Report – LMS Trends 2015: Is it time for something different?

• 3 min read

The 2015 LMS Trends report from Brandon Hall Group paints a picture of widespread dissatisfaction (and high turnover) among organizations that use an LMS.

Organizations that responded to the firm’s survey say they’re paying far too much for systems that are difficult to use, out of date and that don’t provide the data and analytics the organizations need the most. The report outlines six major findings, and provides four critical calls-to-action for companies who want to rethink their approach to learning technologies.

Read Brandon Hall’s tips for overcoming these LMS shortfalls by downloading the full report.

1.

Only about one-third of companies plan to renew with their current LMS provider, and 38% are actively looking to replace their solution.

The top 10 reasons companies want to switch include challenges like a desire to move to the cloud, a lack of social/collaborative features, an outdated appearing system and — at number one — that the organization’s learning needs have changed. In fact, that an LMS cannot adapt to meet a company’s changing learning needs can be a warning sign that buyer’s remorse may soon set in.

2.

On average, companies are not overly satisfied with any aspect of their current LMS solution.

The survey asked companies to rate their satisfaction with their LMS across 17 different factors. The results are, plainly stated, astonishingly mediocre. On a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best, the highest score was 3.48, and that was for system reliability. System reliability has had the highest satisfaction scores in each of the previous surveys, but for 2015 even this measurement is down from 2014.

Simply working when it’s supposed to is probably the least a company could ask from its LMS, but users still aren’t impressed.

3.

Perceived deficiencies with learning technology runs far and wide, including ease of use and vendor support.

In fact, poor support from the vendor is listed as one of the most cited reasons for switching to another LMS. It’s a dislike that could be written off as an annoyance that can be addressed, but it has real impact.

4.

Companies that spend more per user for their LMS are actually less satisfied.

The learning budget is constantly under scrutiny. According to a Brandon Hall Group/Starr Conspiracy study, 44% of companies cite “not enough budget” as a top learning management technology challenge, making it the number one hurdle.

But at the same time, ROI is always a challenge in the learning space. The ability of the LMS to meet ROI expectations rated poorly. In this kind of environment, it would be easy to assume that organizations are simply going for the cheapest solution and suffering buyer’s remorse down the road. But companies looking for a new system are more concerned with getting a system that’s easy to use, can adapt to changing needs and can personalize the learning experience than cost alone.

5.

The longer a system has been in place, the less satisfied organizations become.

Perhaps not surprisingly, experience with a particular platform doesn’t always translate to higher satisfaction. While older systems scored higher in system reliability (call them Old Faithful), the more recent deployments significantly outperformed the older ones in every area.

6.

Cloud deployments deliver significantly higher satisfaction ratings.

Nearly one-third of organizations have their LMS installed behind a firewall, but that number is dropping as companies become more comfortable with cloud technology. Most software companies will say the cloud is the end-all, be-all solution. They’d be correct. Companies that use an LMS in the cloud reported higher satisfaction scores across the board than those with installed solutions. In fact, according to the Brandon Hall report, the comparison isn’t even close.

Some of the most common features cited for installing an LMS — including greater control over the infrastructure to ensure reliability — were actually rated higher in cloud solutions. Some other major satisfaction gaps between installed and cloud LMS include support, look and feel, feature set and whether it met ROI expectations.Learn more about the six key findings highlighted above, and read Brandon Hall Group’s suggestions for how to choose the right LMS for your organization, by downloading the report. As a bonus, there’s a 10-page appendix that includes a technology selection tool for companies looking to switch.