When you have made the step towards partial or complete online training for your organisation, you don't want to end up with the wrong partner. A training programme is an intensive cooperation and a lack of research significantly decreases the success rate. Thoroughly investigate if a potential partner meets your standards, features and support requirements. Without pretending to have the full list, this article presents some tips. 

1. Seek, and ye shall find

A quick search through the world wide web will show you if your intended partner is mentioned positively in the news. They might have won awards, written columns or given interviews. Maybe you'll even find some reviews by others. This will render you a lot of useful information, because why would you choose a partner that is unknown, or only in a negative way?

2. Prioritise the features

You are probably opting for e-training because of the accessibility for participants at any time, place or device. However, do you also want them to give each other feedback? Or to assess themselves after practicing a skill? Do you want to be able to measure the progression of your participants continuously? To compare groups and draw conclusions based on the data? In order to get your priorities straight, gather all possible features and prioritise them based on your needs.

3. Integrate the software

An app or software programme can be as relevant as possible, but if it cannot be embedded into the current software environment it's going to be a lot less effective. Therefore you will have to check whether integration with - and soft migration within - the Learning Management System and a single sign-on for several applications are possible.

4. Support possibilities?

Fluent support plays a big role in the progress of a successful soft skill development project. In order to switch smoothly, you will need an account manager and support team who are not just technically knowledgeable, but also know your organisation. Quick accessibility via chat, email, phone and social media is also fDSFF. See if this is the case with your intended partner!

5. Ready for the future

Your preferred partner might seem perfect now, but may lag behind within a year. If you're supplying your employees with a new tablet every (other) year, you'd like them to be able to keep learning and training on it. Which mobile operating systems are supported? Which browsers? Are the latest developments incorporated in the software? Is there a culture of continuous innovation?

In short: research the technical possiblities and features thoroughly, the reputation of your potential partner and the type of cooperation offered by them. If you are reading this and you have any useful tips to add yourself, please do so!