Onboarding and training your employees costs the average UK business around £800 per new hire. But what if all employee training – including further training for high-performing employees – could be streamlined, simplified and made more profitable overall? Enter Learning Management Systems (LMS), a centralised software that can be used anywhere, any time, by any employee.
Not only does an LMS make it easier to onboard and train new employees, but it’s also a fantastic tool when it comes to upskilling, hiring remote workers, and tracking employee performance when considering advancements and promotions. But what’s the best corporate training LMS software on the market? Let’s take a closer look.
What are Learning Management Systems?
A Learning Management System (LMS) is a form of software or program used to both train existing employees and onboard new ones within a corporate organisation. An LMS can function as a key landing point when it comes to employee knowledge, and can also minimise the costs of retraining, onboarding new hires and even company restructuring.
Benefits of Learning Management Systems for Corporations
So, what are the benefits of investing in an LMS? Let’s take a look:
Reduced Costs
The bottom line of any business is always going to be important, and training costs – especially in working environments with high employee turnover – can soon add up; as we mentioned in the intro, the average onboarding cost for a new hire is around £800! With an LMS adapted for training purposes, new employees can get to grips with their new responsibilities without the need for specialised coaching, and without having to fly in corporate trainers every time you fill a new role in your organisation.
Enhanced Remote Working
In the post-COVID era, remote work is as popular as ever, not just with employees but with businesses looking to hire the top talent from around the globe rather than restrict themselves geographically. But with remote working comes problems with different time zones, and ensuring that all new remote employees get access to the same quality of training as those working in the office.
With an integrated learning management system in place, training remote hires is easier than ever: accessible from anywhere and at any time, companies don’t need to worry about time differences, language barriers, or flying over employees for important training.
Upskilling
Upskilling your existing employees is always much more cost-friendly than hiring new ones, but these costs can still quickly mount when it comes to training promoted employees for their new roles. This is again where an LMS for corporate training offers a comprehensive and cost-effective solution; rather than opting for an expensive external hire and then spending even more on training resources, current employees can upskill using courses and learning materials already integrated into the company LMS.
Time Efficiency
Another key benefit of an LMS for corporate learning is the time that can be saved outsourcing administrative tasks, such as onboarding new employees. With a digital learning system, current employees don’t have to increase their workload in onboarding tasks and fall behind on their day-to-day tasks.
Track Employee Performance
Another great thing about corporate LMS systems is that they’re a helpful window into the performance of your employees, as well as a window into their willingness to develop and evolve within your company. As management, you’ll have access to your employees’ digital records on the platform, and these will be able to show you which employees have completed which courses, and how far along they are in their progress. You’ll also be able to see those who have taken the initiative to learn non-compulsory courses in order to better their work performance, and these are all key indicators when it comes to choosing select employees for potential future advancement.
Top 10 Corporate Learning Management Systems
While there are lots of different corporate LMS systems on the market, here are the top 10 we’d recommend for your business:
DigitalChalk
DigitalChalk is the world’s leading Learning Management System, offering companies the possibility to create engaging, interactive, and even gamified learning courses for employees. DigitalChalk also offers real-time employee training data, certification and compliance tracking as a corporate LMS, and unlimited user-end support for employees and students. With full control over your IP and a low cost for ownership, DigitalChalk’s LMS is one of the most popular systems in the world, used by leading companies both here in the UK and abroad.
DigitalChalk also offers a fully comprehensive customer training LMS, with secure cloud-based access to online training materials.
Bridge
Bridge is another popular LMS corporate training software, designed to promote and encourage employee development within the workplace. Whether you use it to deliver compliance training or onboard new employees, Bridge’s LMS promises a user-friendly experience and a great way to upskill your workforce at a low cost.
Thinkific
Thinkific is a modern learning platform offering a lot of flexibility for those looking to build their very own online digital school. The platform offers drag-and-drop course builders, third-party integration with tools like G-Suite, and even lets you choose your own pricing model. While Thinkific works well as an LMS, it’s also a great platform for those looking to sell their knowledge online.
EdApp
With 1000 ready-made courses that you can edit and customise to your liking, EdApp is a highly popular LMS system with flexible mobile learning and AI integration designed to help you write your courses and training materials quickly and efficiently. With EdApp, you can also have full control over who can edit, publish, and view content on your LMS, giving management full autonomy over any sensitive materials.
Tovuti
Hyped as the next-generation software in LMS systems, Tovuti is another corporate learning system with a focus on employee training, onboarding, upskilling, customer training and more. With interactive content and gamification possibilities, as well as customised learning portals for students and employees, Tovuti is a great all-rounder platform for corporate learning.
Schoox
Included in the Top 20 All Purpose Learning Systems of 2022, Schoox is another industry-leading LMS corporate platform, with over 2,500 companies in 135 countries around the world using their software for employee training and onboarding. Offering an intuitive learning experience for students, Schoox offers support for onboarding, talent development, extended enterprise training and compliance training, with a 90% average customer satisfaction rate.
Healthstream
Healthstream is a corporate LMS with a focus on the healthcare industry, empowering everyone from nurses and doctors to medical researchers when it comes to talent development, training, and overall improving health outcomes for patients. Designed to help healthcare workers overcome knowledge gaps, Healthstream is a must-have for any medical organisations looking to invest in an LMS for training purposes.
Pluralsight
For tech workplaces, Pluralsight is a leading LMS with a focus on employee learning; with 100s of courses and 1000s of hands-on labs, Pluralsight is the easiest way to upskill your tech workforce to enhance outcomes, offered personalised paths for employee advancement, and enhance tech fluency in a rapidly-evolving digital world.
Eloomi
For those looking for impactful learning, Eloomi is one of the leading learning and development platforms, offering secure, scalable software that enables organisations to close skill gaps and cover all L&D responsibilities within larger teams. With unlimited access to visual content to make your L&D courses more engaging and compelling, as well as full mobile compatibility, Eloomi is a great option for those looking to develop skill and talent on their team.
MATRIX LMS
Finally, MATRIX LMS is another great corporate LMS, and ideal for those with little to no technical experience in creating online learning courses. With AI integration for ease, and e-commerce tools for selling, MATRIX LMS is a great option both for individuals as well as businesses looking to create compelling, personalised and interactive learning courses.
How to Pick a Corporate LMS
So, what’s the best LMS system for your business? Here are a few considerations to think about to ensure you make the right choice for your organisation:
User-Friendly Interface
First things first, the LMS must be user-friendly. You don’t want your employees struggling to navigate through a maze of complicated menus and options, so look for an LMS with an intuitive interface which is easy to understand and use, even for your most technophobic employees.
Customisation and Scalability
Your business is unique, and your LMS should reflect that: opt for a system that allows customisation to align with your company’s branding and ethos. Additionally, consider scalability; as your business grows, your LMS should be able to grow with you, which means being able to accommodate more users and new types of content without a hitch.
Reporting and Analytics
Knowledge is power, and in the context of an LMS, this means detailed reporting and analytics. A good LMS should provide insights into user progress, course completions, and areas where learners may need additional support. Not only is this beneficial for management when seeking out talent for advancement, but it also means you’re able to support employees who might need extra guidance or mentoring.
Compatibility and Integration
Modern offices all use a number of tools and platforms in their daily workday, so always check the compatibility of the LMS you’re choosing with other tools and systems in use at your company. Seamless integration with existing software, like HR systems, G-suite, or communication tools, can make life much easier, ensuring both a smooth workflow while also reducing the need for manual data transfer.
Support and Reliability
Finally, consider the support offered by the LMS provider. Reliable customer support is incredibly important when it comes to both employee engagement and keeping your collective workload on track. This is especially true in the initial stages of implementation; your employees are less likely to look positively on a system that breaks down or requires a long, complicated collaboration with the provider to solve minor issues. To avoid this, look for an LMS backed by a strong support team, like DigitalChalk, which is ready to assist whenever needed.
Multi-Device Compatibility
If you’re working in a company with lots of remote or hybrid employees, it’s a good idea to ensure that your chosen LMS comes with multi-device compatibility, so that employees can have their LMS both on their phone and their work PC or laptop. This ensures that no matter where they are in the world, employees can keep up to date with their learning and development objectives on the go.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, choosing the right corporate LMS for your organisation depends largely on the type of organisation you’re running. For small companies, an LMS with integrated AI or ready-built courses might be the best way to ensure a quickly-built learning system; for larger companies, an LMS system that offers customisable courses and lots of multi-platform integration might be your best bet. And what remains true – no matter what LMS solution you opt for – is that in 2023, a corporate learning system is the best way to nurture workplace talent, onboard new employees without excessive costs, and create a seamless, streamlined hybrid or remote workplace with ease.
FAQS
What’s the best LMS for schools?
Academic organisations can choose from any number of learning systems for their L&D needs, but many universities rely on Moodle, a cloud-based LMS solution.
What is the most widely used LMS?
Blackboard is the most widely used LMS in the world, popular with both business leaders and academic organisations.
What LMS do you use?
DigitalChalk is one of the leading LMS programs in the UK, with a global customer base, easy-to-use software, unlimited customer support and full customisation options for course-creation.
What is a cloud based LMS?
A cloud based LMS is a type of LMS that can be accessed anywhere, any time, so long as the person logging in has an internet connection and an established login with the server.
Is an LMS a CRM?
No, an LMS is a platform dedicated to training employees, and is used to help organisations achieve their learning and development objectives. CRM, on the other hand, is a tool used by companies to communicate with existing and potential customers.