10 Things To Consider While Buying An LMS

Many educational institutions and organizations have expressed interest in creating their own digital learning or training modules. This will allow them to offer organized and effective learning to students or employees through Learning Management Systems. The Learning Management System (LMS) has seen many improvements over the years. It now offers many advanced features like integrations, Data tracking, User experience, Alerts, reporting and analytics, Remote login, and mobile-friendly features. Hence it is important to balance your needs, budget, value-for-money, and utility when buying LMS.

There are several options offered by LMS platforms. You'll find tonnes of pages of results if you type "Learning Management System" into your Google search bar. Hence you are bound to be confused and left in the lurch. It is a formidable task to choose the right LMS commercially or go for an open-source that meets your organization's learning requirements. Also, read our blog on How to choose the best learning Management system

We have collated a list of 10 important points to be considered whilst choosing the right LMS platform.

1. Understanding the need of your organization

Before you start exploring the LMS, it is important to have a clear understanding of what the user wants out of the session.  Let say that your company is offering a basic training program in a particular coding language to trainee employees. You may have trainees from all parts of the world.

The user should be able to register, navigate through the courses and take up quizzes. This does not require significant personal interaction.

Choose an LMS for any educational course, where interaction between the student and the teacher is considerably higher. The LMS should allow for the sharing of sketches, uploading assignments, and a feedback mechanism.

There are instances where the learner may not have access to the internet or WiFi all the time. Hence you may provide offline access by providing a download option. It is vital, to know the learners' mindset before you seek an LMS for your organization.

2. Go Mobile Friendly

More than 80% of the users prefer connecting to the LMS via "Mobile Phones". Users, whether they are university students or corporate employees, prefer to log in on the go, from anywhere, and even while traveling.

You might lose potential users if the system is limited to a laptop or desktop. Predict your users and study their preferences. How about creating a learning app specifically for mobile users?

3. Integration is easy

It is possible that your LMS users could simultaneously use or communicate with multiple platforms. Integration features such as Single-sign-on and webhooks are useful in such situations. SSO allows the user to log in to LMS using the same credentials as other applications. Webhooks are a great way to communicate between your LMS system and other enterprise-level systems.

Your LMS could be linked to social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, or Linkedin. Gamification engines can also be considered. This is a good way to increase your audience.

4. Pricing / Licensing Structure

When choosing an LMS platform, your budget is a key factor. Pricing models for LMS platforms can vary from one vendor to the next. Surveys show that buyers are attracted to a clearly defined pricing structure without hidden costs.

Comparing LMSs based on their licensing policies and pricing is difficult as there are many variations in the parameters. Some LMSs offer feature-based pricing, while others require payments via payment gateways. There are others who limit their content.

We have listed some of the most common pricing layouts here for your convenience:

• Monthly or Annual Subscriptions
• Lifetime Licenses
• Upper threshold limit for Users or Content
• Pricing Per User
• Discounts for Batch Orders

Before you sign up for any LMS, it is important to do extensive research or you might end up burning money.

5. Tick off Unwanted Functions

Good management skills are demonstrated by having the ability to anticipate future needs. An LMS packed with expensive features can be a waste of time and money. Your goal should be to use the best features of the system in order to achieve your learning goals. A complicated LMS can make users feel uneasy. Complex functions can lead to confusion and distraction from learning.

These systems require hands-on experience and professional developers, which can raise your fixed costs for LMS maintenance and creation. New course developers often have to decide whether they should choose a simple LMS with limited features or a more flexible LMS that is easier to use. 

6. Content Compatibility

The LMS's foundation is its content. Content is the foundation of all other features. The course's effectiveness and impact will depend on the content. For demonstration purposes, visual content is more effective than textual information. Slideshows that are to the point provide precise information.

The first step in identifying the content type is essential. The requirements vary from Word documents, PDF, XML, Powerpoint presentations, and pure audio transcripts to video streaming.

Content also includes

• Quizzes
• Surveys
• Certificates

Since these requirements are integral to every course, it is important that you consider them when choosing an LMS platform. After narrowing down your requirements, you can start looking for an LMS that is compatible with your content type.

7. Reporting

An LMS should be able to provide comprehensive analytics and reports that give insight into the performance of learners and the effectiveness of the course.

It is also a great tool to monitor background activity as an administrator. You can gauge the user's learning ability. You can refer to detailed reports and tracking of eLearners, to check the amount of time they spend on a particular lesson.

You can categorize the reports in the following ways:

• Course Reports
• Schedule
• Assessment
• Enrollment
• Login Activities
• User Reports
• Active Users
• Performance Comparison
• Organization Training
• Completion of course report by batch or location, Certification, Curriculum
• Custom Reports

You can also create a schedule to automatically generate reports daily, weekly, or monthly and have them delivered straight to your email.

8. Customer Support

The LMS vendor should provide 24/7 customer support. This is important for both the initial setup and ongoing maintenance. Before you make the final decision about purchasing an LMS, it is important to verify the quality of customer service and availability from different sources. Customer support options include email, phone, and instant chat.

Knowledge-based support such as help guides and demonstration videos can help with system installation. Customer support desks are known for their customer service skills and readiness to assist customers.

9. Security and reliability

Every institution and organization is very protective of sensitive information. The greatest threat to an organization's reputation is a security breach. Your responsibility as an organization representative is to ensure content confidentiality and protect users' personal information. You have the right to see what encryption and security protocols are used in the LMS. Firewalls and SSL are important in tightening security.

You can judge the reliability of your LMS by knowing its downtime, disaster management, and contingency plans. Your LMS shouldn't abandon your users during a critical learning moment. If the system crashes frequently, users lose their focus and patience. They cannot afford to downtime due to technical problems.

You can get a true insight into the reliability of the product by reading reviews from past and present clients of the LMS vendor.

10. Future Scope

The future is uncertain! Frequent upgrades are a sign that the technology is evolving and you are getting the latest updates from your vendor. You can check to see how frequently the LMS is updated, how active the community is, and how well the support is handled.

The LMS's past roadmap is easy to understand. Learn more about the LMS's current version and how it can be modified, updated, and configured to support future changes. Also, learn about its process and the time required to set up new versions.

The Last Word

This article should provide you with the best information to help you choose the right LMS. Be Careful, Patient and do your research before you jump into buying. If you need any information, you can contact SeekLMS.