So you have finally signed the contract with an elearning content vendor. The feeling of knowing that soon you will have world-class training content for your employees is pretty sweet.
However, if you are anything like us, there’s a voice in the back of your head that speaks the language of doubt.
“What if they don’t deliver on time?”
“What if the course content isn’t as great as I expect it to be?”
“Will I have to spend hours with them working on revisions?”
“Will they be receptive of my review?”
If any of these questions sound familiar, you’ve come to the right place.
Like most other things, the first time working with a content provider can be confusing. This confusion can easily lead up to disappointments down the line.
To avoid said disappointments, and make the most of your partnership with your new content provider, there is some effort required from your side.
Here are a few ways you can ensure you are enjoying the maximum advantage of working with an elearning provider:
Communicate Often, Communicate Clearly
In any collaboration, communication gaps are one of the most common reasons for delays and problems. In the case of elearning content, inefficient communication can not only lead to delays in the delivery, it can also affect the quality of the end product.
For these reasons, it is important for you to communicate your vision and objectives clearly. Moreover, it is important to be vocal about any changes or edits that you want in the content. It is also important to communicate these expectations often to ensure your message is getting across clearly.
There is also the case of organisations that facilitate a collaboration between their in house subject matter experts and elearning vendors. If you fall in this category, make sure your subject matter experts are equipped with all the tools they will need for a successful collaboration.
Understand That Meeting Deadlines Is A Joint Effort
Your elearning content provider will work on content excerpts and assets provided by you and turn them into training material that is tailored to the needs of your organisation.
This means, if you want them to be strict with their deadlines, it is important that you stay true to your deadlines for giving them the promised assets.
If, for instance, you were to provide your existing sales scripts for the development of a sales training module, and you delay the delivery by five days, you must expect a delay of minimum five days in the delivery of the finished product from your vendor.
This delay can be even longer if you are working with a busy vendor as they might have committed their resources elsewhere on those days.
Don’t Confuse Reviewing With Verifying
When your vendor sends you a piece of content, the first order of business is to review and suggest changes. Next, once these changes have been accommodated, you will receive the second draft of the same content, for verification. At this step, you are expected to verify if the changes you suggested have been incorporated to your satisfaction. This step is NOT meant for you to suggest more changes.
This means, when reviewing a piece of content, make sure you are as thorough as possible. Suggesting more changes in the verification step will only cause delays and lead to frustration.
Conclusion
The conclusion here is simple. Even if you have conducted thorough research and signed with the best elearning provider out there, producing great training content while respecting deadlines is a team effort. Remember, it is more of “they are working with you” and less of “they are working for you”.
