How do you choose the best L&D platform for your team?

> Identify specific training requirements and learning styles of your team to select a platform offering suitable content, delivery formats, and functionalities. > Consider factors like user-friendliness, content creation capabilities, analytics, integration options, and mobile accessibility to ensure it meets your team's needs. > Assess the platform's pricing structure, considering factors like the number of users, features, and potential return on investment through improved employee performance and productivity.

It's crucial to identify the specific skills gaps and align these with your business goals. At Learnerbly, we offer tailored learning experiences that ensure measurable outcomes, directly impacting both personal growth and business performance.

We help with business cases every day. Some key steps to work through: 1. State the business need 2. Describe what the problem is, succinctly 3. Explain your solution to the problem (link the LMS to 2) 4. To explain why that solution is the best, you need to sell the vision 5. Laser in on the budget considerations (total cost) 6. Analyse return on investment of your learning tech

*Establish the team /department/company training needs - conduct either team meetings or surveys to find out the specific necessary needs and details *Check what is on the market in terms of LMS - based on the discovered needs and ask for additional details, demos, prices, available features, test it, course development opportunities, course creation opportunity included in the LMS or not etc. * Choose the appropriate LMS and start the implementation

Choosing the best L&D platform involves evaluating factors like content variety, scalability, user experience, and integration capabilities with existing systems. Start by assessing your team's specific learning needs and preferences. Look for platforms that offer diverse content formats (videos, interactive modules), robust analytics for tracking progress, and mobile accessibility. Ensure the platform supports scalability to accommodate future growth and provides seamless integration with your organization's HR and learning management systems. Lastly, prioritize platforms that offer responsive customer support and continuous updates to keep pace with industry trends and learner expectations.

Compare platforms based on content relevance, flexibility, and engagement features. At Learnerbly, we offer a mix of high-quality content that supports various learning formats—whether online, offline, or mobile. Our platform fosters a culture of continuous learning through interactive and social features, ensuring your team stays motivated and engaged.

When comparing platforms you should be first creating a list of wants be needs. Then align those to business objectives and write down the must haves in order for a platform to work. Having all the bells and whistles isn't necessarily a good thing if you don't need them and are paying for them.

Once you've assessed your team's needs, and created a shortlist of platforms, get learning champions within your team to sign up and actively use the platform for a week or two. Their hands-on experience and feedback will be invaluable in guiding your decision. As the saying goes, "The proof is always in the pudding." By putting the learner first and involving them in the selection process, you'll materially increase the likelihood of choosing a platform that fosters a culture of continuous learning and development.

In my experience, nothing beats a hands-on demo or trial. It’s an opportunity to explore a platform’s capabilities and see if it aligns with your vision. After the introductory call at Learnerbly, we schedule a demo call to give clients the opportunity to see and experience firsthand how our platform works. This hands-on approach allows them to explore the platform’s features and understand how it can meet their specific needs. We also encourage involving key team members during the demo to gather feedback and ensure the platform aligns seamlessly with their workflows.

This is clearly 1-0-1, what I will add is that work to establish the learning technology providers people are the type of people you think you can work with. The mindset that they are extension of your learning team will go a long way. No harm in asking to meet who your customer success representative would be also.

Set out a plan prior to trialing any software and create a make or break list for features and functionality you are looking for. Use this as a guide as you go through testing and involve multiple teams in the process to gain user feedback on how well the platform is working.

This is a super important step, but you must know as a buyer that the likes of Capterra, Trustpilot, or G2 are all pay to play for learning tech providers. So more reviews doesn't mean better. I work on the supplier side, and we have enough to show you we can back up what we say. But we have a number of customer approved in-depth case studies that we share. So ask your prospective providers for that also. The question really comes down to whether you want your providers to be spending money getting reviews to sell you on the solution, or would we be better to spend that money on product R&D to genuinely give you a better solution.

Reviews and testimonials are invaluable. I always recommend checking what other companies—especially those with similar needs—are saying about a platform. At Learnerbly, we've seen real-world success stories from our clients that highlight how our platform can help achieve L&D goals. Learning from others' experiences can provide valuable insights and we are proud of nearly 500 reviews we have received on G2.

Be sure to check multiple sources and prior to looking at reviews consider specifically what you might be looking for. Online reviews can be great but often only speak a positive manner about the solution and don't always paint a thorough picture of some of the challenges. Check multiple sources and look for patterns and even consider asking the company to refer existing customers to interview.

As a CEO, I understand the importance of balancing cost with value. Beyond the initial price, consider factors like ongoing support and how well the platform aligns with your company culture. At Learnerbly, we focus on providing long-term value by ensuring that our platform can scale with your needs and deliver a strong ROI.

Consider strategically thinking in the long term on what features and functionality you might need in the long run and take this into account when signing a term contract. You may eventually outgrow your current platform but be stuck in a contract.