The world is very competitive nowadays. With technological advancements, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, at the forefront of everyone’s minds, maintaining a competitive advantage is more critical than ever. Effective and engaging training/learning is one of the best ways to ensure that anyone working with an organization (internally or externally) is able to help the organization succeed in achieving its goals. Thankfully, a well-chosen LMS (better known as a learning management system) can help you do just that. There are several important factors to consider when choosing an LMS, but you might not know where to start. Find ways to navigate these factors and help guide you to choose the best external LMS for your organization.

Define Goals

When you choose an LMS for any type of training, let alone external training, you must always define your goals clearly. When you begin the research process, it’s best to start by defining what you hope to achieve from an external training program. What do you want your customers, stakeholders, partners, or whomever you’re sending your learning content to achieve? Are you trying to teach them how to use a particular service? Get them up to speed with company policies, guidelines, and procedures? Show them how to supplier management/enterprise management systems? You must create clear cut goals that any external learners can engage with. Use the concept of SMART goals to refine your LMS requirements. By taking time to define and refine your goals, you can equip yourself to choose the best external LMS to suit your needs and the needs of your learners.

Consider Your Learners

Defining and refining goals is only one step of a much more complex process. To get the most out of an external LMS, you must consider who your learners are and what they need. Ask yourself who they are and how they prefer to learn. Find an LMS that’s intuitive and can help personalize the experience they have while learning. Make sure it’s easy to navigate and that it offers the features you need to create the best overall educational experience. Consider the self-directed nature of an external LMS and incorporate that into your decision. This is a vital step in selecting a learning system that will help you achieve your goals.

Research Several LMS Systems

Just as consumers spend time researching items (mostly appliances and electronics) before purchasing, the same concept applies to choosing an LMS. Choosing an LMS for external training can be a daunting task, but it’s important to take the time to do your research and choose an LMS that will engage your learners and provide the best possible experience. Due diligence and vetting different LMS providers is all part of the process. Sometimes, a points-based selection system can be useful, especially when looking for an external training platform. Assigning points to different aspects of the lms, like if it can be used for external training, if it has good reviews, and what features it has, can help you make a determination to find one that suits your needs.

Look For Engaging Features

If you’ve ever been bored in high school, you probably understand all too well the importance of engaging learning content. That’s why you should look for engaging teachers that you can use to keep learners working on the subject matter and to personalize their experience. This can be in the form of gamification, which is similar to creating a game-like style system with achievements. It can also be in the form of interactive content, social learning, using mobile platforms, or online lectures. Additionally, the LMS should be secure and scalable to the point where you can use it to accomplish any learning task for your stakeholders, customers, or vendors. Using a learning management system is all part of modern business. While it has its uses as an internal tool, it can be especially valuable for external use. Having a call with a salesperson, attaining as much information as possible, checking review sites, and trying a demo of the system can help you find the right one for your business. There are plenty of options available, but finding one begins—and ends—with you.

Kenneth

Kenneth is a proud native of sydney, born and raised there. However, he pursued his education abroad and studied in Australia. Kenneth has worked as a journalist for almost a decade, making valuable contributions to prominent publications such as Yahoo News and The Verge. Currently, he serves as a journalist for The Hear Up, where he focuses on covering climate and science news. You can reach Kenneth at [email protected].