Dynamic. Julia Gilbert.
5 August 2022
The key to building great elearning services: successful client relationships
Elearning services are many and varied. Projects come in all shapes and sizes and on a whole host of different topics. Some are a one-off requirement and others can be more extensive. However, not many last for 10 years and are still going strong.
I’m fortunate enough to be working with two clients who have recently launched their annual inductions for the tenth successive year. Not only have these inductions stood the test of time, we’ve evolved them to ensure the products produced still meet the needs of the target audience and the stakeholders. By my estimates, we will now be in the hundreds of thousands of learners who will have completed the resources we’ve created with these two clients.
That’s 10 years of building strong client relationships and really getting to understand how we can work effectively together. The key elements that are apparent with both clients are:
Evolving
It’s vital to appreciate how the client’s organisation has evolved. And how the solution needs to adapt to embrace this.
It’s not just the technology that changes and paves the way for updates. It’s also the content, the stakeholders, budget—pretty much everything other than the project manager and the lead developers in this case.
Year upon year, we don’t start scoping for the next iteration by having a predetermined fixed idea of what we think will be required. We listen, engage, discuss and evolve. And we tweak our approach to get the best results as there is no one-size-fits-all concept.
Flexibility
Because of the constant evolution, it’s vital to be flexible
This was paramount during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Subject matter expert availability was limited and the scope planned for 2020 and 2021 had to be reined in a little. For example, in previous years, the LMS platforms, supplied by Dynamic, are normally taken offline for a fortnight to allow for updates and maintenance. Due to the ongoing recruitment of NHS staff during the pandemic, the sites needed to be available constantly. We monitored user access to ensure that changes to the site were performed when site traffic was minimal.
Using our experience as an NHS elearning provider
As both clients are healthcare providers, essential COVID-related content was quickly curated and dovetailed into the programmes. Our expertise as an NHS elearning provider was invaluable. Content was frequently adapted to keep pace with ever-changing government guidance.
Collaboration
It’s vital to collaborate. By working together we can innovate the products each year so we can provide something different for returning learners.
Yes, there will always be some core content that remains similar. But we’ll present that differently to maintain engagement.
We aim to understand the goals and objectives for the project but also understand how this project fits into the organisation as a whole, and aligning deliverables to the client’s culture.
Good elearning services are built on trust
Building a strong relationship with clients earns trust and re-engaging us will save them time and money.
If something is not possible, we will say so. By confidently expressing our honest opinions, clients respect our expertise. This is linked to the point below.
We deliver what we promise; elearning services that deliver
We wouldn’t dream of being blasé and just come to expect repeat business. There are a lot of providers out there looking to take our place.
So we deliver what we promise. It’s a core part of Dynamic’s ethos. And all of us strive to ensure that this is achieved. Pretty much the whole team at Dynamic will have had some involvement with these projects at some point and have enjoyed being instrumental in the ongoing success.
The key is to find the opportunity to go above and beyond in a manner that our clients will appreciate and help with their decision making for years to come.
So, in a nutshell, the key to delivering excellent elearning services is to build successful client relationships based on trust and communication.
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