SELECTING THE RIGHT PARTNER
We place so much emphasis on finding the right courseware for our employees — and, we should. But, I would suggest that it is nearly as important to partner with the right courseware supplier. Why? Because you will discover that the support you receive will be critical in determining the continuing success of your training initiatives.
“ . . . Once you have identified the need, now is the time to source a training vendor or provider. Ideally the provider will not just be delivering the training solution, the best ones need to be involved in the needs analysis so that they fully understand the need. Just handing a training provider some objective statements for a soft skills or management/ people effectiveness is just not good enough. You will fail to achieve any business performance goals.” (quote taken from “How to choose and buy training from an external provider” by Mike Morrison, Rapid BI)
You can find one or more vendors-of-excellence in Regulatory Training, Industrial Skills Training, HR Training, Microsoft Office Training, Simulation & Games, etc.
You should be looking for a supplier that is dedicated to providing total training solutions, whether your challenge requires training management expertise; training program design or implementation; custom applications; off-the-shelf applications; or an overall strategy that can incorporate performance-based training into your corporate culture.
The vendor you select should appreciate the value of performance-based training. They must understand (and, be able to demonstrate) the critical links between measurable objectives, proper training design and implementation, improved performance, and return on investment.
Your chosen vendor-partner should be a “user-friendly” company. It’s commitment to its customers must be two-fold: strong customer assurance and quality training solutions. That vendor must be committed to the belief that customer relationships are built through attention to detail, kept promises, and immediate access to their professional staff.
The best courseware suppliers know that the relationship does not end when the courseware is delivered to the customer. Customer assurance must be the cornerstone of your chosen supplier.
Your job is to find just such a vendor-partner. On-line catalogs with their typical puffery plus the empty boasting on myriad websites will tell you little. Find the companies that are customer focused – and, truly practice it.
“Talking the Talk” is easy. “Walking the Walk” is the key. Find that partner-provider you can walk with! Your decision will, to a significant extent, determine the success or failure of your training initiatives.
More on Wednesday – – –
— Bill Walton, co-Founder, ITC Learning
December 11, 2017
www.itclearning.com/blog/ (Mondays & Wednesdays)