How to Choose an E-learning Consultant for Online Employee Training
When you want measurable results from your online training program, you need to work with the right e-learning consultant. It is not easy to create a training program, let alone one that will be used online. When you do not have the right people handling the project, you might end up with something that is not useful or informative. Which will likely cost you even more.
Working with an e-learning consultant gives you several options to expand your training program. Additionally, it allows you to tailor it to fit the needs of the users. With a professional e-learning program, they consider your company's goals alongside the results you want. The performance of every participant is tracked, permitting you to identify gaps in skills and knowledge, and allowing you to find solutions to the problems.
Pros of hiring an e-learning and HR systems consultant
Elearning consultants are experts at what they do. They can handle a variety of tasks, such as elearning development and HR system integration, advise on improving the ROI of your online training course, or developing multimedia content for your next training course. However, they work independently with their tight team of professionals. All of which have specific sets of skills, experience, and vast knowledge of e-learning.
With an e-learning consultant, you can reduce development costs because a team may only consist of three e-learning professionals. You can hire them on a per-project basis, to design and execute the training course.
You can streamline your communication because you will be working with a small group. Independent e-learning professionals usually accept only a few projects at once, which gives them more time to focus on your project.
You benefit from their vast experience. They have experience in the field and they have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter. They keep up to date on the developments, trends, and new technologies that relate to e-learning, which helps them to produce effective training content for different types of online training courses.
Choosing the right consultant for your e-learning program
Meet the team and enquire about theirdevelopment approach. You must know their development approach and work process. Ask how they will communicate with you and the frequency of communication. Know the resources they will need to develop and produce the e-learning course. Also, you need to know if they have worked with similar projects.
Check how they handle information security. Your training program may contain sensitive information. The consultant should be willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Check how they store your online data and what security protocols they have in place.
Establish suitable communication methods. The development of an e-learning course takes time. Therefore, you should establish a communication method and a schedule for follow-ups and updates. Do you prefer to talk by phone or do you want to receive emails for queries and updates? Will they give you access to a project management app? You can check how quickly they respond to emails and their manner of communicating with you.
Timeline for the project development. Disclose all the specifications you have for your e-learning project and request the consultant to send a detailed timeline. The schedule should include all the milestones of the project, delivery dates, tools, and itemized cost breakdown.
Working with an e-learning consultant is more effective if you want a targeted online training course. Close coordination is required if you want the course to produce the desired results.
