If someone were to ask you to list the two primary functions of a learning management system, what would you say? If you’re not sure, you aren’t alone. Not many people could list the key functions of an LMS on the spot. The good news is anyone with a couple of minutes to spare can learn what a learning management system is, what it does, and how it does it.
Learning management systems are staples for organizations across all industries, and most organizations use a learning management system.
“2021 stats showed that 98% of large companies currently use an LMS to deliver their training,” reported Course Method.1 “96% of midsize companies use an LMS and 80% of small companies use an LMS to deliver their training.”
Post-pandemic, it’s likely these numbers are even higher.
Curious about how “LMS” is defined? The article What is an LMS? defined a learning management system as a computer program that helps employers train learners or employees. Also, an LMS provides the tools employers need to write training content. And, an LMS makes it possible to distribute training and track learners’ progress. This is all done online.
A learning management system is useful to administrators, company leaders, and employers because it allows them to generate, distribute, track, and report on online training.
Now that you know what a learning management system is, let’s go over the top two functions of an LMS: 1) deliver employee training and 2) reduce the cost of training.
A learning management system has a number of functions and serves a variety of purposes in a corporate setting. However, an LMS has only a couple of primary functions. They include facilitating employee/member/volunteer/end-user training and keeping the cost of that training as reasonable as possible.
Employee training is essential. Without ongoing training, it can be all too easy for workers to disengage and under-perform as they do not have the skills they need to remain as productive as possible.
Although employee training is important, not nearly enough workers receive it. A blog article by Lorman2 stated, “Nearly 59% of employees claim they had no workplace training and that most of their skills were self-taught.”
An LMS can make it much easier for an organization to deliver employee training to workers, whether they work from home or the office.
Training boosts productivity. That is why it can be so lucrative to companies and why it should be prioritized.
Per HR Magazine, “companies that invest $1,500 on training per employee can see an average of 24% more profit than companies who invest less,” stated The True Cost of Not Providing Employee Training.3 “Additionally, a study of 2500 businesses done by ATD, found that companies that offer thorough training had more than twice the amount of income per employee over firms that offered less training. They also create a 6% higher return for shareholders when training per employee is increased by $680.”
With an LMS, organizations of all types can easily create, distribute, track, and report on training that delivers results such as these.
An LMS doesn’t just deliver employee training - it can also deliver engaging employee training.
Stacey Pezold, contributor to Forbes,4 said that eLearning boosts retention rates by 25 to 60 percent, whereas traditional learning only increases retention rates by 8 to 10 percent. She also stated,
“According to a study by Brandon Hall Group, it typically takes employees 40 to 60 percent less time to study a particular material via e-learning than in a traditional classroom setting. This is due to employees being able to access training online whenever they need it, without interrupting their workflow.”
What these statistics indicate is that online learning, which is most commonly delivered via LMS, is engaging and effective. LMS-based training boosts engagement and knowledge retention and decreases the amount of time employees spend on training.
Facilitating training is the most crucial LMS function. However, reducing training-related costs is another top LMS function.
Learning management systems aren’t cheap. At the same time, they can decrease a company’s bottom line, sometimes drastically. The article How to Dramatically Reduce Corporate Training Cost5 stated,
“A report issued by Clive Shepherd cited that Dow Chemical reduced its training costs to just $11 per learner when it switched to online training. This is a staggering cut in costs, considering that its previous traditional classroom training expenditures were $95 per learner.”
The article also said that Cisco was able to reduce the overall cost of training by around 40% to 60% after moving to online learning. And, “IBM saved big when it made the move to online corporate training,” the article stated. “IBM actually cut its costs by roughly $200 million, which was approximately one-third of its previous training budget.”
Online learning has the ability to reduce training costs dramatically. This is because it eliminates the need for companies to rent physical learning spaces/classrooms, hire in-person instructors, and pay for paper-based products needed for training. Also, online learning can often eradicate the need for business travel, which can potentially cost thousands of dollars per employee, per year in the United States.
There are many functions of a learning management system, but its primary purposes are training employees/users and reducing training costs. LMS features, which are built into a learning management system, help an LMS function smoothly.
There are many LMS features, and each of them power a learning management system’s functions. For example, mobile learning is just one of the features that make it possible for an LMS to deliver training to employees.
Mobile learning is one of the key features of TOPYX LMS, as well as most other LMSs. With TOPYX LMS mobile learning functionality, learners can access content on demand, regardless of location or time zone. All a user needs for a positive learning experience is an internet connection and a mobile device.
Benefits of mobile learning include:
TOPYX users can seamlessly access training and collaboration materials from either desktop or mobile and collaborate with fellow teammates, or learn on their own. TOPYX is compatible with all smartphones and tablets.
TOPYX LMS protects data and information through secure servers, no matter how many users are accessing training from their mobile device. It also fosters swift, responsive user interactions with reliable uptime and significant server bandwidth.
Mobile learning isn’t the only LMS feature that powers LMS functions. Other LMS features that make it simple for an eLearning system to deliver cost-effective training include:
TOPYX LMS offers all of these features and more. With these features, TOPYX makes it possible for companies to deliver remote and/or hybrid training that is cost-effective.
Request a free LMS demo of TOPYX to get started offering better employee training that costs less.
References:
1) Course Method. https://coursemethod.com/lms-industry-statistics.html.
3) Shift eLearning. https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/the-true-cost-of-not-providing-employee-training.
5) eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/dramatically-reduce-corporate-training-costs.