Elearning! August - September

2013

Elearning! Magazine: Building Smarter Companies via Learning & Workplace Technologies.

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TipsLMS Selection Selecting an BY VINAY NILAKANTAN LMS Businesses and member-based associations are looking for ways to extend the learning experience beyond their walls to reach a wider audience of stakeholders. What are some of the benefts of this practice and how can they select a learning management system (LMS) that helps them achieve their extended enterprise vision? Ofering learning outside the organization can help achieve the following: >> Improve customer satisfaction — Easily accessible training can enhance a customer's interaction with the product, while potentially reducing support costs. Tis, in turn, can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty by building engagement and investment in the product. >> Increase partner involvement — If the business depends on resellers, integrators or other value-added partnerships, then those partners need to be educated on the product. Providing consistent and current product and sales training allows partners to accurately represent the product to end customers. >> Expanded revenue sources — Many organizations are selling training content to external audiences as a way to grow revenue. Tese organizations are taking a broader view of training and monetizing existing That's Right for Your Organization's Extended Enterprise Vision content by ofering it to wider audiences. >> Involve value chain partners — Suppliers, distributors and brokers can all beneft from training that may not be directly related to a product but supports a business process. Compliance and regulatory training falls into this area, as would education around health and safety. However, the logistics of delivering training to the extended enterprise can still be daunting to organizations that lack the right learning management system (LMS) technology. Organizations that are considering an LMS frst need to do some planning and assessment. Here are some key points to consider as you embark on selecting an LMS for your business or association. IDENTIFY & CLARIFY OBJECTIVES Too ofen overlooked, the frst step in selecting an LMS is to identify and clarify your organization's objectives for the system. Tis is a higher-level discussion than identifying what the LMS should do – that comes later. Ask some of the following questions: >> How will the LMS support our near- and long-term strategic goals? >> What do we really want to accomplish with learning and educational programs? >> What are the associated people, processes and func- tions that will be afected by an LMS? >> What problems are we trying to solve? >> What other opportunities could open up to us if we take this direction? Answering these questions and focusing on objectives is an important precursor to defning actual system requirements. CONSIDER YOUR ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM Tese days, no LMS should be an island, and in fact it should integrate with as many other applications as possible within the learning ecosystem. For example, learning data affects human resources, talent management and performance management systems. An LMS should seamlessly integrate with the key systems that help run your organization, especially if you're hoping to tie learning to revenue. Take the time to work with I.T. to make sure the selected LMS can function across the existing ecosystem. QUANTIFY ROI Tere is a considerable amount of return on investment (ROI) that comes from acquiring or replacing an LMS. Some sources are more obvious than others, so it is also important to look for potentially hidden ROI. For example, there may be ROI that comes from the ability to aggregate and analyze learning data to make better decisions about which courses to ofer. More apparent ROI will come from streamlined processes and improved effciency, and these should be quantifed as much as possible in terms of gains, savings and costs avoided. DON'T OVERLOOK CHANGE MANAGEMENT While most people know that change is necessary, they still may not like or accept new applications and business processes right away. It is always important to create and implement a change management plan that involves frequent communication and training for all stakeholders. Consider the diferent audiences that will be using the LMS and tailor communications accordingly. Apply basic principles of training so that people will accept the system that helps them with training. In some instances, using outside resources to facilitate the process makes sense. Bringing in a consultant can ease the burden on internal resources, and your organization can beneft from the experience and perspective of a seasoned professional. Whatever approach you take, remember that these initial steps are as important as the LMS selection itself. Vinay Nilakantan is VP of Product Management and Marketing at Meridian Knowledge Solutions. You can reach him at vnilakantan@meridianks.com, or visit www.meridianks.com Elearning! August / September 2013 43

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