3 Signs You Need a New LMS

From time to time, it’s important to reevaluate your LMS system to see if switching to a new LMS would be wise. Is it time for your company to implement a new learning management system (LMS)? There are several unmistakable signs that say “yes.”

The Benefits of Switching to a More Effective LMS System

The purpose of switching to a different LMS is so that you can launch an LMS system that meets the needs of your company and workforce. The right LMS will provide on-demand training for your employees and deliver the many benefits of corporate eLearning. According to Training Industry,¹ some of these benefits include:

Better employee morale, satisfaction and longevity
Increased productivity ($30 of productivity results from every dollar of investment in eLearning)
A competitive edge

Also, eLearning is less time-consuming than classroom training, per Training Industry. It takes up 40 to 60 percent less employee time than traditional training. And in addition to all of these benefits, eLearning can also result in cost savings for organizations. “According to The American Society for Training and Development, organizations that offer training options to their employees enjoy a 24% higher profit margin than companies who spend less on training,” explained Designing Digitally.²

3 Signs It’s Time to Switch to a New LMS

No two LMS systems are the same. Individual LMS providers engineer their products differently. Some may think any LMS will effectively train employees, but this isn’t necessarily true as learning management systems can vary widely in feature profile and price.

Only certain learning management systems have the capabilities required to meet your company’s unique training needs. There are not many benefits to staying with an ineffective LMS out of comfort or convenience.

If you notice any of the following signs, it could be time to switch to a new LMS:

1. Your current LMS rarely gets used

If users aren’t regularly logging onto your LMS, you aren’t getting a good ROI for your training investment. To determine how often your current LMS is being used, conduct a survey. The survey should ask targeted questions that will help company leaders determine how engaged users are with the LMS. Communicating to employees that all responses will be confidential will ensure you receive honest feedback.

You can also determine if your LMS system is regularly used by taking advantage of the LMS reporting feature. LMS reporting allows you to easily pull data on user activity and performance. This provides insight into how often users are accessing the LMS system.

Is engagement with your LMS system low, despite the company taking adequate measures to improve participation? If so, your current LMS might not be the best training solution for your company.

2. Your current LMS isn’t mobile-friendly

Today, people use their mobile devices for just about everything. “36% of...companies have at least half of their employees using their personal smartphones for work purposes,” stated Tech Jury.³ “29% of the companies have between a quarter and a half of their employees using their smartphones for work.” Additionally, more than 67 percent of workers use their own devices throughout the day at work.⁴

Mobile learning is beneficial to both employees and companies. For example, mobile learning can decrease turnover and allows learners to train at their own pace.⁵ The Benefits Guide stated, “This style of training can be an especially good fit for millennials and members of Generation Z, who have spent nearly their entire lives using mobile devices and are more likely to think that a mobile training program fits their existing habits and preferences.”⁶

Having access to personal smartphones, tablets, and laptops throughout the day creates an environment that makes it easy for employees to participate in training. However, this is true only if a company’s LMS can host mobile content. If your current LMS system doesn’t feature mobile learning, it’s probably time for a change.

3. Your current LMS offers one-size-fits-all training

Most LMS creators design eLearning platforms to be customizable. They understand that different workforces have different learning needs. If the LMS your company uses isn’t customizable, that’s a sign that you might be using the wrong LMS system. Juliette Denny, contributor to the eLearning Industry blog, noted,

“...in the last few years, personalization has become an essential element in any learning initiative. If you shop around, you’ll find a whole world of amazing personalization features out there. Every learner can change their profile picture, update their details, or add an introductory blurb about themselves.”⁷

A personalized and customizable LMS system is more engaging to learners and will deliver a better ROI to organizations. By switching to a customizable LMS, you’ll improve learner engagement and encourage participation.

What to Do Before Switching to a Different LMS

Leaning in the direction of switching to a new LMS? Before you make this change, there are a few things you should do. eLearning Industry⁸ suggests that you:

Identify what is not working with your current LMS (This will help you avoid the same pain points when you choose a new LMS system.)
Compare LMS features (“...identify the areas from the current LMS that you cannot live without. Also, list out lesser-used features that you might be ok to lose. This will help you make a good comparison.”)
Determine total cost of ownership (Ensure you understand the total cost of ownership of prospective LMS systems, including any per-user fees.)
Consider how hard or easy it will be to migrate existing eLearning content to a new system (“Depending on the type of export and import tools available in the existing and new LMS, migrating the content can be anywhere between fully automatic to fully manual.”)
Consider how long it will take to switch to a new LMS (“...it is important to carefully chalk out the transition process and set expectations of all stakeholders about the impending change. Plan out the transition step by step.”)

Once you’ve taken these things into consideration and done a thorough LMS feature comparison, you’ll be ready to choose a new LMS system and start the implementation process.

Why TOPYX LMS is Best for Your Company

eLearning solutions through a learning management system (LMS) are one of the most valuable investments companies can make. This is especially true in the midst of a pandemic when not all learners are able to gather in-person for training. Utilizing educational content online through technology provides corporate learning with benefits unavailable in a traditional classroom setting.

An LMS provides on-demand training so that employees can learn at their own pace and on their own schedule. And online learning isn’t just beneficial for learners - it is a cost-effective solution for companies as it eliminates overhead costs like classroom rentals, trainer salaries, and material costs.

eLearning also provides standardization and streamlines the onboarding process for new employees as all content is delivered consistently in the same manner.

If your current LMS isn’t utilized often enough, can’t host mobile content, and isn’t customizable, it could be time to invest in a new LMS system. Make your search for a new LMS easy by considering TOPYX learning management system.

TOPYX is a fully-hosted, flat-rate LMS platform that does not charge per-user fees. Some of TOPYX’s LMS features include:

Mobile learning
Blended learning
Certifications
Collaborative learning
Language customization
eCommerce
eLearning content library
LMS integrations

With TOPYX, you can create the ultimate customized learning experience for your employees using social learning, gamification, unlimited groups, and personalization.

Take the guesswork out of the LMS selection process by requesting a free LMS demo of TOPYX.

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