eLearning Solutions: What clients wish their vendors would do…
As an eLearning client, you know your business inside and out but acknowledge that when it comes to developing eLearning you need help. Successful client-vendor relationships are built on trust, and trust is established and strengthened when projects run on time, on budget, and with exceptional quality. However, not all projects are a success. Looking back, what have done (or wish you had said or done) to achieve the results you were looking for from your custom eLearning vendors?
Some of the eLearning Network’s vendor recommendations:
- Be reliable: Say what you mean and do what you say. Your clients will set expectations for their superiors and others in their organization, so when you fail, they fail. If you say you will work on and complete tasks in a specific time frame, then do everything in your power to fulfill that commitment.
- Be honest: Don’t oversell your capabilities, turnaround times, etc. Honestly represent what you can do and provide examples or referrals that can be used to verify that you or your company’s skills meet or exceed the project requirements.
- Set realistic time frames: Clients may attempt to dictate how long a project should take, but in the end, you as the vendor know how long it will take for you to deliver. So be honest and push back on your clients who want you and the project to be successful.
- Keep your client informed: Sometimes the unexpected happens. An eLearning programmer is out sick for a few days, a graphic artist unexpectedly submits work that you find is not suitable and needs to be redone before sending to the client, or a sub-contractor may fail to show up at all. Whatever happens, keep the client well informed and work out solutions together.
Are you an eLearning developer who relies upon other eLearning vendors to complete projects? If so, what other recommendations do you have to offer? Sign-in and comment!