Why You Should Find The Right LMS For Your eLearning Course
If you’ve decided to make a move to eLearning, or perhaps you are already offering eLearning and want to move to a different Learning Management System (LMS), it is necessary to find the right LMS for your particular training business.
Every training business will have different needs, and there are so many systems on the market, it can be hard to know where to start. We’ve got some tips for you on how to pick the right LMS for the eLearning courses you offer as having an LMS in place is a vital eLearning tool!
1. Think About Growth
Instead of looking for an LMS that only suits your needs now, you need to think about an LMS that will suit where your company is going to be in the next few years. If you’re looking to expand your offering in the next couple of years, there’s no point in picking an LMS that can’t grow with you, or you’ll have to do the whole shopping around process again, which is just a massive waste of time.
It will also mean getting your staff and customers up to speed on a new system, moving all your details across, migrating your content across, and lots of other manual tasks which are just a waste of time and effort for everyone involved.
Think about where you might want to go with your eLearning and think about the features you will need to make this happen. This could mean paying more money for extended features in the future, but at least if you stay with the same LMS provider, you won’t have the hassle of moving across to a new system.
2. Add Up Those Numbers
How many courses do you want to offer? How many students do you typically serve per course? Both of these numbers could massively affect which LMS you purchase. You need to be able to provide the level of service you want to your customers, and therefore you need to make sure that you are able to host the number of courses you need to and see if there are any limits on the number of students you can have on each course at any one time.
A higher number of courses and students on your LMS may lead to your payments increasing, so it’s important to be clear on this before you sign up. You don’t want your budget to limit the service you can provide to your students, so be clear on all the additional costs and capacity of your potential LMS before you decide to buy.
3. What Features Do You Need?
Every training company will have different needs when it comes to their eLearning, so it’s important to do some prep work before you start shopping around. There is no ‘one size fits all’ option, and this is a crucial stage of ensuring you pick the perfect LMS for you.
Sit down and think about the features you need to make your business successful, and don’t be drawn in by features that look flashy but don’t have much functional use when it comes to your business.
Knowing the exact things you are looking for will make it much easier to narrow down your list of potential Learning Management Systems and therefore find the perfect one for you.
4. Take Your Time
If you’re trying to introduce a new form of learning into your offering, it can be easy to get swept up in the excitement and want to get things going as soon as possible. However, it’s important to take your time and take as much time as you need to make the right decision.
Don’t rush into things and buy the first LMS that looks like it might be okay for your business. Make sure you slow down a little and keep looking until you’re sure you’ve found ‘the one’.
5. Think About Your Audience
What audience are you trying to hit with your LMS? Are you aiming for individual students or are you looking to offer eLearning on a larger scale to whole companies or departments at the same time? This will massively affect the type of LMS you are looking for and what features you need to keep an eye out for.
Always keep your ideal audience at the front of your mind during the decision-making process!
6. Stick To A Budget
It can be easy to get carried away, so it’s important to set a budget for your LMS and make sure stick to it! While we’re sure there will be a little wiggle room for the perfect system, you need to make sure you are making a good ROI on your new LMS, so don’t be tempted by a system you really can’t afford.
7. Think About Content
What type of content do you need to upload to your LMS? Do you have documents, videos, mini-assessments, etc.? It’s important to make sure that your new LMS will be able to support all the content you want to provide to your students.
Also, check what formats of content you are able to upload to your LMS, such as SCORM content. This is even more important if you’ve pre-created the content before you purchase your LMS, or if you’re moving content across from another LMS, as you need to ensure it’s compatible.
8. Ask Questions!
Don’t be afraid to ask questions to make sure you have all the information before you sign on the dotted line. Take a free trial, sign up for demos of how the system works, and get in touch with the LMS provider and asking them all the questions you have!
This is a big decision, and you need to get it right first time, so don’t leave any question unanswered!
