The Most Important Thing About Selecting An LMS Provider
It’s a big challenge to create a world-class, ground-breaking training program that sends your learners on the path to greatness! With all those big ideas rushing around your mind, it’s frustrating when your learning platform isn’t up to scratch. You can only tolerate that outdated interface and clunky user experience for so long and at some point, you’ll need to upgrade.
It should be easy enough to choose a Learning Management System, right? How complicated can it be? Well, when you consider that there are a thousand options to choose from, each offering the same set of features, you might think you’ve bitten off more than you can chew!
Although this feature list is going to be helpful to make your training dreams come true, there’s something more important that you need to consider. Is your LMS provider a good match for your organization?
Why Your LMS Provider Needs To Understand Your Organization
You can safely assume that your LMS provider understands learning technology inside-out. They probably understand it a lot better than you do. With that in mind, they’re in the best position to advise you on what’ll work best for your training goals. But companies are like learners – no two are the same and you can’t apply the same formula to all of them.
If you don’t get a chance to speak to your provider and discuss your goals, this should set off alarm bells in your mind. Implementing a learning initiative is a big commitment and what might seem like a conveniently fast setup process is a recipe for disappointment. Before you embark on a quest for a new learning platform, there’s one very important question that you should ask yourself…
Do You Know Who Your Company Is?
Your learners aren’t going to buy into their training just because you tell them they should. They’re human, and humans don’t behave that way. They need to know why they should do something – they need to know why it matters.
Training isn’t just about ticking compliance boxes – it’s about encouraging the behaviors that are important to your organization. If they learners don’t understand why their training is important, it’ll never translate to a change in behavior. As the training manager, it’s vital that you understand what your company stands for and what it’s trying to achieve.
Once you know the Epic Meaning that stands at the heart of your organization, you can use this as your mantra and drive those core messages throughout every part of your training program.
How To Find The Right LMS Provider
When you know exactly what message you need to impart, you’re ready to find a provider that can make it happen. Here are a few things to look out for to help you know when you’ve found ‘the one’:
1. They Understand The Importance Of Engagement
If your LMS provider’s idea of a value proposition is describing all the great reports the platform can generate, it’s time to swipe left. More reports equates to more ways to tell that your learners aren’t engaged. A great LMS provider wants to help you (and your learners) get the best value from the training experience. As such, they’ll ask you questions like ‘who are your learners?’ and ‘what will get them excited?’. After all, if your learners aren’t delighted and inspired by your LMS, they’ll see it as a necessary evil and they’ll try to get it out of the way as quickly as possible. On the other hand, if it speaks to them and makes them feel like important members of a team, they’ll return again and again.
2. They Don’t Say ‘Yes’ To Everything
Providers aren’t there to tell you what you think you already know. Of course, you have an idea of what you’re looking for, but they are the experts when it comes to learning technology. They’ve seen what works, and for whom, and they should challenge you on your ideas. If it looks like they’re giving you everything you ask for, without question, they probably just want to get you out of the way so they can move on to the next customer. A real training partner knows that their success relies on yours and they’ll use their expertise to help create a training program that gives you the best return on your investment.
3. They Make Setting Up Easy
Running a successful training initiative is complicated enough. The last thing you need is a long-winded LMS setup process. I’d wager that this is one of the main reasons that companies stick with their tired old learning platforms, regardless of how ineffective they are. Make it easy on yourself – choose an LMS provider who can help you with your LMS implementation and set up the integrations you need to get all your systems talking to your learning platform properly. More importantly, your provider needs to give you the tailored training you need to use the platform. A generic training manual is good, but it won’t deal with your specific needs. Make sure your provider can offer personalized one-on-one setup training.
4. They’re In It For The Long Haul
Just because your provider has shown you how to use the platform, doesn’t mean you won’t have questions further down the line. You need a provider who won’t leave you out in the cold and who’ll be just a support ticket away if you get stuck. Support isn’t just about squashing bugs and fixing problems. Your provider should be on the cutting edge of learning technology and forever searching for new ways to make your platform even better. Whether it’s an exciting new piece of functionality, or something as mundane as speeding up the load time, your platform should evolve with your needs and those of your learners.
Final Word
Sure, your LMS vendor can simply be a company from whom you buy a learning platform. There are literally hundreds of suppliers out there who’ll do just that. But instead of a mere vendor, wouldn’t it be better to find a partner who shares your vision for a better future. With somebody like that on your side, there’s no telling how amazing your training program can be!
