Today’s successful companies use computer technology to get ahead in all aspects of business. In particular, e-learning has recently become a popular topic of interest, and it’s being implemented in small and large businesses all over the world. Forward-thinking team leaders are finding that standardized online training for new hires is extremely effective, and an online learning module also makes it easy to provide employees with updates to daily procedures, courses on new skills, and much more.
If you’re planning on implementing a learning management system (LMS) in a business setting, it’s important that you do it right. After all, peoples’ attention spans are short these days – the average American attention span dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds in 2015, according to the Wall Street Journal – and ineffective teaching won’t work in an office, a classroom, or online. What works for one company isn’t necessarily going to be ideal for yours, so preliminary research and preparation are vital. Here are five tips to help you boost your team’s performance by choosing the best LMS.
1. Choose an Intuitive LMS
In today’s fast-paced workspaces, it doesn’t make sense to have full staff training sessions together. Trying to schedule all of your employees to learn a process or procedure that could easily be taught online is a waste of time that disrupts the day’s workflow. An intuitive LMS makes it possible for your employees to absorb essential information at a convenient time, on their own. In order to make this independent training possible, you must use a user-friendly LMS that is easy to navigate – even for novice instructors and learners alike.
2. Select an LMS that Includes Progress Tracking
Micromanagement has been proven to be an ineffectual leadership strategy, but at the same time, monitoring employee performance and progress is critical to the success of your organization. The right LMS will provide you with periodic testing features that allow you to see how your staff is handling their workload, if they’re properly implementing new strategies, and if they’re knowledgeable about company procedures and guidelines.
Aside from allowing you to check for problems, tracking also lets you see your standout team members. Features like gamification can make learning fun while providing valuable insight into your team’s capabilities. According to Forbes, 75 percent of today’s workforce plays video games at least casually, so implementing gamification can be a great way to boost morale why encouraging your staff to learn.
3. Make Sure Your LMS Includes Customization Features
Standardized training keeps your entire staff on the same page, and that’s a huge advantage. At the same time, not everyone learns the same way, and sometimes you may want to customize a training program for specific individuals. Rather than single out a struggling employee, you can simply create a custom course to explain the concept that is causing issues. This is also a great way to keep morale high and avoid conflict. After all, nobody wants to be told that they’re performance is lacking, and a proactive approach is going to yield better results.
4. Keep It Simple
Why pay for features you’re never going to use? Many of today’s LMSs are unnecessarily complex and convoluted, which can make both learning and creating course materials quite daunting. Spend some time thinking about what exactly you’re trying to accomplish, and then write down the features that will allow you to reach those goals. Seek out an LMS that gives you what you need without all of the bells and whistles that you know will never be utilized. At the same time, you don’t want to have to replace your LMS when new needs arise.
5. Choose a Scalable LMS
There’s a difference between an LMS with too many features and one that leaves something to be desired. While simplicity is an advantage, you should still invest in a learning management system that will be usable as your company expands. Consider the following:
- How many users can access the platform simultaneously?
- Will you have to pay per user or per module
- Is the LMS cloud compatible or if you’ll need to invest in new servers?
- Can your employees access the platform on smartphones or tablets?
- Is the platform social media compatible?
Plan Your Investment
The biggest mistake you can make is rushing into your LMS implementation. Many companies like Romy LMS offer free online demos so you can try the software before you purchase it, and others offer free trial versions for the same reason. Spend some time getting to know a wide variety of LMSs, and then make an informed decision from there.