Choosing the right learning management system (LMS) can make employee training easier to deliver, track, and manage. But with platforms ranging from simple course-delivery tools to complex enterprise systems, employers can quickly find themselves comparing features they may never actually use.
The right LMS is not necessarily the platform with the longest feature list. It is the one that fits your organization's training needs, makes learning accessible for employees, gives administrators useful visibility, and reduces the amount of time spent managing training.
For employers evaluating an LMS for the first time or reconsidering their current approach, focusing on a few practical considerations can make the decision much easier.
What Is a Learning Management System?
A learning management system is software used to deliver, assign, track, and report on employee training. Instead of managing training through spreadsheets, email, shared folders, or separate records, an LMS provides a centralized place for employees and administrators.
Depending on the platform, an LMS may allow employers to:
- Assign courses to individual employees or groups
- Monitor course progress and completion
- Maintain training records
- Generate reports
- Issue certificates of completion
- Send training reminders
- Provide employees with self-paced online learning
For employers managing compliance training, onboarding, leadership development, safety education, or professional development, these capabilities can significantly simplify administration.
Start With Your Training Needs, Not the Technology
Before comparing LMS providers, determine what you actually need the system to accomplish.
Consider the types of training your organization provides today and what you expect to offer in the future. Do employees primarily need annual compliance courses? Are you building a broader training program that includes leadership, professional development, safety, ethics, and HR topics? Do different employees need different courses based on their roles or locations?
You should also consider who will administer the program. A sophisticated enterprise platform may make sense for an organization with a dedicated learning and development department. A smaller HR team may place greater value on simple administration, fast implementation, and personalized support.
Starting with these questions helps prevent employers from paying for technology that does not address their actual training needs.
Look for an LMS Employees Will Actually Use
Administrative features matter, but the employee experience is equally important.
Employees should be able to understand what training has been assigned, access their courses easily, and complete training without navigating an unnecessarily complicated system.
Self-paced online learning can be particularly helpful for organizations with employees working different schedules or in multiple locations. Giving learners an appropriate amount of time to complete assigned courses can also make workplace training easier to fit around other responsibilities.
Mobile accessibility may matter as well, particularly for employees who do not regularly work from a desktop computer.
The easier training is to access and complete, the easier it becomes to build a consistent training program across the organization.
Make Reporting and Documentation a Priority
One of the biggest advantages of using an LMS is visibility.
HR professionals and managers should be able to determine which employees have been assigned training, who has completed it, and where additional follow-up may be necessary.
Reporting is particularly important for workplace compliance training. When an organization needs to confirm that employees completed required training, administrators should not have to search through spreadsheets, email records, or multiple systems.
Look for an LMS that provides straightforward completion tracking, useful reporting, and certificates of completion. The goal should be to reduce administrative work rather than simply move it into another system.
Consider the Training Content Along With the LMS
An LMS provides the technology for delivering training, but employers still need something for employees to learn.
Some organizations purchase an LMS and then license courses separately from one or more training vendors. Others use an employee training solution that combines the learning platform and course content.
Neither approach is automatically right for every employer, but the distinction can have a significant impact on cost and administration.
When comparing options, ask:
- Is training content included?
- What subjects are available?
- Can different courses be assigned to different learners?
- How frequently is applicable content reviewed and updated?
- Are completion records and certificates included?
- Will we need additional training vendors?
- What support is available during setup?
Evaluating the content and technology together can provide a more realistic picture of what the training program will cost and how much work it will require to manage.
Employers should also consider the range of training they may need. Workplace learning can extend beyond compliance requirements to include supervisor development, leadership, workplace safety, ethics, cybersecurity, HR topics, and professional skills.
For additional guidance on building a broader workplace training program, see Leadership Training for Managers and State-Specific Employee Training Requirements.
Avoid Paying for More LMS Than You Need
It can be tempting to compare platforms based on which provider offers the most features. But additional functionality only creates value when your organization will actually use it.
Complex integrations, advanced permissions, extensive customization, and enterprise-level reporting may be essential for some organizations. For others, those capabilities can increase costs and make the system more difficult to administer.
Instead, focus on the features that solve real problems for your organization.
If your primary goals are assigning employee training, monitoring completion, generating reports, maintaining certificates, and giving employees convenient access to courses, you may not need a complicated enterprise learning system.
The best LMS should make employee training easier, not introduce another technology platform that requires significant time to manage.
Understand the Full Cost of Employee Training
LMS pricing can be difficult to compare because providers use different models. Employers may encounter per-user subscriptions, annual licenses, implementation fees, content licensing costs, or enterprise agreements.
That makes it important to look beyond the advertised LMS price.
Consider what the organization will actually need to purchase to launch and maintain the training program. If the LMS does not include course content, for example, training licenses from other providers may add significantly to the overall cost.
Employers should also consider the administrative cost of managing multiple systems and vendors.
A solution that combines training content, learning technology, reporting, and support may ultimately be easier to budget and manage than purchasing each component separately.
A Flexible Approach to Online Employee Training
Employers do not always need to purchase a standalone LMS before they can build an organized online training program.
The fpSOLUTIONS eLearning Library provides access to more than 100 self-paced workplace training courses covering compliance, leadership, HR, safety, ethics, security, and professional development.
Organizations can choose the level of access that fits their training needs, including one course, five courses, ten courses, or the complete 100+ course library for each learner. Different employees can also receive courses based on their individual roles, locations, and training needs.
Each standard plan includes one year of access through the fpSOLUTIONS LMS, personalized account setup, completion tracking and reporting, and certificates of completion. Account setup is available within 24 business hours, allowing employers to begin training without a lengthy LMS implementation.
Organizations that already have their own LMS can also explore SCORM delivery options, while employers purchasing training for 200 or more learners can discuss volume pricing and larger organizational needs.
This type of flexible model can be particularly useful for employers that want access to both workplace training content and the technology needed to deliver it without purchasing and implementing separate systems.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing an LMS
Before making a decision, ask potential providers a few practical questions:
- How easy is the platform for employees to use?
- How much work is required to administer it?
- What reporting and completion documentation are available?
- Is training content included or purchased separately?
- Can employees receive different courses based on their needs?
- How quickly can the organization begin training?
- What customer support is available?
- Can the solution grow as our training needs change?
- Can training be delivered through our existing LMS if necessary?
The answers should help you understand not only what the platform can do, but what using it will actually look like for your employees and administrators.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a learning management system?
A learning management system is software that helps organizations deliver, assign, track, and report on employee training from a centralized platform.
Do small businesses need an LMS?
Not every small business needs a standalone LMS, but many benefit from having a centralized way to deliver training, monitor completion, maintain records, and provide employees with consistent access to learning.
Should an LMS include employee training courses?
That depends on the organization. Some employers purchase an LMS and training content separately, while others prefer an integrated solution that provides both the learning platform and workplace training courses.
How much does an LMS cost?
Pricing varies based on the provider, number of learners, features, training content, implementation requirements, and delivery model. Employers should compare the total cost of the training program rather than the software price alone.
Can we use workplace training with our existing LMS?
Some training providers offer SCORM-compatible content that can be delivered through an organization's existing learning management system. Employers should confirm compatibility, licensing requirements, and delivery options with the provider.
Find the Right Employee Training Solution
Choosing an LMS should ultimately make workplace learning easier for employees and easier for your organization to manage.
Start with the training your workforce actually needs. Then evaluate the technology, content, reporting, support, implementation, and overall cost required to deliver it effectively.
Employers looking for a flexible way to provide online workplace training can explore eLearning Library Pricing Plans to compare access to one course, five courses, ten courses, or the complete library of 100+ self-paced courses.
With the right combination of training content and learning technology, organizations can spend less time administering training and more time helping employees learn and develop.