Learning doesn’t just happen in schools, it is a continuous act that happens every day and stretches throughout our entire lives. Since more and more of today’s work is knowledge-based, active adults know that sometimes it is impossible to separate learning from work.
With so much information surrounding the workplace, and so much pressure from the fast-paced external business environment to keep that information always up-to-date, we are witnessing first-hand the greatest wave of knowledge transfer ever. No matter if we think about soon-to-retire employees that should share their vast knowledge with their younger counterparts, or about those that just joined the workforce and live and breath the digital ways of doing things, there must be a continuous knowledge transfer between each team member.
Learning management systems are changing the way this knowledge transfer happens.
What, Who, Why?
Before jumping into why companies should seriously consider using an LMS if they don't do this already, let's set a few things clear: what exactly is an LMS, who uses these systems and for what?
What exactly is an LMS?
A learning Management System — or LMS — is essentially an online education hub that provides a large and indispensable set of features to support efficient training and learning.
Who uses these systems?
LMSs are used by any organization that cares about its members to learn and constantly develop. Business organizations currently use Learning Management Systems for training purposes.
Why do they do that?
A company LMS helps L&D professionals to manage training activities, create learning content and deliver it to trainees, analyze learning data and keep track of the learning progress of each employee.
Benefits of using a Learning Management System
Now that these things are clear, we can safely jump to the advantages and LMS brings to a learning organization.
Immediate advantages of using an LMS
Among the first things managers notice after adopting a new LMS is that the costs regarding travel and training facilities are dramatically reduced, as well as the ones with training staff. Through a learning management system one trainer can reach many more trainees, and since they don't all have to be in the same place at the same time, money can be spent elsewhere.
Speaking of money spent on an LMS, it’s easy for managers to plan their training budget because very few to no hidden costs arise after the purchase.
Then, if the LMS is cloud-based and the vendor is the one in charge of data storage, company storage costs and even hardware costs are also reduced, all while the entire learning data is more secured. Also, companies don’t need to worry about any program glitches or system failure, as the LMS vendor can fix any operational issue in no time.
Long-term benefits of using an LMS
While it may not be as easy as drawing a straight line between A, B, and C, where A is improved workflow, B is increased employee productivity and C is higher company profit, using an LMS for company training leads to just that. The line twists and turns and gets blurry sometimes, but including an LMS in the L&D company strategy definitely has a positive impact on workplace training.
Software Advice, a Gartner company, surveyed nearly 200 corporate LMS users involved in creating or managing their organization’s training programs. The most important finding of this report is that the great majority of users say their LMS positively impacts the success of their organization.
It was anticipated that most users would benefit from their LMS system, but it was still surprising to see the overwhelmingly positive results of our survey. A majority of those surveyed said these systems are a significant investment. However, nearly most of them (89 percent) saw the benefits their LMS had on overall cost of training. An even better 92 percent said employee retention improved after implementation. This tells us LMS tools are meeting the needs of the buyer.
Brian Westfall, Senior Market Research Associate
What's more, participating to relevant L&D programs makes employees appreciate more the company they're working for. It's a known fact that today's employees value professional development opportunities .In the long run the training programs delivered through a top-notch LMS affect employee motivation and retention.
Last but not least, companies using an LMS can improve their profits if they decide to sell the training courses they create.
To conclude
An LMS is the engine that powers any online learning program and can significantly improve training activities in companies. Business organizations that use a learning management system in their L&D strategies see both short-term and long-term advantages to it.
MATRIX LMS
MATRIX, a product of CYPHER LEARNING, is a world-class, award-winning LMS for use by businesses. The platform is known for its easy-to-use and beautiful user interface, comprehensive set of innovative features, and pricing that provides great value for money.
Combining knowledge gained from years of experience working with organizations from different industries, MATRIX provides a complete solution that incorporates all the tools trainers and learners need in their activities.
MATRIX LMS may be a perfect fit for your learning organization.
For more information about what MATRIX LMS can do for your company please contact Tudor Babtan: tudor@cypherlearning.com