“To outsource or not to outsource”—that is the question. Should you partner with an instructional designer? Or should you try to develop your training programs all by yourself?
Well, given that we’re an eLearning agency, you could guess what our answer is. But today, we’re going further than giving you a straight answer.
We’re going to unravel five strong reasons in favor of outsourcing instructional design projects. And you’re going to find out why asking for help will free up your resources and enable you to deliver higher-quality training solutions.
Does Outsourcing Instructional Design Make Sense?
Sometimes, the term “outsourcing” has a negative connotation. And some executives associate it with sloppily developing low-cost projects. But they couldn’t be more wrong!
Because they don’t know that
- First, the eLearning industry is highly technical and heavily focuses on how its teams perform.
- Second, if your training project is urgent, eLearning already has the answer to your needs. And that answer is the rapid development of eLearning solutions.
But let’s explore the perks of outsourcing in detail now.
Why Outsourcing Instructional Design Is Your Best Option
Here’s why you should consider outsourcing your next eLearning project:
1. Cost Reduction
Having an eLearning agency do the heavy lifting—to develop your training programs—is very convenient. They have all the resources and expertise in place.
Besides, outsourcing instructional design frees up your staff’s time and your company’s budget so that product development projects can receive more attention. And we’re sure your industry experts enjoy those much more.
But the benefit underlying both the convenience and the focus allowed by outsourcing instructional design is cost savings. Because if you build an instructional design team in-house from the ground up, you’ll end up spending more. On the other hand, an eLearning agency can deliver effective eLearning solutions that don’t cost more than you can afford.
2. Better Design
Truthfully, an in-house instructional design team gives you more control over its human resources. But if you think about it, when you outsource an eLearning agency, you are the client. This means you get to sign off on any budget change and the final delivery.
You’ll also rely on highly-skilled eLearning specialists who’ll develop a professional product for you. And that includes a more effective, engaging, and innovative learning experience design and training solution.
3. Timing
If you need an instructional design solution ready as fast as possible, hire an eLearning agency. Tight turnarounds and project management is the bread and butter of these companies. And out of curiosity, they use strategies such as the SAM model to prioritize rapid development over perfection.
Of course, outsourcing works best if the eLearning project doesn’t require a lot of your employees’ support. Ideally, you explain your needs to the agency, hand them existing materials, and then, it’s up to them to create the training solution that fulfills your needs.
But we’re not going to lie. In some cases, the eLearning agency will need to work with SMEs from your staff and speak with you or them long enough to get the answers to the 5 Ws in eLearning. That’s precious information that’ll help them build your training program and make it effective.
4. Expertise
If your company doesn’t have an in-house instructional design team, it lacks expertise in that field. And hasn’t mastered the learning experience design process for sure. But eLearning agencies have!
Plus, they’re continuously keeping up with innovative training methods. That’s why they’re well-equipped to pair each training topic with the most appropriate training method.
5. Scale
In the contemporary market, going global is on the roadmap of many companies. But even if your business wants to grow locally only, scaling your training programs to build more competencies is a must.
And unless your organization develops numerous eLearning projects itself, scaling is a headache. You’d need many staff members devoted to instructional design and related disciplines not to limit your capacity in that arena.
But we’re not only talking about the scale of your business or eLearning team. We’re also talking about your project’s scale—or scope.
Outsourcing its development gets more human power involved. And increasing the scale of the instructional design team gives your project the attention it deserves. Moreover, by reducing costs, you can raise the project’s scale altogether.
Take Note of Our Advice
If you don’t have the in-house capacity, don’t try to develop your training programs yourself. Partner with an instructional designer instead to reduce costs and improve quality.
And depending on the urgency and size of your project, outsource its development to an eLearning agency like us, ELM. It’s a win-win decision for you and your employees, who’ll learn new competencies effectively and dedicate more time to doing what they love. Drop us a line if you want to know what outsourcing instructional design with us looks like!
