How to Select an LMS in 2021: Your Step-by-step Guide

An LMS is only as good as the learning design, technology, and methodology for delivery that governs it — take this statement from the experts. In fact, when you simply install an LMS, it does not mean that your job is done. Deploying and managing a Learning Management System is a long-term, iterative process. Even after the successful launch of an LMS, it is extremely likely that you will receive negative feedback and complaints from your employees. And our trends outlined below stand proof of our claims.

A Deloitte report suggests: "Few areas of the HR technology landscape are as established, fragmented and filled with customer dissatisfaction as the learning management systems (LMS) market." Again, according to a survey by the American Society for Corporate Training and Development (ASTD), the number of respondents who were very unsatisfied with an LMS purchase doubled; the number of those who were very satisfied decreased by 25 percent — Oracle.

So, what’s the way out? Especially if your employees are less than satisfied with your LMS. There is no point stretching with outdated software. The best way out is to consider a system change. Now, since we are in 2021, it’s better to go for a complete overhaul — so that your new LMS is at par with the needs of the modern workforce. And we step in right here. In the following sections, we have outlined a detailed step-by-step plan that will help you to select an LMS that best suits all your requirements.

How to Select an LMS in 2021: Your Five-Step Guidebook

1. Identify Your Exact Requirements

The market is packed with so many elearning platforms that most of the time, it becomes an overwhelming task to select an LMS. Therefore, you need to chalk out well-defined search criteria. You must be sure of what you need from your LMS. What are your end goals and business objectives? What do you want to achieve with the help of eLearning? You must ensure that your end goals are specific, measurable, achievable, and time-limited.

2. Understand Your Audience

When you select an LMS, you must understand who you will exactly train. Now, how can you do that? First up — gauge the age distribution of your employees. Usually, the workforce is a mix of Generations X, Y, and Z. Now, if most of the employees are millennials, they will prefer training modules that are interactive, gamified, or segmented into manageable micro-chunks. They might also want to engage in discussions on social media platforms. Therefore, select an LMS that contains all these features.

3. Define Your LMS Requirements & Explore the Market

After you have clarity on the learning goals, objectives, and audience demographics, you next need to concentrate on the list of LMS requirements. Once that’s done, you already know about your LMS features and the price range. Therefore, the next step is to narrow the hundreds of choices down to a brief list of solutions. You can start by asking your peers about the types of LMS they use. View ratings and LMS user reviews. Many reputed websites give you the option to compare LMS services.

4. Test the LMS

You should not deploy any software unless you have tested it once. Demos are crucial to gauge if the LMS is the one you need to meet all your end goals. Most Learning Management Platforms offer free trials, usually for two weeks. During this span, you have the option to try out all the features. For instance, recreate a few scenarios that you and your users will most likely experience in the system, so you can see exactly what they look like.

5. Select an LMS

Now, if you have finalized on the last three LMSs, you might still face difficulties in picking the right one. In this case, the words of Ravikumar Ramamurthy, Lead LMS Consultant from IBM, comes in handy: "To settle on a product, make a list of your requirements, including the number of learners, and send it to the vendors. LMS user-friendliness, features, availability in cloud or not, implementation timeframe, support, and maintenance, final license cost — all of these play a crucial role in identifying the right LMS. Compare the responses and select the vendor whose terms suit you best."

PlayAblo is an award-winning cloud-based learning platform that offers multi-device support, microlearning modules, and analytics, gamification among other features.