The Coronavirus pandemic has created a massive shift for the world’s workforce. Some companies, such as Facebook and Google’s parent-company, Alphabet, plan to allow most workers who can work from home do so through year end. Other large companies, such as Nationwide and Barclays, are looking to continue remote work and to permanently scale down their physical office footprints.
With their workforces going remote, companies face a shift in how employees are onboarded and trained. Companies who have relied on in-person or on-the-job partnering for training need to quickly transition to online learning.
How does a company make the transition quickly to keep their workforce operating at full capacity? TimelyText has been supporting companies through the transition to online learning for the past 18 years. Trusting a specialty consulting staffing firm with your mission-critical training realignment can be one of the fastest and most efficient ways to make the shift. To help you understand what is involved with bringing TimelyText in to help with this important transition, we’ve asked recent first-time customer, Karen Blalock, from Builder’s Mutual Insurance, to share her experience.
What made you decide to outsource your Instructional Design work to a specialty staffing company?
Our organization always has numerous business projects throughout the year. However, our bandwidth is limited. When COVID-19 sent the majority of our company into working from home, several projects were expedited to help us through this unforeseen transition. When the need arose for an interactive eLearning module for Power BI, I knew I simply didn’t have the bandwidth to turn the project around. So, I went in search of external sources that could assist with that task.
Why did you choose TimelyText over other options?
As I was conducting research for a company that could help me with those needs, TimelyText kept appearing in searches. Then, as I read about the organization, I was impressed with the services they offered along with the many years that they had serviced the Triangle Area. I sent an inquiry email and received a response in just a few hours from the President, Ronnie Duncan. Initially, I was very reluctant, reasoning that I had never worked with TimelyText and the deadline for the deliverable was set for less than 3 weeks away. As an experienced Instructional Designer myself, I knew this was going to be a job for someone who was able to listen to our vision, provide feedback in a timely manner, and be able to apply the experience and focus to pull off what we were asking in such a short time. Ronnie and his staff strive to match their clients with the absolute best Instructional Designer they have for the job. From the initial introductory call with the Instructional Designer, Kelly Phillips, I knew that if anyone could get the job done, she could.
What was the TimelyText onboarding process like?
Onboarding from the initial call to the signed contract was amazing. Everyone that I spoke with expressed incredible commitment to providing exactly what the client was requesting within reason. Ronnie matched me with Kelly Phillips based on her experience and my short timeline. Speaking with Kelly gave me great confidence that, with her help, we could get this done. It was explained to me over the phone what the process would be, and the agreed upon expectation was followed up by a written thank you and recap of what was discussed. The professionalism that I encountered with each person at TimelyText was incredible. So, after reviewing the contract and proposed deliverables, we began this journey together.
What was it like to work with a TimelyText Instructional Designer?
Kelly was amazing to work with. She provided all deliverables by the promised date, if not before. From the storyboard to the 1st draft, we only had a 48 hour review period because our timeline was so short. Thanks to Kelly’s vast knowledge of Instructional Design, the draft versions that were submitted needed very little change. She was punctual with all communications, whether via an email, text message, or a phone call. She was always available and very communicative through the entire process. Being a fellow ID, we spoke the same language. The solution that she delivered is fantastic, easy to follow, and SCORM compliant, so we easily uploaded the file to our LMS.
Did your project end on time and did TimelyText deliver the expected results?
Our project ended on time. We had a 3 week window that typically would require 6 weeks to complete. Without the commitment from Kelly and her years of experience, we would not have been successful. We communicated throughout the project during business hours, after business hours and on the weekend, during a pandemic, and with all contact being remote. I could have never imagined that my experience with TimelyText would be so seamless with all of the other factors that were working against me. This company and its staff not only delivered expected results, but greatly exceeded my expectations throughout the entire process!
Would you hire TimelyText again, or recommend them to your colleagues?
Absolutely, 100%!!! In a heartbeat! Word of mouth is a very strong marketing tool, and the experience that a client has with a vendor is ultimately what shapes opinions that is shared with others. This was a fantastic experience with TimelyText, and being matched perfectly with the ID was the secret ingredient to this blue ribbon experience! Thank you, TimelyText!
Article Citations
Working from Home Is Here To Stay, Even When the Economy Reopens by Ari Levy
More big employers are talking about permanent work-from-home positions by Adedayo Akala
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