The Benefits of Outsourcing E-learning Platform Development

E-learning platforms are software programs and tools for developing, delivering, and managing digital learning material and experiences. Hiring an outside vendor to manage the creation, deployment, and upkeep of the technological infrastructure supporting an organization’s online training programs is known as outsourcing e-learning platform development. There are several possible advantages to outsourcing this service compared to in-house platform development. Organizations may choose the best course of action for their e-learning technology requirements by being aware of these advantages.

Access to Specialized Expertise

Outsourcing e-learning platform development provides access to developers and designers with specialized skills and experience building custom learning management systems (LMS), content authoring tools, and other e-learning platforms. Rather than hiring and training this expertise in-house, organizations can tap into a global talent pool of e-learning specialists by partnering with an outsourcing provider.

By leveraging outside specialists, organizations can deploy more sophisticated, robust platforms that enhance the learning experience and deliver better outcomes. The depth of knowledge outsourcing provides is a key benefit compared to attempting e-learning development with generalist internal resources. Custom platforms that truly optimize and transform learning require niche expertise that outsourcing delivers access to.

Increased Efficiency

Outsourcing e-learning platform development can increase efficiency in several ways. Dedicated e-learning development teams often have streamlined processes and workflows optimized for creating digital learning content efficiently. These teams are laser-focused on e-learning as their core business, allowing them to continually refine and improve their development methodologies.

Established e-learning companies also reuse proven templates, frameworks, and components across projects. By leveraging existing building blocks instead of starting from scratch, development can progress much faster. The ability to replicate successful pieces and best practices across clients improves consistency and productivity.

In summary, outsourcing e-learning development allows organizations to leverage dedicated resources, optimized processes, on-demand scaling, and content reuse to achieve greater efficiency than is typically feasible with internal e-learning teams. The focus and experience of outsourced teams translate to higher productivity and quicker timelines.

Cost Savings

Outsourcing e-learning platform development can lead to significant cost savings compared to developing in-house. Some of the keyways outsourcing reduces costs include:

• No need to hire, train, and retain specialized development talent in-house. This avoids ongoing salary, benefits, training, and other HR costs.
• Outsourcing providers have economies of scale from working with multiple clients. They can develop platforms more efficiently at a lower cost than an in-house team.
• Outsourcing converts fixed costs into variable costs. You only pay for the development work you need rather than maintaining an in-house team.
• Access to expertise and best practices reduces the risk of cost overruns from inefficient development processes. Outsourcing providers know how to avoid common pitfalls.
• You can take advantage of lower labor rates in overseas markets by working with an outsourcing provider with teams located abroad.
• Outsourced projects are completed faster. You start realizing benefits and ROI sooner than stretching out development over a longer timeline.
• Outsourcing shifts the risks and responsibilities of managing an in-house development team to a vendor partner. This avoids many hidden costs.

In summary, outsourcing to an expert e-learning development partner provides access to specialized skills and efficiencies that are difficult to match with an in-house team. The overall costs are usually substantially lower.

Risk Mitigation

Outsourcing e-learning platform development shifts some development risks to the vendor partner. Rather than taking on all the risks of building and maintaining the platform in-house, organizations can transfer certain risks to specialists.

With outsourcing, the vendor partner assumes responsibility for delivering the platform on time and budget. They also take on risks associated with having the necessary technical expertise and experience building similar platforms. If the vendor fails to deliver, the financial and resource investment by the client organization is protected.

Additionally, outsourcing provides access to the vendor’s knowledge of potential pitfalls and how to avoid them. Their experience mitigates the risk of the client organization making expensive mistakes or experiencing delays due to a lack of expertise. The vendor’s specialization in e-learning platforms reduces the client’s exposure to risks.

Overall, outsourcing e-learning development redistributes risks across both parties, reducing the total risk exposure for the client organization. Rather than shouldering all the risk in-house, the client transfers key risks to a partner dedicated to managing those risks effectively. This risk mitigation is a major benefit of outsourcing.

Improved Time to Market

Outsourcing e-learning platform development can accelerate the launch and deployment of new training initiatives. Internal IT and learning & development teams often have limited bandwidth and existing roadmaps. Bringing on an experienced e-learning development partner allows for a faster ramp-up of new projects without disrupting ongoing initiatives.

Outsource partners have specialized expertise in instructional design, content development, platform integration, QA testing, and launch readiness. They maintain ready-to-assign teams that can quickly spin up on new e-learning projects. This results in faster speed from concept to launch compared to growing internal teams and capabilities.

The accelerated launch timelines possible through outsourcing can allow organizations to more quickly deliver innovative learning experiences. Getting cutting-edge training in front of employee’s faster results in greater competitive advantage and ROI from learning programs. Overall, outsourcing e-learning development is a key strategy for organizations that want to achieve speed-to-market and rapidly deploy impactful learning innovations.

Conclusion

Outsourcing e-learning platform development offers numerous benefits for organizations looking to create online training content and programs. By partnering with an experienced e-learning development company, you gain access to specialized expertise and technologies that can be difficult and expensive to develop internally. Outsourcing enables your internal learning and development team to focus on core training priorities while leveraging the skills of e-learning professionals to handle the technical aspects.

With the right e-learning partner, you gain a powerful platform for delivering impactful online training to your learners. If creating an advanced, scalable e-learning program is a priority, outsourcing development is worth strong consideration. The expertise and technologies of an established e-learning company can take your training capabilities to the next level.