Should Your Small Business Use a Learning Management System (LMS)?

What is a Learning Management System (LMS)?

An LMS is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery of educational courses, training programs, or learning and development programs. Sounds complicated, doesn’t it? Essentially, it’s a platform that allows you to easily create, manage, and track employee training and development.

These LMS applications come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. You have expensive and comprehensive ones that gamify everything and work well for business with 10,000 staff, and you also have a few where you can just buy a couple of courses for your team on an ad hoc basis.

Our LMS is for growing businesses and is easy to use if you’ve never used a learning management system before.

Why is an LMS important for small businesses?

Streamlined Training and Development

One of the biggest benefits of an LMS is that it lets you to streamline employee training and development. With an LMS, you can create and manage training programs, assign courses to employees, and track their progress. This means that you ensure all your employees receive the training they need to succeed in their roles, without having to spend hours coordinating and tracking training manually.

Compliance

It’s easy to forget about the regulations and rules until something goes wrong. This isn’t the way you should do business. An LMS can ensure you know which of your staff know the GDPR rules, have done their manual handling training, and know what they need to know to do their job the right way. Check out our compliance courses for an example of training that can help your business adhere to the rules. 

Increased Employee Engagement and Productivity

By providing employees with access to training and development opportunities, you can ensure that they feel valued and invested in their roles. This can lead to increased motivation, job satisfaction, and ultimately, improved performance. You also far more likely to retain staff, a recent study by LinkedIn found that a whopping 94% of employees said they’d stay within a company for longer if there were training opportunities available. Take a moment to think about that.

Cost Savings

Another benefit of an LMS for small businesses is that it can save you money in the long run. By automating training and development, you can reduce the need for expensive in-person training sessions and individual course purchases. Additionally, an LMS can help you to reduce the costs associated with the time needed to create and distribute training materials. This should be something all small businesses consider when thinking about whether they need a Learning Management Platform.

Improved Reporting and Analytics

An LMS also allows you to improve your reporting and analytics. With an LMS, you can easily track employee progress, identify areas where they may need additional training, and measure your training programs’ success. This is less important to small businesses, but getting training right from the beginning can help you get your people to trust your management style.

Features of an LMS that Are Useful for Small Businesses

Content Creation and Management

One of the key features of an LMS is the ability to easily create and manage training content. This can include text, images, videos, and interactive quizzes. With this feature, small businesses can create custom training programs that are tailored to their specific needs. You can also empower your staff to create their own training for the team .

Reporting and Analytics

An LMS also allows you to easily track employee progress and measure the success of your training programs. With reporting and analytics, you can see which employees are excelling, and which may need additional training.

Mobile Friendly

An LMS should be mobile-compatible as it allows employees to access training programs from any device, whether it’s a desktop computer or a mobile device. This feature is particularly useful for small businesses with remote employees or employees that are always on-the-go.

Integration

Finally, an LMS can be integrated with other tools and software that your business already uses. This can include HR software, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and other business tools. Integration allows for seamless data sharing and streamlines your business operations.

Choosing the Right LMS for Your Small Business

Here are a few factors to consider when choosing an LMS for your small business:

Scalability: Look for an LMS that is scalable and can grow with your business. As your business expands, you’ll want an LMS that can handle the increased workload. At the same time, don’t choose an expensive one that has more features than you need. Start with a smaller LMS and then graduate to another one when your needs change.

Integration: As mentioned before, make sure that the LMS you choose can integrate with other tools and software that your business already uses. Even if the LMS website doesn’t mention a specific integration, often they can sort it if you ask nicely.

Support: An LMS can be a daunting purchase, so look a learning management system that offers good customer support. This will ensure that you have access to assistance if you have any issues or questions. Often a smaller LMS business will be more attentive to SMEs.

Cost: Finally, consider the cost of the LMS. Look for an LMS that fits within your budget, but also consider the long-term cost savings that an LMS can provide.

In conclusion, a Learning Management System (LMS) can be a game-changer for small businesses. However, when choosing an LMS, small businesses should consider factors such as scalability, customization, integration, support, and cost. By carefully considering these factors, you can choose the right LMS for your needs, achieve growth, and spend less time doing admin tasks.

Get in touch with hello@tayl.net if you want to know more about how Learning Management Systems can help small businesses.