Hiring A Professional eLearning Development Service Provider

With the development of web technologies and multimedia, eLearning has become the preferred mode of training delivery across industries. However, this shift toward eLearning has also led to another problem area for the L&D managers. Developing eLearning courses that are effective and efficient is a highly specialized job. Multidisciplinary skills are needed to develop eLearning modules. The best way out for the L&D department is to hire a professional eLearning development service provider.

Choosing the right development partner is not an easy task. If you are not able to find the right developer, chances are high that your Return On Investment will be unsatisfactory, and the workforce will suffer from mediocre skills. How do you select the best eLearning service provider? Well, there is no black and white approach as such. It depends on how you go about the selection process—formal tendering or the normal selection process. Let’s first consider the normal selection process. Here are some tips, or rather points, that you should consider.

Preselection

Every eLearning development company will claim that they are the best. So, how do you shortlist companies for selection?

• Check the portfolio
  Every eLearning company will have a demo courses portfolio on its website. Go through the demo(s) and look for detailing.
• Check the client list
  Every eLearning company publishes/shares its client list to boost its prospects. Check if they have created courses for a client in the same industry as you. Also, check the variety of industries they have catered to.
• Check the cost
  Costing plays a critical role in eLearning development. Get price quotes to decide whether they fit into your budget.
• Check your network for word-of-mouth recommendations
  If anyone in your network has worked with any eLearning development companies, take their feedback about the company.

During Selection

Once you have short-listed a few companies, you should:

• Ask for proper demo courses or portfolios to evaluate.
• Talk to their learning architects/learning designers. See if their thought process aligns with yours. This is a very critical step as the effectiveness of the module will depend a lot on how it is designed.
• Check their design, development, testing, and project management processes. eLearning development is a very process-driven industry. If the proper processes are not followed, there will be unwanted glitches.
• If possible, get a sample course or a proof of concept developed by the company, following the exact process/lifecycle that will be followed for the final product. This is a critical activity that will iron out any lack of communication or understanding between the two parties. A successful sample or demo created from your own content will give both the parties necessary confidence and much-needed understanding. This is very important when you have a large number of modules to be developed. You don’t want to get stuck with someone you are not very confident with or not in sync with.
• Verify the service package. eLearning development involves various activities right from conceptualizing the course design to final support and maintenance. Be very clear about all the services you need from the service provider. Make sure all the services are included in the scope and covered within your budget.
• Agree on a timeline. Timelines are very critical for any successful project. Make sure that your service provider agrees with the timeline that you are expecting.

After Selection

Once you have selected the service provider, you start working with them. This is the time you can evaluate them.

• Evaluate responsiveness to your queries/requests.
• Check the capability to meet the timelines agreed.
• Check the service-level agreement.
• Check the quality of the training material.
• Do an ROI analysis.

If you follow a formal tendering process, you can follow a similar pattern, with the preselection process being replaced by your tender. Make sure you give detailed requirements so that you get worthwhile responses. Ask specific questions, for specific samples, and a detailed cost breakup.

Creating learning modules is an ongoing process and so is the association with your eLearning developer. It is important that you choose the right partner and develop a healthy engagement for your mutual benefit.

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