How to choose the best learning management system for your organisation

Get tips and advice on choosing the best learning management system for your requirements.

There are so many e-learning platforms available right now that finding the best learning management system for your organisation’s needs isn’t always easy.

In this guide, we’ll talk you through the key factors in narrowing down your search and choosing the right LMS for what you want to achieve.

Start with budget

Your budget will ultimately guide whatever else follows, so it makes sense to start with it. There is no point wasting time exploring an option that will ultimately be out of your budget.

You could do some initial research on the pricing pages of options you’re considering, but you’ll likely find that prices are not always front-and-centre in B2B software. Why not turn that situation on its head? Instead of trying to work out how much a specific LMS will cost, approach learning technology partners like us and put your cards on the table: “This is my budget, so what can you achieve within that?”

Suddenly the onus is on the e-learning company to find ways to make the most of your budget. That’s a challenge we always enjoy.

Look at longer-term costs

While exploring learning management systems within your budget, ask about pricing tiers. For an LMS, there is usually tiered pricing for user numbers and storage space. Find out about the cut-off points for different tiers and whether you’re likely to have to move up to a higher pricing tier soon. 

Make sure you can scale up if needed, especially if your organisation is likely to grow over the next few years. At the same time, make sure it will be affordable to do so.

There are probably a handful of non-negotiable features or functionality that the best learning management system for your organisation needs to have. It wouldn’t be useful to choose an LMS that is incapable of achieving some of the key things you want it to do.

That said, we would suggest taking a similar approach to the one we recommended for pricing. Instead of asking whether an LMS has a particular feature, ask the supplier how they would achieve the specific outcome you need.

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Explore integrations

Your organisation has software for a wide range of uses. Integrating your LMS with the systems that are already in place cuts out duplication, saving time, money and resources.

See if any LMS you’re considering will sync with existing systems to create these efficiencies. Your HR system, CRM, content management system and video conferencing tools are great starting points.

Tick off the non-negotiables

Any LMS worthy of being the best learning management system for your organisation must achieve minimum standards — and hopefully exceed them — in several key areas. These include:

Security: How secure is the LMS? What plans are in place for security patches and updates to quickly resolve any vulnerabilities that are found? What features are available to create a safe environment for your users?

Accessibility: What accessibility standards does the LMS meet? Is it Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) compliant? How will the supplier help you maintain accessibility standards when customising the design and user journey?

User experience: What consideration has been given to user experience? Can your learners expect simple, intuitive journeys around the LMS?

Mobile: Is there an app available for users to learn on the go? Does the app require an internet connection? Can you access your LMS across all devices?

Reporting: Can you track completions? Will you be able to prove compliance? Does the platform make it easy to demonstrate ROI from your LMS?

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