing. So to put your best foot forward, check out our comprehensive guide on outsourcing eLearning design and development now.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
