If your LMS is fully integrated and implemented, all ready for your hungry learners to go, congratulations! Give yourself a pat on the back; you are most definitely through the most challenging part. Now, it is time to roll up your sleeves again and learn how to maximize LMS ROI. Not only will you receive praise from your CEO for contributing more than ever to the bottom line, but your activities will be streamlined and automated making your job easy breezy. Follow these guidelines and you will be well on your way to maximizing your LMSs ROI.
Be Transparent, Communicate the Value of the LMS.
This is imperative to ensure everyone from entry level employees to top executives buy into the LMS immediately. If communicated properly, employees will not hesitate to jump on the bandwagon as they will understand the time they will save and the outcomes they will achieve by fully utilizing the LMS. Less technology savvy employees may be slower to immerse themselves, so ensure proper onboarding training is provided. Heck, this may be the last time you company will have to use face-to-face training! The Top 5 LMS Value that is typically experienced by all firms that implement LMSs are as follows:
- Training is better aligned to company-wide and department-specific goals helping departmental managers to meet and exceed targets.
- Managers have access to customized reporting allowing them to know which employees have completed mandatory training and how well individual employees are meeting their targets.
- Anytime, anywhere training for current and incoming employees. This means new employees contribute to the bottom line faster and current employees are always up-to-date with training.
- Departmental spending decreases and outcomes increase. Off-site training is VERY expensive. From paying for course fees, airfare, hotel and food—LMSs will allow you to allocate money to where it maximizes return.
- Improved internal communications. When mandatory training or learning modules are in place, you can be guaranteed that employees are kept up-to-date with the latest technical information, emerging industry trends and even competitive data that will help boost sales.
Ensure the LMS is Branded and Easy to Navigate
The first time an employee logs onto your LMS they should know where they are whose company LMS it is. Is your logo one of the first things they see? Is font and imagery in line with all other internal communications? Is it clear that this is the LMS? Having a branded LMS only helps to further ingrain ‘who you are’ to your employees. Once your site is branded, user-friendliness is next on your list. If you are working with an LMS such as Moodle or Totara, you will have less to worry about—both interfaces have been rated as top-tier for user experience. If not, it is advisable to run a test group with employees who have varying degrees of computer skills. Based on their difficulty with the interface, adjust accordingly. Lastly, ensure there is access to self-help resources such searchable FAQ’s and while onboarding, a help-line. Ensure when you sign-on with a managed hosting firm that they have 24/7/365 technical support.
Provide Content that Engages and Enriches the Learning Experience
Blended eLearning is a concept that has proven to be more effective than traditional learning methods. What is blended learning you ask? Essentially, blended learning ‘blends’ together online virtual learning with face-to-face learning. Examples of tools you can use in your online learning modules are instructional videos, games, virtual labs, discussion groups and social media. For example, you can train electricians and plumbers with life-like game simulations that mimic real scenarios they will encounter on the job. Intercutting video with reading material is also very helpful to help explain learning material in different ways. Discussion or study groups created either face-to-face or online will help enable learners to learn from one another lessening the instructors load.
Provide Learners with Progress Reports
Let your learners know how well they are doing. It is important to keep learners up-to-date with their progress, both personally in their ability to meet personal targets, and organization-wide so they can see their progress in comparison to their peers. Progress reports are also a good opportunity to follow-up with your learners to see how they are enjoying the LMS learning experience. In a brief survey that is administered before the learner receives their progress report, be sure to clearly indicate that the survey is anonymous so that they feel comfortable to answer honestly. Examples of questions to ask may be as follows:
- Have you been able to easily maneuver the LMS interface to complete required training and learning modules?
- Do the training and learning modules positively impact your day-to-day activities at work helping you to achieve your targets?
- Do you find the training and learning modules engaging? If you do, please explain why. If not, what would make the learning experience more effective?
There are endless ways to maximize LMS ROI, especially if your LMS has open source flexibility. The four aforementioned guidelines should be top of your list when you begin the process of maximizing LMS ROI. For further tips on how to maximize LMS ROI, contact the LMS experts at Lambda Solutions.
