Empowering Business Success through a Corporate LMS: A Close Examination

Research suggests that organizations that invest in corporate training reap significant benefits, including a 218% increase in per-employee income and a profit margin inflated by 24% compared to those who don't. Implementing a well-planned employee development and training program is undoubtedly a sound business strategy.

However, the traditional route of scheduling coach trips to your locations and conducting instructor-led training sessions post working hours can be challenging. Fortunately, the landscape of corporate learning is changing rapidly, with physical barriers to training being eliminated by the integration of mobile devices, remote work opportunities, and internet accessibility. Corporate Learning Management Systems (LMS) make this transition even smoother. The corporate LMS software does more than just make learning accessible anytime, anywhere; it offers numerous other advantages.

In this article, we delve into the concept of a corporate LMS and how it can help drive your business success. We also provide a snapshot of the top 7 corporate learning platforms available today.

Defining Corporate LMS

A Corporate Learning Management System (LMS) is a software application designed to deliver online training content to your employees. The main goal of a corporate LMS is to facilitate the onboarding process, provide necessary knowledge and skills, and accelerate career growth within your company. For a deeper understanding of an LMS's functionality and how to structure online training using an LMS, we recommend additional reading.

Let's explore five reasons your business should consider implementing a corporate LMS:

Drastic reductions in training-related costs, such as travel, accommodation, and event expenditures.

Liberating the learning experience from the confines of a classroom, enabling employees to learn at their own pace, anytime, anywhere.

Training staff from various locations without incurring extra costs.

Decreasing workload on senior employees by allowing new hires to onboard independently through online platforms, reducing the need for extensive face-to-face mentoring.

Streamlined tracking and recording of course completion and performance, providing valuable analytics for the improvement of your development program.

Green LMS is an excellent choice in this regard. Its comprehensive L&D suite handles everything from easy management of eLearning, Mobile Learning, Classroom Training, and Blended Learning to Integrations, LMS Mobile Apps, eCommerce, and Competency Development. Green LMS truly has it all!

Who can Benefit from Corporate LMS?

Corporate Learning Management Systems are valuable assets for businesses of all sizes, be it SMBs, large enterprises, nonprofit organizations, or government entities. For small and medium-sized businesses, a corporate LMS facilitates growth without incurring unnecessary costs or productivity losses. For larger enterprises, it enables efficient knowledge transfer across branches, departments, local offices, franchises, and resellers.

In most organizations, either an L&D or HR team oversees corporate online training and uses an LMS for this purpose. Within an organization, three main categories of users can be identified:

Administrator: Depending on the complexity of the LMS, this could be an IT technician who oversees system administration or a course author in simpler systems.

Author: This individual is responsible for creating online training programs and adding courses to the LMS.

Users or learners: These are the trainees who study the course materials on the platform.

To further understand the benefits of an LMS for recruiters, HR, sales managers, and commercial directors, we recommend further reading on this topic.

Categorizing Corporate LMSs

Corporate Learning Management Systems can be classified primarily in two ways: based on the nature of the software (open-source vs. commercial) and on the type of hosting (local vs. cloud-based). Here's a quick look at these different types:

Open-source LMSs: These are free-to-use solutions, often favored by nonprofit organizations. Open-source LMSs are flexible and can be customized according to user-specific needs, thanks to their open code structure. However, they require the support of an IT technician and additional investment in server and hosting architecture maintenance. Open Edx platform is a popular choice in this category, given its XBlock technology that supports easy creation and management of training content and facilitates detailed platform customization.

Commercial LMSs: These are licensed, proprietary training software managed by LMS vendors. The vendors provide technical support, ensuring the system's smooth operation. Commercial LMSs can either be installed locally or delivered as a cloud-based SaaS solution.

Locally hosted LMSs: This refers to software that you host and maintain in-house. While this implies high setup fees and a specific license duration, it grants your IT team complete control over operation and security.

Cloud-based LMSs: These LMSs are hosted on the web by vendors and can be accessed from anywhere, on any device. They don't necessitate extensive IT infrastructure or expertise on your part as the vendor manages system maintenance and data security.

Essential Features of a Corporate LMS

While your training needs might dictate specific features for your LMS, most systems generally cater to three basic requirements: managing users, managing courses, and tracking training progress.

Key LMS features include:

User Management: Enables you to add and edit users, organize them into groups or departments, and assign roles.

Course Management: Allows you to upload, manage, and deliver learning materials.

Progress Tracking: Helps you monitor a learner's or a group's performance in real-time.

Additional features could include:

Learning Path: For multi-topic or extensive content, you can organize them into a compound course called a learning path with specific evaluation criteria, deadlines, and a rearrangeable structure.

Event Calendar: If your training program includes in-class activities or webinars, your LMS can schedule and monitor these events, notifying learners of upcoming sessions.

Certification: An LMS can issue certificates to employees upon course or test completion, supporting overall professional certification within your company.

Mobile Learning: A robust LMS should be accessible on any device and support offline course completion with results automatically synced when back online.

Social Media Tools: LMS platforms can support likes, shares, discussions, user feedback, and other social media-like features to promote collaborative learning and engagement.

Gamification: To improve learner engagement and motivation, LMSs can integrate elements of competition, like points and badges, for completing training modules.

Software Related to Corporate LMSs

Several other types of software closely align with corporate LMS software, such as:

Authoring Software: eLearning authoring tools are used to create digital educational content, including interactive courses, video lectures and tutorials, quizzes, and simulations. Some LMS platforms come with built-in authoring tools for creating interactive courses, quizzes, conversation simulations, and branched scenarios.

Digital Knowledge Repositories: These online libraries host an organization's entire learning content, facilitating just-in-time learning. Users can access information as needed, participate in discussion forums, and contribute to the knowledge bank.

Hosted Course Platforms: These platforms host online courses from various vendors and allow selling to customers, acting as a marketplace for eLearning content.

Microlearning Platforms: Designed to deliver knowledge in bite-sized chunks, microlearning platforms are perfect for quick, task-based knowledge access.

Although there are numerous employee training solutions in the market, a well-chosen LMS can replace many of them, offering an all-in-one system for your needs.

The Role of Corporate LMS Software in Business Success

A corporate LMS is a potent tool that can help address a variety of training needs. From onboarding new employees to skill enhancement, diverse companies for varied needs use LMSs.

One such use case is new hire orientation. With an LMS, you can automate most of the employee induction training. After creating a core corporate training program, it can be assigned to all new hires, covering topics like company history, mission and vision, corporate policies, and more. This not only streamlines the onboarding process but also increases retention and accelerates the readiness of new hires for their roles.