When it comes to training your staff, a Learning Managing System (LMS) is an essential tool to use.

The best LMS UK systems can curate, manage and deliver to your employees specific training content that will improve their level of knowledge retention and overall engagement.

However, the key word here is ‘best’ because, unfortunately, not all of them are made equally.

Indeed, some systems provide a lot more in the way of functionality, usability and benefits than others. Therefore, it is important to find one that suits the unique needs of your organisation perfectly.

But how do you do that?

The best way is through proper research, which should involve asking yourself the following seven questions.

1. Do I Really Need an LMS?

Before you dive headfirst into researching the best one for your company, you should take the time to ascertain whether it actually needs an LMS UK system.

For some industries, traditional human-being-led presentations and training procedures are still a fast way to get people up to speed. However, in others, it is quickly becoming outdated due in part to the increase in hybrid and remote work.

Overall, if you are looking for a collaborative, just-in-time solution for learning that provides employees with the knowledge they need when they want it, your answer is probably yes.

2. What is My Budget?

While the cost of an LMS may vary markedly depending on the provider, many companies are surprised at how much it can cost them. This is particularly true when they go beyond the base price and start to add in the cost of additional support services and other unforeseen costs like online asset libraries.

Of course, cost should be associated with value-for-money and ROI, so you will have to determine if you will be receiving this from your chosen LMS system.

When it comes to pricing plans, there are a few that may apply, including pay-per-learner, pay-per-active-user, pay-per-course and licence fee or subscription. It is important to pick one that best suits your cash flow and budgetary projections.

3. What are the Non-Negotiable Must-Have Features?

It’s easy to become seduced by an LMS that has plenty of bells and whistles. However, if they come at the expense of other functions your business could significantly benefit from, then it would pay to keep a level head.

There are several ‘must-have’ features you should be looking for in a learning management system. For instance, try to find one that has an exceptional authoring tool, as this will enable you to curate and deliver training on a continuous basis.

While all LMS come with this feature, some won’t allow you to import or export files due to compatibility issues with third-party software. Subsequently, you will need to find one that possesses such capability.

Another must-have feature you should be looking for includes capabilities that allow management to assign specific courses to different individuals, define user roles and monitor employee progress.

Additionally, it is vital to have a system that provides you with detailed analytics and reporting to determine metrics, such as completion rates, average scores and overall staff satisfaction.

4. What Levels of Integration Does the LMS Have?

To maximise the true potential of an LMS, the system you choose should have excellent integration capabilities.

Today, employees and companies use a wide range of tools to perform their daily operations. If the learning management system is unable to link these all together, then you could end up wasting considerable resources on ineffective data management practices.

At the same time, you also risk losing vital information due to an inability to integrate other software.

For example, tools like Zoom, Coursera, Genially, Google Drive, Slack, BambooHR and Salesforce are all integral to many businesses. So, you’ll want to ensure the LMS you choose has a seamless connection with them.

5. What is the Training and Onboarding Process Like?

It doesn’t matter how much potential a learning management system has to enhance your business. If it lacks an adequate training and onboarding process, your staff will struggle to use it to its full capability.

Look for a platform that has excellent customer and technical support, which could come in terms of both human interaction and YouTube tutorials.

This is particularly relevant for mid- to large-sized organisations that might be implementing the system across departments or geographical locations.

One of the best ways to determine the quality of the onboarding process for any given LMS UK system is to ask questions about the scope, timeline, and availability of support. Ideally, it should be 24/7.

6.  Does the Vendor Offer a Comprehensive Trial for the LMS?

You wouldn’t buy a car without taking it for a test drive, so you should adopt the same mindset with a learning management system.

Most vendors will allow you to do a trial run of the system before you commit to paying for it. Therefore, it is worth taking them up on this offer as it will enable you to ascertain how user-friendly your employees think it is.

That said, you should demand a lot more than just a surface trial. Instead, make sure you are given a ‘no obligation’ pilot that is a fully functional pilot, as this will give you a real-time understanding of what the training procedures will look like.

If you are in a medium to large-sized company, it is worth getting a small yet wide cross-section of your employees to test it out. In other words, a mix of older and younger people, men and women, and those for whom English is or is not their first language.

7. How Scalable Can the LMS be with my Business?

If you choose to purchase an LMS UK system, you will want to view it as a long-term investment. For this reason, you will need it to be scalable, as it should match your business’s training needs as it grows.

When choosing an LMS, it is important to forecast what your long-term core objectives are with regard to training.

Therefore, you should establish with the provider what additional features they have or planned upgrades are in the works. It would also be handy to know how much of their operational budget is put towards research and development.

Takeaway

Regardless of whether you are a small start-up or a large-sized organisation, a learning management system can significantly enhance the way your organisation trains its staff.

Before you buy one, though, it is important to do your due diligence to find the right LMS UK system for your needs.

At the end of the day, several companies are taking their training game to the next level, so if you don’t take steps to do so, you could get left behind.

We hope the questions outlined in this article will go some way towards helping you pick the learning management system that will help you do the same.

FAQs 

Here are some common answers to frequently asked questions business professionals in the United Kingdom raise about a learning management system.

What Exactly is a Learning Management System?

Abbreviated as LMS, a learning management system is a software application that enables companies to improve the way their employees are onboarded and trained.

They are able to do this by curating, managing, delivering, and analysing the effectiveness of the training programs and courses they run.

What should you think about when choosing an LMS UK system?

When you are choosing an LMS UK system, some of the main things to consider are your company’s project objectives, what functional or technical requirements you have, what customisations and integrations you require and what your budget is.