Flexible Learning Designs: Outsourcing Customizable E-Learning Content to Align with Ever-Evolving Training Needs

In today's world where everything happens at a lightning-fast pace, not surprisingly, companies have got into a race so that they can keep up with constantly changing kill requirements and newer technological developments. Hence, with no other options left, companies across the globe have to put in about millions or billions of dollars in order to ensure that employees are in sync with the knowledge needs of the marketplace. 

However, if companies choose to go for in-house built traditional training methods, and that too one-size-fits-all programs, then it can backfire and there is a huge likelihood that it may fall short in terms of meeting the unique and varied needs of the modern training requirements. 

Importantly, just like a square peg won’t fit in a round hole, a rigid and same type of in-house training for all employees may struggle to suit learners’ knowledge absorption needs; especially, in the current times where incorporating flexibility and adaptability in training are highly essential and unignorable.
To understand this situation, think that a company wants to train both new recruits as well as experienced employees with the same kind of training approach (without giving consideration to their knowledge growth needs). Elaborately put, the new hires may require strong training on foundational skills related to their work tasks, while seasoned employees (already having deep knowledge about the existing work processes) might require advanced and role-specific training that would be helpful for them in the future. 

For example, a newly appointed marketing assistant may need training on knowing various work processes associated with his role whereas a senior marketing manager would need training about new procedures that can be implemented to enhance the productivity of employees (in terms of sales). Thus, opting for a cookie-cutter approach could not be apt either for new joiners while barely aiding the knowledge enhancement of experienced managers. Therefore, such situations mandate companies to opt for customized e-learning training programs by approaching e-learning solution providers that can exactly comprehend different individuals' (newbies or seasoned employees) learning needs, more like a well-fitted glove. The major benefit of outsourcing e-learning content development would be that it would give freedom and much-needed flexibility to all types of employees so that they can develop relevant skills at their own pace and as per as their own learning style.

Table of Contents:
Challenges in Developing E-Learning Content In-House and the Benefits of Outsourcing

Challenge 1: Lack of Specialized Expertise
Challenge 2: Limited Technology Resources
Challenge 3: Outdated Software
Challenge 4: High Development Costs

Challenges in Developing E-Learning Content In-House and the Benefits of Outsourcing

There are many hurdles that may come up if a firm decides to create e-learning content by itself without having adequate resources. However, this obstacle can be overcome by opting to outsource e-learning content development to professionals who have seasoned content developers, graphic designers, multimedia experts, and other professionals. Let us go through all the possible hurdles that a firm may face if they decide to go for in-house content development without having the necessary resources:

Challenge 1: Lack of Specialized Expertise

Wouldn't it be a dumb idea to build a house without having a proper blueprint? Along the same lines, in order to create corporate e-learning content without employing specialized experts leads to bigger problems from learners' perspectives. This occurrence can be observed when companies have to create their own training materials without involving any skilled professionals -- the reason is obvious, they don't have the SMEs needed for instructional design, seasoned graphic designers for multimedia creation and integration, and qualified writers for educational content creation. 

Let's consider a scenario of what will happen if a firm tries to build its own learning materials without engaging experts on duty. There is a possibility that the team involved in e-learning courseware might know the basics of training but there is also an equal chance that they would struggle with designing lessons that captivate different learning styles; namely, visuals for visual learners or quizzes for those who prefer to learn practically. 

However, when the firm decides to outsource e-learning content development to a reputed and experienced firm such as VKCL, the outcome will be far more superior. Reason being: these e-learning solution providers can create customized virtual platforms to do the tasks related to content development, graphic designing, and attractive visuals from skilled professionals. This way they would be able to meet the various learning needs of different types of learners -- be it for visual or kinaesthetic learners. 

With them, companies can be sure that the content won’t just be a pile of words and pictures but will actually make learning enjoyable and effective. Hence in the long run, it would turn out to be beneficial when the e-learning content providers employ SMEs who have the relevant experience and capability to do the task properly as needed for learners as well for the firms. Importantly, they will transform any kind of ordinary lesson learning into a memorable experience for knowledge gainers, enkindling the curiosity to learn more, retain the learned concepts, and apply knowledge.

Challenge 2: Limited Technology Resources

Would it be a good idea to bring a knife to a fight with your opponent with a sword-- obviously, one would lose this fight! In the world of e-learning, the same applies if a company decides to build an e-learning platform without possessing proper technologies or by opting for outdated tools. This is because the development of a fully-features-studded LMS e-learning platform mandates the utilization of high-end software and multimedia tools so that online learning materials become interesting with interactive features. 

Unfortunately, this may not be the case as the lack of the budget for many firms may obstruct them from getting hold of the latest software (content development and graphic editing tools) for developing captivating and robust e-learning platforms. As a consequence, the resultant learning materials will not be up to the mark and learners may feel dull and, frankly, unappealing going through the content. 

Challenge 3: Outdated Software

Consider a case wherein, a company is making use of an old video-editing program that doesn't have the capabilities to incorporate interactive features. and hence, due to these, learners may quickly lose interest. Importantly, static videos or text-heavy slideshows are something that knowledge seekers don't find interesting and thus, fail to deliver the desirable impact to generate curiosity to explore more about the topics.  

In contrast, by deciding to outsource e-learning content development to a reputed player in the industry like VK Creative Learning, which has access to the latest technologies, the firms don't have to worry about needing to buy or maintain any expensive tools themselves. Outsourced custom e-learning companies often use cutting-edge software, like virtual reality for immersive training, so that employees feel part of a high-tech experience. Owing to the implementation of high-end software (working on complex algorithms) ensures that the learners remain engaged to the learning content, and expedite learning, and thereby, they retain more information.

Challenge 4: High Development Costs

Sometimes, it is not as easy as it seems especially considering the cost aspect as trying to keep up with in-house e-learning costs can be equivalent to pouring water continuously into a bucket with holes. Similarly, it is not as smooth when it comes to building up of an in-house team for the creation of e-learning courseware as the process requires more than just paying salaries to employees -- what also matters is what trainees learn during their work journey.
Besides, importantly, in addition to payment of salary every month, there are also other costs involved for physical training in the form of equipment for knowledge rendering procedures, traveling expenses, and ongoing maintenance of all devices and software services. 
Above all, what would consume most of the cost is building a new training platform right from scratch and getting the whole team to be aligned to execute the assigned work -- it could require weeks if not months.

For instance, it would cost a fortune to hire all at once -- a graphic designer, instructional designer, multimedia editor, and other experts, just for one course -- would this be a smart decision? On the other hand, outsourcing the same work to e-learning content development could turn out to be a flexible option where businesses have to pay only when they need some expert for some specific purposes. This directly translates that companies have the freedom to stay away from hefty overhead costs and can pay per project, and thus, budgeting will become more manageable this way.

Conclusion
It could be always beneficial for firms to outsource the e-learning content development process to a reputable company like VK Creative Learning rather than hiring multiple experts and getting them to do the task. 

Importantly, asking all the specialists to be on the same page and making them execute the task within a limited time frame would be difficult, and hence, this is where customized e-learning companies like VKCL can be helpful as they have the needed subject matter experts, multimedia professionals, video editors, and other authorities who can handle the responsibilities smoothly and easily