7 Reasons Your Employee Training LMS Needs A Change
It may be tempting to keep your existing employee development Learning Management System (LMS) to avoid the dreaded selection process. Not to mention, having to secure funding, conduct a needs analysis, and deal with the learning curve. However, maintaining the status quo could be costing your organization its top talent (and countless resources). How do you know when it’s time to make the switch to a new Learning Management System? Here are 7 top reasons to replace your current software with a new LMS for employee training and development.
1. Reporting Features Are Lacking
Big Data is an asset in employee training and development. You need to know what your team lacks and how to improve your strategy to support them. As a result, your LMS for employee training must have advanced reporting features to track trends and monitor individual progress. For example, customizable reporting options to ensure that relevant supervisors get the metrics they need to enact meaningful change (before it’s too late).
2. User-Friendliness Is An Issue
Of course, there may be some members of your organization who aren’t as tech-savvy. They need a bit more time to catch up with their digital native counterparts or master the new system’s features. That said, the LMS should make it easy for every employee to access training tools and develop content (on the back end). A complex interface should not be another hurdle they need to overcome. If engagement rates are low or employees aren’t absorbing the information, your current LMS’ UI may be the issue.
3. Mobile Users Are Excluded From The Experience
Modern users are mobile. They’re always on the go and they need an LMS that is flexible and multiplatform-friendly. Unfortunately, your existing software may exclude them from the experience. For example, they’re unable to view the content offline or download it for later use. Many employee training LMS solutions now feature a mobile app that staff members can use for JIT support. They can complete the scenario or module and then resync their progress when they connect to the internet.
4. Costs Are Out Of Control
Even companies with exorbitant online training budgets have their limits. There are only so many resources you can devote to L&D and your LMS needs to cooperate. Another warning sign that it’s time to look for a replacement employee development LMS is costs that spiral out of control. Maybe the maintenance fees are more than expected or you must pay for support services you don’t even use. It might also be that it isn’t compatible with your other software. Or it lacks certain features so you have to invest in additional platforms that put you over budget, like a third-party authoring tool that requires a whole new learning curve, instead of just buying an LMS with built-in authoring.
5. Unable To Personalize Paths
Training personalization isn’t a luxury. It’s an expectation that every employee has when they log in to the platform. One-size-fits-all courses don’t cut it anymore (if they ever did), and your LMS needs to support learner-centered content. You must be able to create training paths, incorporate individual dashboards, and facilitate employee empowerment. This may be in the form of pick-and-choose training libraries that employees can use to craft their own curriculum. A tie-in challenge is that your current LMS limits your ability to brand your platform. For example, you can’t include your logo or color scheme to create a cohesive training experience.
6. Support Services Fall Short
I mentioned earlier that unnecessary support services might force you to stretch your budget beyond its limits. However, the opposite may also be true. When support services fall short of your team’s requirements, your bottom line suffers. The LMS for employee training must provide support options based on their experience level and talents. As an example, your team has never worked with a cloud-based LMS before, but your current vendor only provides a basic FAQ and an inactive online community. Thus, your L&D staff struggle with the platform and are unable to boost functionality. Investing in a new platform that offers 24/7 phone support and live chat can bring them up to speed so that they can use all the features/functions they need to complete daily tasks.
7. Your Needs Have Changed…But The LMS Isn’t Budging
Stubborn LMS solutions are a major issue. You’ve expanded your workforce more rapidly than planned or you need to add on features to improve the real-world application. But your current LMS isn’t budging. An LMS for employee training that’s worth the investment will scale with your organization. You can add on integrations, choose new pricing plans, and upgrade when necessary, instead of being stuck with a tool that hinders your growth and forces you to "make do." Take a test-drive and meet with the new vendor to see how their system can adapt as you evolve and your requirements change. Ask them how often they update the software and if you’re able to add additional users or functions after you make the purchase.
Conclusion
Your stakeholders may be content with the current software. Even though they can see the gaps, investing in a new platform may seem too expensive or time-consuming. However, just think of all the ways an effective employee training and development LMS can benefit your top talent. It will give them the support they need to improve customer care, increase sales, and maintain company standards, but it will also help you stretch available resources and spot trouble areas that diminish ROI.
Is your current training software exhibiting any of the above symptoms? If so, it’s time to invest in a new employee development LMS that meets your expectations. Use our online directory to choose the ideal replacement for your L&D program.
Download our eBook Remote Talent Development: How To Launch A Stellar Employee Online Training Strategy With The Right LMS to find the right tools for the task!
