There’s no doubt about it—the moment you hire a training and development vendor like AllenComm to create custom training content, you’ve just added a critical partner to your team. How do you know if you’re picking the right partner? Here are five questions to ask to ensure you’re teaming up with the right vendor to create the custom training your organization needs.
1. Does your training partner have the performance history you’re looking for?
Potential corporate training partners should always be ready and able to provide examples of client successes. Not only does this showcase their expertise in the industry, but it ensures your vendor has been a positive, effective partner for other clients. Case studies, examples of working with teams on solutions like yours, and positive stories from other clients go a long way in highlighting a vendor’s great reputation.
2. Can they tailor the training for your organization?
The best training partners will prioritize research and company evaluations to understand the audience they’re training. Beyond that, they’ll also ensure they’re adjusting content to fit the values that represent your company. Ask your vendor what they’ll do to adapt their approach to your business. How will they ensure their training impacts performance for employees while working within your organization’s culture?
3. Are they focused on getting your training objectives right?
The key to effective training is setting clear and measurable goals at the outset. The best firms will sit down with you for an objective-setting session at the beginning of the design process. Ask potential training providers for evidence of how they will measure the impact of their work in your business. Whether you’re looking for relatively simple onboarding, to more in-depth leadership training, how will their training deliver your objectives?
4. Are they willing to collaborate with you?
Creating the right training for your group should be a collaborative process. You should feel that you have the authority (as well as the freedom) to offer input and feedback, and your vendor should have tools in place that involve you in the creative process. They should also clarify what is expected of you as a client throughout each stage of the process.
5. Does the vendor have the resources to create the right solution for you?
Look for a training vendor that employs not just design strategists, but also creative writers, designers, animators, and video production crews to make your training really come to life. Modern training companies will have a team of web developers to create interactive content that’s both online and mobile-friendly. A truly great partner will also provide solid project management to ensure deadlines are met, budgets are kept, and everything stays organized.
Conclusion
Find an e-learning team with whom you can work well and who are genuine enough to earn your trust. Make sure they have a solid reputation of delivering effective training for past clients, are willing to do the work and research to understand your company and its learners, can utilize all the latest learning methodologies, and have the tools and talent to create interactive training that will really make a difference for your company. After understanding these five areas, you should feel more confident in choosing a provider to trust with your training.