Things to Consider when Selecting a Training Provider
You have to train your staff and you've heard that eLearning is the best route to go down, but you don't know anything about it or where to start! This can be daunting, it's a new world of technology and fancy terminology and may be very intimidating for employers to know where to start. There are certain things that you should consider when selecting your training provider, and here are a few to note down:
Track Record
Much like when you buy most products or services, you want to know if it's any good before you hand over your hard earned cash. This is no difference when selecting a training provider. You want to know who they have worked with previously and if they were satisfied? Will they understand your business?
You are completely within your right to do a bit of digging, ask for demos of previous courses, get some references from past clients and don't just judge the training itself, find out if they were good to work with, did they have relevant ideas and were they flexible and approachable?
Customer Service
Following on from the above point, it is strongly recommended to find out if the potential training provider you are considering has good customer service skills. Are they approachable and responsive? After all you will be working closely with them to transform your training into a work of art that could be reused for years - you want it to be perfect - it's an investment and this can't be achieved if you can never get hold of the training provider or if you struggle to get progress updates.
This is also when you have to ask yourself, what your needs require. Do you require a larger training provider? So a company that is much more established making them a reliable option, with great reviews and a fantastic track record? But may be tricky to contact or lack the personal approach with rigid deadlines and an inflexible plan?
Or do you want a much more bespoke experience, with a smaller company that will be able to dedicate time and effort into your course on a level in which you can be as involved or as little involved as you wish. The smaller option may not have a long list of previous clients but would definitely be able to give your training personal dedication and usually are much more flexible with deadlines etc.
Both options have there place in the world of training but differ greatly, so it is important to consider each option.
Quality
Ofcorse, once you have decided on the training provider based on how they are to work with, it is then just as important to decide if their work is of high quality. Do they know what they are talking about? Do they use interactions, gamification, SCORM files? Do they talk you through LMS options? Are they flexible with you using your own LMS or do you have to purchase theirs? Are the designs user friendly? Do they have a qualified team?
All of this again is something that needs strong consideration when choosing your learning provider as you are buying a service and you want it to be perfect. They need to be able to prove that they don't just talk the talk, but they have time and time again, walked the walk and created strong training.
Consider any additional needs
Once you have got to the point where you know what you want in terms of general details, you now need to truly understand what it is you are asking for. What does your training require?
You need to consider your budget, you may of decided that you want a larger company and you need their LMS - is that within the budget? What about if you need to create the same course in several different languages but need support in providing this, can they help you? Are you giving them content that is exactly correct and needs to stay as it is, or do you need support in shortening it or adding bits in?
All of these features and extra support may seem simple and almost as if they should be part of the service, however a lot of training providers have a rigid plan and can only do so much. You need to really understand what it is you are asking for before signing the dotted line.
