How learning management systems can be beneficial for your business. The pros and cons

How learning management systems can be beneficial for your business

A Learning Management System (LMS) is a powerful tool that consolidates all your organisation’s training resources and streamlines the learning experience for employees. Due to the easy access of a wide range of training content and the ability to assign role specific training, employees are more engaged with the material and more likely to complete courses efficiently.

With an LMS, management teams and leaders gain the flexibility to create, assign, personalise and update eLearning modules to remain compliant and up-to-date with the latest training requirements.

Regardless of business size, using an LMS offers a more efficient and effective training environment, benefiting your business's growth and success. 

Let’s take a detailed look at how learning management systems can be beneficial for your business:

1. Offers flexible learning

Flexible learning is at the forefront of many organisation’s minds as this promotes greater engagement by empowering employees to learn at their convenience. Therefore, having the option to learn and train on the go via a mobile app is one of the most useful advantages of an LMS.

According to a Fosway group article, "The shift to hybrid working accelerated the use of digital learning and now corporates are looking to digital to support more flexible ways of learning whilst improving the learning experience."

2. Centralised access

Having course materials, assessments and communication in one easy to use system is hugely beneficial as this allows for a seamless experience when managing learning programmes and analysing the results.

3. Progress tracking

Effective reporting and analytics tools within the LMS enable better support for training strategies. Access to data insights, team dashboards, compliance tracking, and diagnostic assessments helps ensure engaging and suitable training for employees. Learn how to use LMS analytics as an effective learning strategy. 

4. Scalability

One of the other important benefits of an LMS is that it can grow alongside your business needs and strategy. As your organisation expands, it's a key requirement that the LMS can accommodate more learners and efficiently manage a growing content library.

5. Compliance Management

Keeping on top of mandatory training and compliance regulations is crucial, so tools such as trackable content and refresher training can make compliance training far easier to manage. Having these built-in features is a real advantage of an LMS and will improve consistency and the efficiency of compliance and will help ensure your training needs are being met.

6. Bespoke Content Creation

Use the LMS to create bespoke materials tailored to your organisation's unique needs. Tools such as eCreator allow you to develop custom videos and quiz content that aligns with your business goals and employees' requirements.

Benefits of an LMS for employees

While a Learning Management System will undoubtedly be beneficial in helping your organisations deliver and meet L&D objectives, there are also direct benefits of an LMS for employees. Keeping up with their learning and development requirements can be a tricky task. However, with the right LMS available, it can make mandatory training goals easy to achieve. Here are a few benefits of an LMS specific to employees. 

Role specific training

Create and deliver the right training to the right people when it is most relevant to them. Being able to introduce targeted role specific training pathways is particularly helpful for large organisations who have a lot of employee training to roll out. Your employees will benefit from only being requested to carry out relevant learning.

Targeted learning

Identifying knowledge gaps and current skills levels is key for making sure employees are developing and progressing the way they should be, as well as providing them with the support they need going forward. Diagnostic assessments are also a great benefit to learners because it means they can self-assess then only be assigned training where they have a specific personal need.

Flexible Learning

Bite-size learning can be carried out when it is most suitable for the learner, without taking up a lot of their valuable time. Learning when and where is suitable is far more convenient than trying to find time in a busy schedule, and reduces the reliance on costly in-person training to spread knowledge and awareness.

Training visibility

When there is a lot of training to complete, especially mandatory training aimed at helping an employee do their job more effectively or stay compliant, it can be difficult to manage.

A good LMS will give each employee visibility of their own training pathway allowing the individual and their manager to ensure they are on track with their learning requirements.

 

Share some of the wide-ranging benefits of a Learning Management System with your colleagues in this short summary (PDF)

Disadvantages of an LMS

While there are many advantages of an LMS which we have discussed within this article, there are certain things it is not best suited for and can therefore be seen as disadvantages.

Most of the time a learning management system will not be aimed at:

• providing employees with individual opportunities to take control of their own development and progression within your organisation.
  
  
• giving a wider breadth and depth of training with a complete blended, self directed learning experience, including audio, eBooks and virtual classrooms.
  
  
• offering a wide range of eLearning resources based on assessments evaluating personal strengths and areas of development

However, Managed Learning through an LMS is not designed to achieve these things. Instead, it should be seen as the logical first step in creating a continuous culture of learning, focused on achieving essential organisation training needs.

Pairing Managed Learning with Personalised Learning and Self Directed Learning, will allow your employees to complete mandatory training with ease, whilst expanding their knowledge and seeking out the training they want.

Overcoming LMS Problems: Key Strategies for Success

When using a learning management system, it's crucial to address potential challenges proactively. By understanding the platform and implementing effective strategies, you can navigate problems successfully. Discover how to overcome these obstacles with the following key points:

1. Set clear goals aligned with business objectives: Set specific goals which your solution needs to achieve in line with your business objectives and make sure the chosen LMS can manage these effectively.
   
   
2. Choose a scalable LMS for future growth: Plan for the future by choosing an LMS which will grow with your business. This includes allowing for additional users and extra content which needs to implement seamlessly.
   
   
3. Promote user engagement for enhanced outcomes: Encourage users to engage with the solution. This will not only increase outputs but create an impactful culture of learning within your organisation.
   
   
4. Conduct thorough research before committing: The most important way to avoid LMS problems further down the line is to be proactive and complete thorough research before you commit. This includes comparing LMS features, reading reviews and talking to vendors about what their solution can offer.

As we have explored within this article, there are both advantages and disadvantages of an online training solution.

Being aware of the capabilities such software can offer your business and looking at what other solutions could be implemented alongside it will ensure your organisation is delivering engaging training at scale. 

In their recent Report, 'Learning and Skills at Work', the CIPD urge organisations to take a careful look at their learning technology. They state that "Organisations that adopt a more sophisticated approach to technology create a virtuous circle, generating an increased appetite for learning." and their recommendations for businesses include, "Embrace digital innovation – define your technology strategy in line with your learning strategy”.

Access Learning – for all you need to create a continuous learning culture in the workplace

Managed Learning

Our Managed Learning offering includes the means to provide, track and manage all compulsory training around compliance, cybersecurity, health and safety and any other course that you need your employees to complete, such as Mental Health and Wellbeing. Our Learning Management System and eLearning course library fulfils this requirement.

Personalised Learning

Personalised learning provides individuals with highly personalised learning plans tailored specifically to them, enabling employees to focus on the highest priority areas to become the best version of themselves.

Access Personalised Learning is configured in line with your company values, expected behaviours and competencies tailored to different cohorts in your organisation, helping to increase engagement and continue to grow your culture of learning and development.

Self Directed learning

In order to fully allow your employees to elevate and build expertise in areas of interest, Self Directed Learning gives them access to a wide breadth of resources created and delivered by subject matter experts.