4 Questions To Consider When Selecting Training Management Software

4 Questions To Consider When Selecting Training Management Software
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Summary: How do you decide which training management software package is the best for you and your business? We have the 4 big questions you need to ask yourself during the planning stages to make sure you make the right decision!

What To Ask When Selecting Training Management Software

Are you thinking of implementing training management software in your training business? If so, we understand that the decision making process can be a difficult one, and it’s important for you to do as much research as you need to make sure you select the correct software for your business.

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Making any sort of business investment should not be done lightly, and we’re here to help you make the decision making process as easy as possible.

We’ve selected the top questions you should consider when selecting training management software, which should help you pick the software that is perfect for you and your business!

1. What Problems Are You Trying To Solve?

The best piece of information you can go into this process with is the problems you are actually trying to solve with training management software.

There must be a reason why you are suddenly considering making the move to training management software, so what are those reasons? What issues within your business are you trying to make better by using this software?

Once you’ve got the bigger problems which you’re trying to solve in mind, you need to break these down and see how a training management system could actually work towards tackling these problems.

For example, if your main problem is that your staff spend too much time on administration tasks, try drilling down and seeing what specific tasks are taking the most time, and whether a training management system could help you waste less time on them.

  • Time spent on sending duplicate emails.
    If you send the same email to every student on your course, that could mean a lot of copy and pasting, as well as duplicate data entry. A training management platform could allow you to use automated communication triggers, meaning once your email template is place, the email will send every time the trigger event happens.
  • Time spent on uploading courses to your website.
    Uploading all your course information can also be a task that takes up a lot of time. Using training course management software which integrates with your website will mean you only have to enter the information once, and it will be pulled through from your training management software and automatically displayed on your website. You should also have the ability to copy course information when you are scheduling courses, so if you are running more than one instance of the same course, you won’t have to enter the information individually every time.
  • Time spent on compiling reports.
    Using a training management system to help you compile your reports can help save your company loads of time. Instead of having to gather all the data and compile it into a report every month (or however often you need an updated version of the report), you can simply set up the report in your training management software, and all the information will be updated in real-time. This means every time you open or export the report, it will always feature the most up-to-date version of the data without you having to lift a finger.

2. What Current System Are You Trying To Replace?

Another reason you could be looking to acquire training management software is to replace a system you have just now which isn’t quite working for your business. If your reporting system isn’t working as effectively as it needs to be, you may be considering going for training management software which includes a reporting system, rather than a stand-alone product. This will enable you to produce better reports, get the benefit of all the other features your training management software offers, and possibly replace some other systems which you currently have in place but aren’t amazing either.

Knowing what systems you are trying to replace can also help you focus your search for the perfect training management software. Again, if you’re looking to replace a reporting system, you obviously want to find a training management platform which contains a reporting system, so that narrows your search down straight away. You can then look specifically at the different reporting systems on offer, and which ones work best for your business.

Finally, this can help you see what available budget you will have to put towards your new software. If you’re currently paying for a couple of different systems which you are looking to replace with training management software, you will automatically have that money to cover your new software expense, so you may actually end up saving your business money by swapping to one system!

3. Are You Looking To Manage Internal Training As Well?

While your main reason for looking for training management software for training companies may be to cover the commercial training side of your business, if you’re looking for something to cover your internal staff training, training management software could help there as well.

Some training management software systems will come with their own LMS (Learning Management System). While this will obviously enable you to offer eLearning to your customers, it will also mean you can set up your own internal training for your staff, which they can then have easy access to.

You can also use your training management software to schedule your training just as you do your commercial training. That way it’s really easy to keep track of, and report on!

Again, finding a piece of software which can take care of multiple problems for you could see you saving money, as well as making sure you keep all your information together in the one place.

4. Who Is Going To Be Using The Training Management Software?

The last thing you may to consider is who in the business is actually going to use the training management software once it is in place, as this may affect the key features you are on the lookout for.

Obviously your training administration team are going to be using the software, but aside from that it’s important to look at who else in the business would get a lot of use out of it.

  • Sales team:
    • CRM to store customer and lead information.
    • Sales system to keep track of deals and projected revenue and profits.
  • Management team:
    • Overview of the entire business.
    • Access to reports on particular areas of the business.
  • Tutors:
    • Overview of which classes they are teaching and when.
    • Can use it to easily mark attendance, communicate with students, and send out assessment results.
  • HR:
    • CRM to store details of all the staff.
    • Can use it to keep track of things like staff holidays.

Think about everyone who needs to use the system and which elements of training management software your business would benefit from the most, and this can help you narrow down your search when you’re on the lookout for the perfect system for you.