8 benefits of working with external training companies!
Should you develop your training internally or work with external companies?

By Kevin James Saunders, Global Learning & Support
Last Updated On January 29, 2025
This article was written by a human.
Do you currently have an external training program, or are you looking at some quotes for a program? You may be worried about the cost of third-party training and trying to justify keeping your training in-house.
Like any savvy businessperson, tightening up the purse strings, providing opportunities to internal players, and maintaining control of your operations is smart! However, don’t overlook the benefits of partnering with training companies to develop a custom, thought-provoking program.
This short article will highlight eight ways in which partnering with a training expert can yield greater returns for your business strategy.
8 Benefits
Discovery & Research
When was the last time you wrote a research paper? Do you have access to fact-based studies or data? Competitor Audits? Can you organize blind surveys or interviews?
External training companies specialize in collecting data that aid program development and make sense for your organization. Personal preference can play a part in development, but proper discovery should eliminate the guessing game of what will work or why you should include a component and focus more on competitive data, industry standards, and market demands.
Global & Competitive Viewpoint
When you work for one location or have decades of experience, it can be difficult not to have biases about sales and service.
Local knowledge should be included and valued within any excellent training program; however, training companies benefit from exposure. Working with companies worldwide, an external partner can bring a fresh perspective or ideas to help your organization be more competitive and stand out.
For example, clients at Oculus often tell us their tactics to compete and establish market dominance. However, we frequently know their local competition and nationwide industry do the same thing. What they feel is a leg up is just routine procedures. We can help them frame their thinking differently.
Up-to-date Methods
Are you current with all the training technology, options, and trends in adult education? If training isn’t your primary job function, how can you be? Training companies live and breathe training so they will know the training options using the most modern techniques.
Customization & Instructional Design
When working with training companies, you work with an organization that's sole purpose is to develop training programs.
In fact, many have a department called Instructional Design that focuses on creating activities, games, resources, and beautiful presentations. However, unless you are a very large organization, you are unlikely to have a department dedicated to developing and designing training.
For example, it is common at Oculus for learners to approach us and say that they loved our presentations and that they were beautifully designed. Learners often ask to take pictures or email us for downloads. A beautiful presentation is just one small component of instructional design, but it does help with engagement.

Resources & Technology
You may lack the resources to construct a formalized program when developing internal training.
According to DP, businesses with formalized training can stimulate 218% higher earnings per employee than companies without. When considering internal vs external, it’s essential to review if you have the following resources:
LMS
Access to a learning management system. According to DP, 40% of Fortune 500 businesses access their training through a learning management system to be more competitive.
Recording
Options to record training for future playback, like e-learning. Not everyone will be able to attend training. What resources will you have to engage new hires and people who have missed your live session?
Drip Training
The ability to drip training over time to ensure follow-up and address the learner forgetting curve.
Accountability
Auditing, evaluations & performance reviews to let your team members know where they are in the learning process.
Coaching
The option for one-on-one coaching and follow-up support.
SOP
Formalized standard operating procedure documentation that explains why, when, how, etc.
Downloads
Customized downloadable or online support resources like cheat sheets and self-monitoring checklists. Pen and paper still work, but with technology so accessible, your tools should be online by now.
Comparison
Comparison data for local competition. Is your program enough, or are your competitors catching up with you?
Designed Presentation & Resources
We live in a visual world, and learners expect your perceptions to be appealing. Companies with the best training programs ensure they look beautiful.
In most cases, non-training organizations have limited or no access to the extensive list of resources, which is commonplace for external or online training companies.
Educated Training Professional
A superb trainer might make training look easy with their presentations, activities, and ease of managing the group. However, trainers are often highly educated and have years of experience developing training programs.
Don’t underestimate the power of a professional. If you had a serious injury, would you want a student? Probably not. You want to provide yourself with the highest chance of recovery. The same goes for your trainer. Hiring a professional increases the likelihood that your training will do what you need!

Third-Party Effect
Let’s not forget that sometimes information from a third party can be received differently. When training is organized by a manager who is constantly interacting with your team, it may be considered less serious or “normal.” How often have our managers told us something else they want us to do? Will your training be just another task for the list or be taken seriously?
Time & Cost
Developing training takes more time than you might think.
Let’s review some typical development statistics according to the Association for Talent Development.
Training Type
|
Preparation Time
|
Result
|
---|---|---|
E-learning
|
73 to 154 hours
|
1 Training Hour
|
Trainer-Led
|
40-49 Hours
|
1 Training Hour
|
E-LEARNING
Prep Time: 73-164 Hours
Result: 1 Training Hour
TRAINER-LED
Prep Time: 40-49 Hours
Result: 1 Training Hour
Do your managers have the time to devote to developing and then delivering the training program? In reality, pulling someone out from anywhere between 1 and 4 weeks to focus on content creation is often not feasible for most companies. Will your training actually happen, or will it be adequately developed?
The Costs
Let’s talk about costs! An experienced manager with a modest hourly wage of $25 would represent between $1000 and $3850. If you add the fact that the person may not have access to all of the resources and will need additional hours organizing the training, this can jump to a whopping $1250 – $4812 for just one hour of training.
Cost Comparison
For example, if you compare this to our instructor-led training with customization at $498-$688, internal training when done properly, can be more than double the cost of partnering with training and development companies.
Summary
Article Takeaways
In summary, you can choose where to spend your training budget. However, working with customer service, sales, sensitivity or top leadership training companies saves time and money compared to organizing the same program internally. Additionally, the resources and expertise can provide a greater return on investment when leveraged properly.
It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. The most successful organizations partner with training companies to support and reinforce internal training efforts. Why choose one when you can have the best of both worlds? Smart choice!
SUMMARY
Why you should partner with training companies to develop a training program:
- An external partner will conduct research, studies, and audits to craft a fact-based program.
- A team of people well-versed in custom design and development.
- An outside perspective and global exposure ensure your program works locally and can incorporate the best of the best.
- Team members may be open to information from an outside source rather than taking internal training for granted.
- Better access to current training techniques and technologies.
- An expert experienced in adult education.
- Lower overall cost and time.
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