First there were Learning
Management Systems. Then prefixing them with SaaS, denoting their cloud-hosted
infrastructure and on-demand-ness, became a necessity as their first generation
counterparts made way for the new-age LMS complete with a future-proofed
feature set and a truly user-centric platform that put the learner in the driver’s
seat.
Today’s SaaS LMS is more than just
a system for administering and managing employee training. It’s a tool that
facilitates continuous learning, collaboration, communication between and
amongst learners, peers, SMEs and seniors. But more than that, it’s a
continuously evolving learning technology that’s underpinning the success of
the knowledge economy.
Below are 25 must-have features in
a SaaS LMS that will stand you in a good stead not just in 2020 but beyond too:
1.AI/ Recommendation Engine
2.Virtual Training/ VILT
3.Instructor Led Training/ Classroom Training
4.Mobile Apps
5.Blended Learning
6.Gamification
7.Compliance Training
8.Extended Enterprise Training
9.Reporting & Analytics
10.APIs and Integration
11.Competency Management
12.Social Learning & Knowledge Collaboration
13.Continuing Professional Development
14.Support for Training Content
15.eCommerce
16.Multi-lingual Support
17.Standards Compliance
18.Data Security & Privacy
19.Branding &Whitelabeling
20.Organization Structure Management
21.Role Management
22.Certification
23.Responsive/ Mobile-optimized Interface
24.User-first UI and enhanced UX
25.Single Sign On (SSO)
1.AI/
Recommendation Engine
Assigning training as per job role,
profile or level is now passé. With Artificial Intelligence making its presence
felt in every area of our work and personal life, AI-powered
Learning Management Systems are no longer good-to-have, but are a must-have
for businesses of all types and sizes. Relevant content is suggested to the learners
automatically as the LMS constantly gathers intelligence from user behaviors,
skill-sets and information pieces across the board to produce a rich pool of
related content and deep search results.
2.Virtual Training/ VILT
With Classroom Training programs being cancelled across industries and countries in light of COVID-19, for businesses with traditional L&D, migrating to Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT) has been the best bet. An LMS with ready connectors for popular virtual networking services like Zoom, WebEx, GoToMeeting etc. enable your learners and instructors to connect and interact with each other in real-time. It not only increases the reach of the training at a lower cost but, by enabling learners and instructors to collaborate, it makes the learning process interesting and enriching for the learners.
3.Instructor
Led Training/ Classroom Training
No matter how much technology disrupts our life for good, some things are best suited to traditional approaches. One such is Instructor Led Training (ILT) or Classroom Training. ILT is one of the best learning modes, to learn from industry veterans and experts. The instructor’s knowledge of the subject matter helps individuals or groups understand the topic in greater detail. With such expert level of guidance and approach, ILT becomes more focused towards a clear learning objective, and when coupled with real-time assessments (quizzes or Q&A), it practically guarantees fulfillment of these objectives in a timely manner. Most modern LMSes offer a comprehensive ILT module complete with training scheduling, nomination workflows, venue and vendor management, batch management and training costs management. Here are 5 reasons you still need Classroom Training in your L&D mix.
4.Mobile
Apps
Most organizations have a dispersed
workforce, which becomes an obstacle when it comes to delivering relevant
training materials to different geographies. An LMS makes this task less
daunting and provides ‘anytime-anywhere’ learning through mobile apps that
deliver the content to learners ‘just in time’. With telecom networks getting
stronger and the advent of 3G and 4G networks, businesses are incorporating
mobile devices into their learning mix for boosting Employee Productivity and
providing Performance
Support.
5.Blended
Learning
Variety is the spice of life, goes the adage. However, it’s not just the variety, it’s the diversity of preferences we exhibit that make Blended Learning a necessity for employee capability development. A learning platform with support for different training modalities (eLearning, Virtual Classroom), full multimedia support (Videos, PDFs, PPTs, Documents, HTML courses) and standards-compliance (SCORM, AICC) helps you accommodate your learners’ learning styles and get more bang for your buck. You can use eLearning, Virtual Classroom modules separately too, if you don’t want to build them together in a single program.
6.Gamification
As Gamification continues to build
strong in-roads into corporate training, it has become increasingly important
for Learning & Development (L&D) leaders to explore how the mechanics
of gaming boost employee engagement and influence their learning outcomes
especially in these disruptive times of remote working and remote learning. An LMS with a
Gamification module engages and motivates learners to learn by instilling a
feeling of healthy competition and achievement, while enabling them to achieve
their developmental goals.
7.Compliance
Training
An LMS with an in-built Compliance
module enables organizations to manage their Compliance Training
programs easily. To the employees, it gives instant access to training
materials (on any device of their choice) and receive training regularly on
their compliance responsibilities so as to play an active role in creating and
maintaining a productive, ethical, and respectful workplace. Here are 9
tips to an effective Compliance Training with an LMS.
8.Extended
Enterprise Training
Training can be intended for your
immediate employees or for stakeholders “outside” the organization. The latter
is termed as Extended
Enterprise Training. So whether you wish to push your partners and dealers
for more sales, amp up the support for your customers and turn them into
evangelists, a learning management system with multi-portal architecture, which
allows hosting of multiple/ diverse training portals on a single LMS setup, enables
you to train and engage external audiences.
9.Reporting
& Analytics
Reporting and analytics has emerged
as a must-have feature for any leading LMS. Leading LMSes have inbuilt
reporting and analytics tools that can map employees’ learning process and
measure it against their performance. However, reporting isn’t, or rather
shouldn’t be, just a data dump. It should be able to translate the learning
management data into meaningful information for devising better L&D
strategies and improving processes. A SaaS LMS with an inbuilt Reporting and
Analytics engine will go a long way in helping an organization to make
informed decisions and maintain its competitive advantage.
10.APIs
and Integration
An Application Programming
Interface (API), in context of a Learning Management System, helps
organizations in seamlessly integrating the LMS with enterprise applications
and managing various functions with ease. A SaaS LMS must have a decent
set of APIs (at least the popular ones) readily available. Integration
capabilities with tools like CRM and HRMS/ HRIS, video conferencing, online
payment systems, content providers and online content marketplaces for a wider
variety of learning content, remove the hurdles that become an unnecessary
barrier between the employees and their training. Here’s everything you need
to know on LMS APIs and Integrations.
11.Competency
Management
Competency management is the process
of cataloging, managing and developing the skill sets of employees. With the
shelf life of skills shrinking and our world evolving at a rapid pace, workforce
succession planning is critical not only to fill in existing openings but to
create a talent pipeline for the future. An LMS with Competency
Management helps you in identifying and understanding the core competencies
of your employees, conducting skills-gap analysis as well as competency
analysis and profiling. So you can create an environment of sustainable
competency thereby enabling the realization of your business strategy, and
hence results.
12.Social
Learning & Knowledge Collaboration
In today’s hyper-connected world,
where life is chronicled on timelines and status updates, why should learning
be any different? Social
learning and Knowledge Collaboration has become one of the crucial
components of the learning mix providing a unique way for people to learn from
one another. It helps capture various types of knowledge that are prevalent in
the enterprise, going beyond the conventional view of courseware, assignments
and assessment. When on the lookout for a SaaS LMS, selecting one with Social
tools (how many and what all tools depends upon the makeup of the company’s
user audiences) can help in taking the learning initiative a notch higher.
13.Continuing
Professional Development
CPD stands for Continuing
Professional Development and refers to the process of tracking and documenting
the skills, knowledge and experience that you gain both formally and informally
as you work, beyond any initial training. Organizations across the globe follow
the CPD process (sometimes as a mandatory requirement) to maintain the skill
set of their employees. An LMS
with a CPD module enables organizations to manage the Continuous
Professional Development of their employees through a single platform. Here’s
how you can leverage
CPD for a competitive advantage.
14.Support
for Training Content
As more and more businesses embrace
technology-led learning, the eLearning market is expected to increase to $15.72
billion by 2021, with businesses spending nearly $1252 on training and
development per employee. This is a stark and clear indication that businesses
are finding more value in employee training and development through eLearning.
However, with learning technology solutions (like the LMS) effectively taking
care of the learning delivery the focus shifts on the learning itself,
especially the eLearning courses and content. Whether you decide to invest in
Custom developed eLearning or ready-to-use
Off-the-Shelf videos and courses, it is important to consider Content as a
part of your L&D strategy. An important aspect to consider is the content’s
ability to render well on mobile devices as on desktops and laptops. Here
are 5
things to consider when selecting off-the-shelf courses.
15.eCommerce
For Online Training companies,
availability of an easy and secure payment gateway is critical for success of
their business. An LMS with ready integrations with PayPal, Eway& other
popular payment gateways. Its support for different currencies, along with
integration-readiness with your website catalogue, ensures faster go-to-market
for online training too.
16.Multi-lingual
Support
With employees working remotely in
different geographies, organizations need the ability to deliver their
employees with training programs in their respective native languages as
employees that are effectively trained (in the language of their choice) are
well equipped to provide quick and relevant solutions to customers’ questions.
Further, having an LMS with multi-lingual support is invaluable to a truly
global organization, due to their presence in markets all around the world.
17.Standards
Compliance
A standards-compliant LMS is a
learning management system that abides by the rules set out within popular eLearning
standards like SCORM, AICC, xAPI. At its core, an LMS with standards compliance
allows content authors to distribute their content to a variety of Learning
Management Systems (LMS) with the smallest headache possible. And for an LMS to
handle content from a variety of sources.
18.Data Security
& Privacy
A Learning Management System (LMS)
is a treasure trove of sensitive and confidential information of every
organization. Such information, if it fallen into wrong hands, can spell
disaster. LMS breaches can result in compliance violations, a loss of
competitive advantage or even worse. Most modern LMSes have data security and
privacy mechanisms that safeguard interests of its customers. Here is GDPR
privacy policy for our LMS, UpsideLMS.
19.Branding
&Whitelabeling
Ensuring your learners have an
environment that reflects your company brand is important to not only establish
consistency but also to send a common, unified message. While a learning
platform’s branding tools help to configure the color scheme, logo and other
aesthetic aspects of the LMS inline with the company’s branding guidelines,
sometimes branding doesn’t render well for all use cases. Case in point, external
audiences like customers and partners may need a white-labeled LMS to remove
all references to a vendor or indications that a platform wasn’t developed in-house.
20.Organization
Structure Management
Does your organization follow a
traditional top-down hierarchy? Or are you a flat organization, with no job
titles, seniority, managers, or executives? Whichever the case, what you need
is a SaaS Learning Management System that can fit your users into a structure
that corresponds with your organization’s hierarchy. From the simplest to the
most complex, the SaaS LMS should be able define, map and manage your
organization hierarchy. Another good-to-have feature linked with this is the
ability to define access controls for training content with the access for
content creation, delivery and reporting being mapped to the hierarchy.
21.Role
Management
Roles are used to define the functions
a user can perform in a Learning Management System. Ranging from Administrator
and Learner to Line Manager and Instructor to a combination of these, roles
give or restrict privileges and access to different areas of the LMS. A
must-have for a SaaS LMS is a range of user roles with appropriate level of
access rights and privileges – as mapped to their needs.
22.Certification
Yes, the key objective of an LMS is
enabling seamless learning. But since the learning happens (mostly) in a
virtual setting, both trainers and trainees expect to have their courses
certificated and valid for the corporate world. This is where Certificates in
an LMS come in. By enabling L&D to attach certificates to curriculums (or
learning paths), it serves as a timely recognition to the learner.
23.Responsive/ Mobile-optimized Interface
One of the first signs of a great
LMS is that it is mobile responsive – meaning the platform renders well in any
device of any resolution in any browser of choice. With smartphones reigning
supreme across the globe, an unresponsive LMS is at risk of losing the interest
of today’s digital savvy learners. If organizations prioritize mobility, they
can be rest assured knowing that maximum amount of learners are accessing the
training, thus driving the ROI. Here are 9
reasons you should invest in a responsive LMS.
24.User-first
UI and enhanced UX
It is highly imperative for today’s
organizations to have clear and precise understanding of the modern LMSes, because
even the most incredible elearning programs alone cannot guarantee engagement
if the delivery method (read LMS!) is complicated and not user-friendly.
A state-of-the-art User Interface
(UI) in an LMS is
undoubtedly a prime necessity that helps learners navigate through the LMS with
much ease and comfort. With a seamless experience, the learners are more
engaged, thus driving course completion rates. And, as more and more learners
complete training, organizations get more value for money. Higher productivity
simply means more return on investment. Here’s how you can select
an LMS from an UX perspective.
25.Single
Sign On (SSO)
The number of times you need to
provide your credentials to access various software applications and services
such as your favorite social networking sites, your company’s network, your
webmail, etc. is far too many to qualify for a productive usage of time. A SaaS
LMS with Single Sign-On capabilities counters this very problem. By allowing
you to provide your username and password a single time to the Identity
Provider, it enables you to gain access to various applications and services
without the need for re-authenticating. From improving productivity to reducing
IT costs (owing to fewer help-desk requests for password resets), the
advantages of SSO in a SaaS LMS are plenty.
Sandeep Bhoyar
