Most companies today recognize the value of online training: reduced delivery costs, reduced employee training costs, rapid and simultaneous delivery across regions and staff, consistent and verifiable training and other many other quantifiable factors.
However, companies still struggle with whether they should use catalog or off-the-shelf solutions. There are 5 critical questions to consider when evaluating whether your training needs can be addressed by a general, off-the-shelf eLearning course or if you really need a custom solution, developed especially for your organization.
1. Is the content general in nature or is it specific to my organization? For example, you may need all employees trained on security awareness. A general off-the-shelf course may address the common procedures and protocols that apply universally. However, if you are an organization with very specific challenges related to your business and services, a general course will not suffice. Or if you have custom software or custom sales processes, a generic course simply will not provide the training necessary. It may be time to consider a custom eLearning course.
2. Is my culture unique? Some organizations have structure and nomenclature specific to them. An off-the-shelf course just will not contain these very specific attributes. A custom course will provide the content in a way that feels authentic to and reflective of your organization.
3. Is it important that my learners recognize that the training is applicable to them and their job? Generic courses, even with custom branding, cannot demonstrate that such a course truly applies to a specific organization. To avoid the common learner feedback that the course does not apply to them or their job, a relevant custom eLearning course will eliminate this concern.
4. Will the content change over time and do I want the ability to adapt existing eLearning to those changes? Companies and organizations are dynamic entities. They are not stagnant and must be able to change as their environment and laws change. Custom eLearning allows for updating and adapting the content over time providing for additional longevity of the course.
5. Do I have the budget for custom eLearning? Although custom content development may be (but not always!) more expensive initially, the additional value realized is significant. Firstly, you own that content. You can re-purpose it in any way you desire. And, you can amend, adapt and revise the existing course as needed.
See examples of how other organizations have created custom eLearning, specific to their organizations: eLearning Course Development
