LMS Experts And Where To Find Them
If you're considering an LMS, you're not alone. The global market for Learning Management Systems is expected to grow at 14% per year until 2025[1]. This will make it a 25.7-billion-dollar business globally by 2025. Want to take your organization's Learning and Development to the next level? Could a Learning Management System be part of your plans? Read on to learn where to find the best LMS consultants for you and your business.
Why An LMS?
If you haven't already decided to leap into an LMS solution it's worth spending a little time thinking about why an LMS might be right for you and your business. You might even be hiring an LMS consultant to help you consider this question. Plenty of companies are already in urgent need to transform training with an LMS due to remote working circumstances.
The early questions in the LMS journey include examining what problems you want an LMS to fix for you. Alternatively, you could consider what opportunities an LMS might enable for you. An LMS consultant can help you address these questions.
Simply choosing an LMS without considering all its features might not be the answer you are hoping for. If it doesn't address your needs, you could find that you've made an expensive investment in a powerful Learning and Development tool that you don't need.
Why LMS Consultants?
An LMS consultant who has a good understanding of the LMS market can distinguish between the LMS solutions that will meet your needs and those that will not. That's advice that could save you a lot of effort and money.
For example, you might need an LMS that will integrate learning content, Performance Management, and certifications for a large enterprise. You will need to know which LMS products are only suitable as a tool to deploy learning content. A consultant can help you refine your product search.
An LMS consultant can also be very helpful once you have selected an LMS. Implementation of the LMS is often a major task that a consultant can help you with. They can help clarify your objectives and ensure that your LMS selection and deployment are aligned with these objectives.
An LMS can be a significant investment. A consultant can help you achieve a return on that investment. Deployment of learning won't realize a return unless the learning is applied on the job and business results are achieved.
How To Make The Right Software Selection With LMS Consulting
You must be curious about how to choose the right LMS and not regret it. It's not a secret that almost 50% of U.S. companies that implement eLearning are less than satisfied with their LMS selection. In fact, Brandon Hall Group’s research data shows that 38% of the companies already consider changing their LMS system[2].
The first thing you have to do is follow a step-by-step plan to see through the marketing hype and focus on delivering effective custom training. Here's how an LMS consultant can help you choose the LMS that matches your needs.
- Identify needs
There are more than 600 learning platforms out there, so in order to choose yours, you need to define your selection criteria. It is essential to know exactly which LMS can assist you in implementing both your training goals and your business objectives. An LMS expert has done this many times before. Facing certain struggles, identifying what works and what doesn't makes the selection process much easier.
- Determine goals and objectives
You have to ask yourself what you want to achieve with your online training initiatives. The latter has to be in alignment with your business goals. You can't have one without the other. Make sure to define your SMART goals. Meaning, what you set out to accomplish has to be specific, measurable, achievable, and done within a certain timeframe. This will give better insights to your consultant and narrow down a potential wrong LMS decision.
For example, you might want to increase your sales by X% by the next 12 months. Or maybe you want your L&D team to be able to create courses in less than X hours. Experienced LMS consultants can help you map out your training roadmap. They are the key to identifying your objectives as well as helping you turn them into training topics with the right tool.
- LMS training use case
Depending on the type of training you are looking to create, you might feel the need to get LMS consultation on a specific LMS type or focus on a variety of training use cases. If a consultant has specific background expertise, they will be able to offer you more insights into a certain type of training. Or maybe they can suggest an alternative LMS deployment that is a better fit for your needs. Insider tips, based on your criteria, can lead to a value-for-money LMS.
- Must-have LMS features
It is essential to leverage a consultation and guide your team to the best decision. To make it simple, you can see your LMS consultant as a business coach. An expert who is going to be right by your side at every stage.
After finalizing goals and objectives, you'll need to figure out which are the necessary LMS features to help create suitable online training courses for your workforce. For instance, you might need an intuitive User Interface. If you run an extended enterprise, you'll have to opt for customization and personalization solutions.
Flexible reporting and analytics are equally important as assessment tools, however not all systems keep up with these standards. Maybe you need your platform to have social learning integration or responsive design. Or even aim to use gamification to boost online training engagement and completion. Your LMS consultant can see to it, making clear which features are imperative and which are just for show.
- Budget and hidden costs
There is no easy way when it comes to setting a budget plan for your employee training LMS. For example, open source systems might come out as free but they require in-depth programming knowledge. On the other hand, some fully packaged solutions happen to lack certain features or functions making it impossible to work without them, hence the need to add content or upgrade.
You should be extra careful with additional fees that might hinder in the shadows. Thankfully, LMS consulting can diminish the chances of hurting your ROI by avoiding extra cost payments. An expert can make sure that you get the LMS tool that you need right from the start.
Finding An LMS Consultant
Finding an LMS consultant starts with drawing up the criteria for selection. Be clear about what you need the consultant to do for you. Decide what knowledge, skills, and experience you are looking for by considering all the above. Select a consultant with the know-how you need.
Look for a consultant with a good reputation for service and one who listens to their clients. Communication is the key to the consultant relationship so you need someone you feel you can have a rapport with.
Check the credentials of all consultants. What evidence do they have that they have the appropriate qualifications to deliver the LMS solution you need? Many LMS solution vendors have proprietary training and qualifications. Check that they have relevant experience in your business sector with the LMS product and with organizations of your size.
LinkedIn is a networking site where professionals can connect with peers, develop their careers, or even increase business reputation[3]. Thus, it can be an effective medium to find consultants of all types. You may be interested in a part-time or full-time consultant who you employ directly. Alternatively, you could find a freelancer or a consultant who will take a project on a contract or interim basis.
Search for LMS consultants on LinkedIn and you're sure to find a long list of possible candidates. You will then need to shortlist them against your criteria for selection.
Freelance Communities
There are specialist communities of freelancers where you could find a suitable consultant. UpWork is one that provides profiles of candidates together with reviews completed by previous clients.
After selecting a suitable candidate, you can hire them through the website.
Agencies
Agencies providing consulting services can be a more targeted means of finding an LMS consultant. Specialized LMS consulting agencies may have a range of people with skills in Project Management, learning needs analysis, technical skills, and learning content design.
The benefit of working with an agency is that you can call on the skills of the wider team when you need them. An agency may specialize in a specific LMS vendor's products, so unless you have committed to that vendor, you may want to look for a consultant with relevant experience across a number of products.
Events And Exhibitions
LMS vendors demonstrate and sell their products at trade shows and exhibitions. It's common for consultants who support these products to also attend or even exhibit at these eLearning shows. This can be a useful way of meeting consultants.
Networking
If you are a member of an industry association or a professional institute, use your network to help find a consultant. The sharing of experience with LMS vendors and consultants can be invaluable. Ask about other people they have worked with. Find out whether they would work with them again. Check whether the work they did is relevant or comparable with the LMS project you are planning.
LMS Vendors
Many LMS vendors have their own consulting services. These consultants are trained by and integrated with the vendor's product team. This can give them a unique insight into the product. The downside of working with a vendor's consultancy service is that it can be an extension of the vendor's sales team. There may be a tendency to recommend solutions that commit you to even more spending.
Hiring A Consultant
After a criteria-based search and selection, hiring a consultant is the next step. LMS consultants can ease the pressure on you. Choose wisely and you'll have peace of mind. Now, if you're not ready to hire a consultant, you can always use our free LMS consulting service to find out which LMS vendors match your needs.
