How to evaluate Learning Management Software for your business

Employees are an investment. The more development you give them, the better they will perform. That’s why learning management has become such a huge priority for businesses. There’s no shortage of platforms and services offering to revolutionise your learning and development strategies. The tricky part is picking out the right solution for your business. That’s why you need to know how to evaluate learning management software (LMS) effectively.

The Role of an LMS

As the name suggests, an LMS is a platform designed to facilitate learning management and is essential to modern business. It allows training administrators to design and manage courses and learners to browse available course options as well as access training materials. Learning management systems provide vital infrastructure that makes training and education accessible for learners, while allowing administrators to scale their efforts company-wide.

Why choosing the right LMS is essential

While they all do their jobs to some degree, LMS platforms vary widely in quality and available features. To ensure effective learning management for your business, you need an LMS that’s efficient, engaging and user-friendly.

Training and skill level play a key role in employee performance. Despite this, however, the 2024 Skills Research Report from Betterworks found that 78% of organisations had adjusted job requirements due to the lack of sufficiently skilled candidates. For one thing, this shows that skills gaps are a vital consideration for employers. For another, it’s a reminder that new talent doesn’t usually pop up fully developed. You need to take promising candidates and give them the skills to succeed.

7 things to look for when you evaluate an LMS

Since choosing the right LMS is so important, here are seven criteria to help you evaluate learning management software suitability:

  1. Ease of Use
    User-friendliness and accessibility are essential if you want employees to engage with your LMS. Off-putting or outdated UIs aren’t just disengaging, they can disrupt training by being unnecessarily complex. Modern LMS platforms provide ease-of-use features like centralised dashboards or Microsoft Teams functionality to support collaborative learning and to streamline LMS use. People are more likely to be enthusiastic about training if they aren’t getting frustrated just trying to access it.
  2. Scalability
    Critical when you evaluate learning management software – what works for a small business or individual team may not work for an enterprise with thousands of staff. For instance, it’s not practical for a small team of training administrators to manually manage courses on such a large scale. As a result, modern learning management systems have evolved to include automation features that significantly enhance L&D scalability. These automation tools allow for more efficient management, saving time and resources while supporting the needs of larger organisations.
  3. Branding and Customisation
    Some LMS platforms include features for branding-based customisation for a more cohesive workplace experience. For instance, Learn365, whether deployed in Sharepoint or Microsoft Teams, allows administrators to customise with logos, colour schemes, page layouts and web features.
  4. Content Compatibility
    The more diverse an array of content you can bring to your courses, the better your training. Good learning management systems allow you to import content from other sources. However, the best ones also include access to their own libraries and those of partnered creators.
  5. Integration Capabilities
    In terms of how to evaluate learning management software, assessing a platform’s integration capabilities is vital. The less an LMS integrates with your existing apps and tools, the more disruptive it can be to use. Plus, you miss out on key analytics opportunities. For example, Microsoft HR integrations help people learn in the same environment as their actual workflow, while increased data collection improves engagement monitoring and provides actionable insights.
  6. Mobile Access
    Learning and development should not only be accessible to your office-based staff. Frontline and deskless workers stand to benefit just as much from education and upskilling. LMS mobile apps help employees to quite literally take learning into their own hands.
  7. Data Security and Compliance
    Compliance is an essential part of how to evaluate learning management software. A typical LMS processes large quantities of learner and business data, which is why they tend to come with at least basic security and access restrictions. The best offer single sign-on (SSO) functionality, as well as more advanced data recovery and security options.

Important features to look for when you evaluate learning management software

Besides the basic criteria, part of how to evaluate learning management software is knowing which features to prioritise. Although this will depend on the nature of your organisation, here are four key features to look out for:

  1. Reporting and Analytics
    Reporting and analytics features, like those offered by Learn365, play a key role in learning management. Data like enrolment dates, times for and rates of completion, are essential for assessing learning and course effectiveness.

    The best learning management systems harness AI to streamline analytics, offering you the latest actionable insights in real-time. Systems with fewer reporting and analytics features risk giving you an incomplete picture of learning and development.
  2. Gamification
    Unfortunately, not all of the learning we must undertake as part of our jobs is especially interesting. Gamification is one popular option to enhance engagement. As the name suggests, it takes inspiration from game design to increase learning motivation. Some examples of gamification features include: Learner Levels, Point Systems, Badges and Achievements, Reward Systems and Competitive Scoreboards.
  3. Personalised Learning Paths
    Personalised learning paths tailor courses to the individual based on needs and ambitions. But you can do more than just personalise course selection. Microsoft Copilot, for example, uses Virtual Instructor-Led Training to provide individual learner experiences.
  4. Social Learning
    Social learning drives motivation by taking advantage of healthy competition and mutual support. Additionally, social learning features take cues from social media by allowing users to share and discuss things like course materials, results and training options with their colleagues.

Cost Vs Value when comparing Learning Management Software

As with any piece of workplace tech, you have to balance the apparent costs against its potential returns in value. While a more comprehensive LMS may be a serious investment, it’s arguably worth it if it helps coordinate learning management more effectively, especially within existing Microsoft environments.

Costs include things like:

  • Subscription fees
  • Time and cost of implementation
  • System training for employees
  • Productivity disruption for training

On the other hand, you must also assess the value of:

  • Filling critical skills gaps
  • Increasing the value of employee work
  • Improved onboarding
  • Better succession planning
  • Boosting innovation

Final choice and demo tips

Now you know how to evaluate learning management, it’s time to narrow things down. Whether you’re looking for a modern, AI-powered learning solution, or something simpler, you need to make an informed choice.

Before you fully commit, take advantage of the demo scheduling services offered by many LMS providers. These provide an opportunity to ask questions and get an in-depth look at certain key features.

Make objective comparisons

The most essential part of your learning management software evaluation is establishing the right criteria. What features can’t you do without, and what design philosophy will suit your people best?

Even making a shortlist of possible solutions is an important step. The important thing is to take your time and investigate your options.

Further information: Download the essential LMS eBook

Investing in an LMS is not just about keeping up with technology; it’s about driving real, measurable learning success within your organisation. Our free eBook “What Is a Learning Management System?” explores how an LMS can streamline your training processes, enhance employee engagement and boost overall productivity.

Download your free LMS guide to learn how to transform your training strategies and prioritise your workforce learning.

Find out more about Learn365 – Learning Management built in Microsoft 365

Built on Microsoft 365 platforms, services and generative AI technologies, Learn365 is a cloud-based platform that enables organisations to deliver learning where people are already logged in and active – in Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, Viva Learning, or on their mobile devices.

Larmer Brown is a Reseller and Services Partner for Zensai, the human success platform incorporating Learn365. We offer specific expertise and support around the implementation of Learn365, including consultancy, training, implementation and technical support

For an in-depth look at this innovative learning management platform, request a free demo of Learn365 today.