The Top 7 Benefits to Consolidating Online Learning Vendors

How many online or e-learning tools do you have in your tech stack? 

Chances are, you may not even know. 

How did we end up with so many online learning vendors?

It’s a given that organizations need to provide learning programs to upskill all employees, while addressing specific requirements for different functional roles. While the skills your sales team needs to learn are not the same as the ones your engineering team needs, everyone also needs broad functional skills in areas like using generative AI, communicating effectively, and navigating change with resilience. And leaders need their own set of skills to help all teams be successful in today’s world of work. 

The breadth of the learning topics required is one reason companies resort to multiple vendors. It’s not uncommon for them to end up with a number of online learning providers as a result of different teams onboarding different spot solutions at different times. Over the years, this adds up to many overlapping, redundant, or outdated learning solutions. 

The down side of multiple vendors

While it might appear that leveraging a variety of online learning providers can be the best way to meet diverse learning needs across the company, the fact is that the fragmentation of resources often leads to a paradox of choice, too many options for learners, and less-than-optimal learning experiences for employees.

In nearly every industry, for every functional need, companies face the challenge of navigating a complex web of vendors. “Facing unwieldy tech stacks, fragmented data and considerable overspend, more and more companies are shifting to a strategy focused on consolidation,” according to Digitalisation World. According to a CIO poll, 95% of senior IT executives planned to consolidate tech vendors within a year.

The strategic solution

Consolidate your online learning vendors into a single, robust learning partner. Consolidating learning technology providers is a key strategy for enterprises seeking to build value while supporting rapid skills development for all employees. This is more important than ever in a macroeconomic environment where it is critical to get the most from your tech stack. This approach presents numerous benefits, transforming operational effectiveness and cost structure while enhancing the overall learning experience. 

BUT — and there is a but…

Let’s delve deeper into the top benefits of strategic consolidation with the right provider for all corporate learning needs.

Benefit #1: More streamlined and targeted learning

Companies often assume that providing multiple learning opportunities will allow their employees to choose exactly the options they need to reach their learning goals. In fact, the opposite is true. The more options there are, the fewer positive learning outcomes they achieve. If employees have an average of 24 minutes a week for learning, you don’t want them spending that time searching for the right learning content. 

• Less fragmentated and more focused learning with better outcomes
  • When a single learning vendor makes high quality, targeted learning content uniformly accessible for every employee, regardless of topic, it ensures a more effective learning experience for all.
  • With one comprehensive vendor, learners will no longer need to navigate across fragmented learning solutions in search of the right content. 
  • Learning efficiency will reduce employees’ frustration factor and allow them to make the most of their valuable learning time. Ultimately, this leads to a more cohesive and enriching experience for employees and better learning outcomes.
• The ability to host proprietary learning content
  • There will be proprietary content that some or all employees need. It is essential to select a vendor that can host this content, so that your employees engage with it as part of a cohesive learning experience. 

Benefit #2: Cost efficiency and economies of scale

Maintaining relationships with multiple e-learning vendors can be expensive. Cost efficiency is one of the clearest arguments for consolidation: 

• Single vendor cost savings:
  • By partnering with a single vendor, companies are more likely to benefit from competitive pricing structures and savings achieved through economies of scale, which is crucial for making the most of existing budgets. 
  • Managing a single vendor also reduces workload and the effort required from internal teams. Both internally and externally, the financial benefit is clear: Reduced operational expenses contribute directly to improving the bottom line. 
• Balancing cost and quality:
  • The cost factor can’t be evaluated in a vacuum. As the saying goes, just because it is cheaper doesn’t mean that it is better. While there may be cost savings and operational efficiencies associated with a single vendor, this cost-savings needs to be weighed and understood in relationship to achieving the kind of outcomes that a robust vendor specialized in learning can provide. 

Benefit #3: Strategic partnership and support

By consolidating to a single, learning-focused vendor, learning programs can become much more effective:

• Dedicated support to reach learning goals
  • Dedicated support can help companies address unique challenges and build plans to achieve specific L&D goals. 
  • Rather than just delivering learning content, the right vendor can offer valuable solutions and insights, acting as a true strategic partner invested in the company’s learning and business success. 

Benefit #4: A single partner that specializes in learning

Consolidating with a single vendor specialized in learning offers abundant advantages:

• Specialized expertise and cutting-edge approaches:
  • Specialized learning providers are often experts in educational content creation, offering in-depth, high-quality, and up-to-date courses tailored to specific industries or skills.
  • These providers tend to be at the forefront of learning technology, leveraging the latest advancements in AI, personalized learning paths, and other innovations to enhance the learning experience.
• Targeted, personalized, and customizable learning:
  • They offer personalized learning paths and highly customizable learning experiences that can be tailored to meet the unique needs of your organization and used to host your proprietary learning content.
• Focused support:
  • With a sole focus on learning, these providers allocate dedicated resources toward improving learning outcomes, offering robust support and personalized attention to both learners and administrators.
• Stronger partnerships and continuous improvement:
  • Through a deep focus on learning often fosters closer relationships with customers, a learning-focused vendor allows for better understanding and alignment of learning objectives.
  • These providers are continually improving and updating their offerings, as well as investing in developing updated and improved approaches to learning. Learning collections, and learning experiences. Rather than “set it and forget it,” these vendors will continually work to help your achieve key outcomes.

Benefit #5: Streamlined vendor management

• Simplifying the internal load:
  • The challenge of managing multiple online learning vendors goes beyond cost — it extends into operational complexity. Different vendors mean different systems, relationships, and contracts, which can lead to disjointed processes and administrative headaches. 
• Reducing the technical cost of supporting multiple vendors
  • There is a considerable technical load placed on internal teams who have to support multiple vendors. The often bespoke technical integrations for each vendor require ongoing support and create a time-consuming and expensive burden.

Benefit #6: Better learning experiences with better outcomes

Imagine a learning interface where everything just clicks — the tools are intuitive, it’s easy for employees to find the content they need, and the learning journey is smooth and efficient. 

• Learning in local language improves outcomes
  • Accessing learning content in local language has an impact on the quality of the learning experience, promoting the employee’s feelings of inclusion and promoting better learning outcomes. 
• Consistent learning improves learning culture
  • A consistent learning experience can contribute to a strong company culture of learning. 

Benefit #7: Easier data management, reporting, and privacy compliance

In today’s digital age, data privacy and compliance are non-negotiable. Managing these processes across various vendors can become cumbersome and risky, eating up time and internal resources for tech and operations teams and increasing the chances of overlooking important compliance elements. 

• Simplify data management and protocols
  • Having single vendor with one centralized system makes it easier to ensure that data collection, processing, and storage meet regulatory standards and industry best practices. 
  • This strengthened approach not only enhances customer trust but also minimizes burdens on internal teams and cuts legal risks associated with regulatory non-compliance.
• Comprehensive learning data and reporting
  • When a company uses a single, comprehensive provider for all of its learning needs, it has better access to comprehensive data and reporting regarding all L&D initiatives. Data lives in a single system, and it becomes easier to access, report on, and share.

CASE STUDY:

Globant, a global technology professional services company, consolidates its learning vendors with Udemy

CHALLENGE: A lack of unified learning strategy  Globant knew it needed to help its people stay on top of fast-changing tech trends and offer continuously relevant, more comprehensive learning resources across its organization. But it had no centralized learning and development strategy, creating complexity across multiple systems and teams with different learning strategies. This led to the need to create an online, “consolidated learning environment for everyone to use.”  “We had instances where several teams had developed different learning solutions covering the same thing without realizing it,” explains María José Vera Estupiñán, Learning and DEI Jr Adv at Globant. This lack of alignment also extended to measuring the success of learning programs. “There was not a unique way of understanding what effective learning was and how to measure its impact.” SOLUTION: Integrating Udemy Business with the organization’s learning management system (LMS).   Globant now uses Udemy Business integrated with its LMS to consider business needs and close any skills gaps — particularly important in the fast-changing technology industry — so the company can meet client requirements on the project level. It also uses Udemy Business to help learners fill any gaps they may have to keep growing in their careers, and work on the skills they need to level up and progress. Using the data extracted from Udemy Business, Globant can get a holistic picture of learning data and identify its workforce’s learning needs using the company’s own analytics tools.  RESULTS: Universally accessible learning resources, giving learners greater autonomy in their professional development while supporting the company’s needs. “Udemy Business helps our people learn the skills they need to be more aligned to what our project, business, and clients require,” says Lucas Campos, Senior Vice President of Technology at Globant. “It gives them deeper knowledge of the areas they need to grow and it helps us ensure they’re always ready for new challenges or projects.”  “It’s a real partnership,” María José explains. “We have bi-weekly meetings with Udemy to go through detailed L&D reports and new strategy considerations. They have the flexibility to adapt to our needs — and that’s crucial for us as a learning team.” Read more about Globant’s learning story.

The strategic move to consolidate online learning vendors offers a wealth of advantages for companies striving to stay ahead in a competitive market. From cost savings and streamlined operations to enhanced learning experiences and innovation opportunities, the case is compelling. By choosing to partner with a single, reliable vendor focused on learning, companies can align themselves with success. By making this strategic shift, organizations are not just optimizing resources; they are unlocking powerful potential for growth, engagement, and enduring success through learning.

To find out more about how Udemy Business can be a strategic learning partner for your entire organization, visit business.udemy.com.