Should You Outsource Your Documentation or Training?
Sourcing reliable partners who understand your business and consistently provide good talent can be a huge asset to organizations. Now more than ever, companies are choosing to outsource their specialty/niche services so they can optimize their internal resources and get a superior end product in less time and often at less overall cost.
Documentation and Training Development Specialists
Companies that specialize in writing documentation and developing training ̶ both of which are niche services ̶ perform these services exclusively. They’re staffed with documentation and training professionals who have advanced training and extensive experience in technical writing, instructional design and development, training delivery, business and systems analysis, and project management.
For illustration purposes, let’s consider this in a different context which may be more relatable: You are in need of a root canal to alleviate a persistent toothache. You can either go see your dentist who practices general dentistry 90% of the time and the remaining 10% is dedicated to specialty services (root canals, periodontics, crowns, etc.) or you can go to an endodontist who performs 3 – 4 root canals each day. The endodontist is more likely to perform the root canal more efficiently and skillfully and easily deal with any intricacies that may arise. Get the picture?
Key Reasons for Outsourcing
1. Speed
Specialty companies typically assign one consultant or a group of consultants to your project who focus exclusively on that project without other day-to-day distractions. As a result, they can complete it a much shorter timeframe.
2. Industry expertise and tools
You benefit from years of industry expertise and best practices that the outsourcing company or consultant brings to the project, including access to the most current tools and methods and familiarity with industry standards.
3. Cost control
There are several cost advantages:
- Any overhead costs associated with hiring an employee are eliminated (e.g. benefits, vacation time, training).
- It is easier to control project overruns since you can monitor billing.
- If a project is scoped out or you have an approved budget, you know exactly what you will be spending.
- You pay for focused, productive time only.
4. Fewer performance issues
If a consultant does not live up to your expectations, they can be replaced immediately, and typically without an additional charge to cover any learning curve that may be required for your project.
5. Focused resources
Outsourcing your project frees up your staff to focus on their core duties. Oftentimes, companies assign documentation and training tasks to their high paid managers, who are not necessarily qualified and whose time is better spent on what they were hired to do.
Examples of comments from our clients:
- “The results are way above and beyond my expectations. I was skeptical that a team of writers unfamiliar with our business would be able to write our policies and procedures but they did a fantastic job!“
- “I’m pleasantly surprised that you were able to complete this huge, complex project on time and within budget. I didn’t think it could be done!”
- “They brought excellent interview skills, consistency to content, ideas for technical storage and delivery, guidance across the organization, and the birth of one stop access to various manuals and training resources.”
If you are looking for a holistic approach to your documentation and training needs, choose a specialty partner that offers a fresh perspective and a quality product, and who delivers quickly and efficiently. If you choose wisely, you will end up with a long-term partner who can respond to your needs and save you money.
