Dive deep

No LMS user works alone. Parting ways with your Learning Management System might affect your whole organization. Consulting your colleagues before making the transition to a new LMS will make the move easier, because they are going to have concerns, requirement, and many questions.

According to Brandon Hall Group, an HR consulting firm, the top three most important requirements for a new LMS are:

1. Ease-of-use
2. More robust reporting features/analytics
3. Simple integration with systems

But the priorities will differ from department to department, and so will the concerns.

1. Administrators/HR/training department(s)

This team includes the heaviest users of an LMS. They’re in charge of time-intensive tasks like: 

• Administering pre-employment tests to potential hires
• Onboarding new employees
• Tracking training progress and results
• Corresponding with employees/users about progress, deadlines, etc.
• Keeping up with certification and compliance management

Your training department will have valuable input for the LMS buying decision. If an LMS is working right, it is offloading and automating many administrative tasks, easing the burden on overwhelmed training personnel, and enabling them to be proactive rather than reactive.

HR/training will have questions like:

• How do I create courses in the new system?
• How long will it take me to feel comfortable using a new LMS?
• We have some unique needs — will the new system be able to meet them?
• What reporting features does the new LMS have?
• How do I administer exams and track results?
• Will I be able to change features I don’t like?
• Is there a support team that I can ask for help?

2. IT department

The IT department will almost certainly be concerned by a system overhaul. They may have spent years supporting the old system, hosting courses and collecting valuable user information. Here are some issues they might raise:

• What security issues will a new LMS introduce?
• Will I be able to securely transfer data to a new system? How?
• Will I be able to extract my content off this new platform? How?
• Do I get FTP access to the new system?
• How will I move user account information?
• How much customization is available?
• Will the new system integrate with our workflow (billing service, classroom portal, project management tool, marketing platform, etc.)?
• How much maintenance and on-going administration will be necessary?
• What’s the estimated start-up time?
• Will the new system provide end-user tech support? 

3. Managers 

Managers typically make the final call on the breakup (is it you?). They’re looking at bottom lines, but they are also aware of how an LMS affects the working environment—both negatively and positively.

Here are some points they will be considering:

• Will a new system help us sell our content faster and more effectively?
• How will the new system differ from the old one? Will it be better?
• How much is it going to cost?
• Does it offer flexible pricing (prepaid course codes, pay-as-you-go, etc.)?
• Will the new system collect data about users and potential customers? Will it be easy or difficult to comply with the 2018 GDPR regulations?
• Will it meet our unique business requirements?
• What cost/time savings will it bring us? 

4. Learners

Don’t forget the end users! Changing your LMS will affect the learners who depend on the system to deliver and support courses. If they won’t use the system, the system won’t work for you.

Do you consult with them regarding an impending LMS breakup? It depends on your business model—the users might even be the ones pushing hardest for a new system. Regardless, they will notice the change. You will want to prepare them for the transition and have a plan to administer to their needs during the changeover. Here are some questions that might come up:

• Does your new LMS offer end-user tech support?
• What is your change management plan?
• How and when will you prepare your end users for the transition?
• Will we need additional training to use the new system?

United in the face of change

Transitioning to a new LMS will be smoother when you have the support of everyone involved. This can, however, take some effort. The Balance, a financial empowerment firm, offers some additional tips on reducing employee resistance to change.

Pro Tip

Include your potential new LMS partner in these conversations. One sign of a strong LMS partnership is a willingness to engage with and competently speak to all levels of concerns.

Changing your LMS? 6 tips for a smooth transition

Leaving your LMS is like breaking up. In the end, the decision may come down to how well your system helps you improve people’s lives and jobs by sharing the knowledge and skills they can use. If your LMS is not helping this mission, it may be time to break up.

When something has made you continually unhappy or unsatisfied with your current system, you contemplate ending the relationship and moving to something new. 

Change can be intimidating. You’ve already invested years of learning and practice in your current LMS, and wonder how a new one will compare. However, before you allow worries to cloud your vision for a new and improved LMS, consider these tips for creating a smooth transition:

1. Involve your whole team

Transitioning to a new LMS will involve your whole team.

You may have made the decision to change, but now everybody needs to be cheering on the new LMS. Make a pact as a team to give your new LMS a honeymoon phase, when you appreciate its finer points while adapting to a new system. Challenge your team to fully understand how the new LMS accomplishes a task before comparing it to the old system. 

The support of your team and its ability to embrace change will create a much smoother transition. The Balance, a financial empowerment firm, offers some additional tips on reducing employee resistance to change.

2. Promote engagement early and often

Learning a new system involves more than attending a training seminar or reading a handbook. It requires engaging with the application over time. In addition to ensuring your team is trained on the LMS, emphasize that it must be used often. If you allocate time each week for your employees to work with the new system, their learning curve will be shorter and the transition smoother.

Happy employees engage with their LMS on a regular basis. They know their results depend on their effort, so they take the time to learn. 

Some businesses come to us concerned about adopting a new LMS because of retention problems—which are the greatest concern for business leaders in 2017, according to a study by Future Workplace and Kronos. They are in a cycle where turnover is high and tenure can be shorter than the time it takes to become proficient in their LMS.

In our experience, those companies are happily surprised to find that retention improves when employees are trained on an LMS that fits their needs. Getting your employees properly trained increases job satisfaction and reduces turnover. 

The vicious HR cycle can be broken, but engagement with the LMS is key to success.

3. Take the time you need 

At first, your new LMS may feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable. You won’t know where to find that button or how to track that class. You might feel frustrated and even miss the familiarity of your old system. According to Learning Solutions Magazine, it can take from six to 12 months to get fully comfortable.

Then it happens—with time and practice, you become a power user of your new LMS. The new system meets your initial needs, and then fulfills those other, unforeseen requirements that always appear. These additional features are the main reason organizations make an LMS change, according to eLearning Industry.

Image source: eLearning Industry

4. Get the support you need

When transitioning to a new LMS, questions will arise. Some of your team members will learn from the manual, others will need training sessions, and others will do best through trial and error. Your new LMS should accommodate different learning styles, and offer long-term support. 

Poor customer support is a common reason organizations change their LMS, according to Training magazine.

If you dreaded picking up the phone or asking for a new functionality with your old LMS, knowing it would end in a large bill or unresolved issue, make sure such support is a requirement with your new provider. 

5. Get personal attention from the LMS provider

Make sure your LMS provider knows who you are. This will significantly shorten your transition time and increase your satisfaction with the new system. Even if you are accustomed to having to rattle off an account number or explain your problem nine times each time you call LMS support, make sure it’s a different experience this time.

You deserve a dedicated trainer, customer service representative, and account manager, who are ready to assist you.

You want them familiar with your setup and focused on your project, so that you can get straight to the point each time you call.

This familiarity also creates a smooth transition from your LMS implementation team to tech support. If six months later, you can’t remember something from training or you finally start using a feature, you’ll know whom to ask and be sure he/she will remember your case.

6. Focus on the gains 

Focus on what you have to gain. The return on your investment won’t be measured only in dollars, but also in a happier team, happier clients, and simpler processes.

If something is missing from your current system, changing your LMS is worth it. When your LMS fits your needs, you get

• More free time
• More reliable information
• Easier reporting to management

This makes it possible for you to achieve your team's goals—making sure your learners get the knowledge and skills they need.