Skip to content

Why Should You Avail the Services of an E-learning Vendor?

E-learning development is much an art as a science and requires the collaboration of various highly specialized skill sets such as instructional designers, graphic designers, authoring tool experts, and technology specialists. To avoid problems in managing such as huge pool of resources and concentrate on their core functions, organization tend to outsource their e-learning requirements.

According to a research report (2014-2016) submitted by Docebo, companies outsource 42% of their training budget. Many countries, especially in the West, opt to hire offshore eLearning vendors from countries where labor is cheaper.

That said, people are still apprehensive about outsourcing to an offshore provider. Questions cloud their mind whether it’s a good idea to use the services of a vendor or go with the tradition of hiring personnel and getting the job done. This post takes you through the benefits you gain from choosing the right eLearning provider for your projects.

4 Compelling Reasons to Outsource E-learning [Infographic]

Better Access to Expertise and Development Practices

Outsourced firms are specialized. There are passionate about the job they do. They go to conferences; they blog about the latest trends, they use the latest software tools, etc. You can leverage their experience gained across many projects. For example, we at CommLab India have completed more than 500 projects so far. We have been an offshore partner to several clients from 30 countries, for over 17 years. We are well-versed with our clients’ learning curve and requirements, and have all the skills to deliver successfully. In all likelihood, an eLearning vendor will complete the project earlier as against 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 the Western countries. You can expect high-quality experts from this region, who work for low hourly rates. The right course is to look for the best eLearning that fits your budget.

A One-Stop Shop Benefit

An eLearning vendor will act as a one-stop shop for all your eLearning requirements. They will have a team of designers, developers, project managers, technology experts to meet your needs. They can design an eLearning course, develop the course using rapid authoring tools, they can also translate the courses to multiple languages and then host them on a learning management system (LMS). You can also expect them to do multimedia work such as developing videos, eBooks, and infographics for you. You just have to give them your requirement 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 delicate tasks and remain focused on your organizational goals. You don’t have to train new employees as the tasks can be outsourced to qualified 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, but when you outsource your eLearning, you’ll be able to have the exact team required for your eLearning initiatives, whether it’s 10 designers or 150. Imagine doing it in-house? Your scalability is only as high as the number of designers and developers you’ve hired and hiring a large number can be both time consuming and incredibly expensive for a one-off project.

Tips to Collaborate with eLearning Outsourcing Partner

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 someone who does it 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, ensure on-time project submission, and cost-effectiveness.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in August 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

eLearning Development Outsourcing: A Comprehensive eGuide to Select the Right Vendor