Switch LMS: When is the Time to Do So?

Is Changing an LMS Worth It?

An LMS is an essential tool for any company today. But there are problems when it no longer fulfills its purpose. This is where the company needs to change. What signals does a company get before switching to an LMS? A company should also think about the money it has already invested in an LMS before changing it. The company has spent many man-hours on putting together various plug-ins. Now, with the new LMS, the company has to transfer the content from the old LMS to the new LMS. Buyers don’t know when to replace an LMS. They don’t know if the new LMS will meet their needs. First, they should analyze the symptoms of a bad LMS.

If there are problems with the LMS, the vendor is to blame. They may have over-advertised. They may be talking about missing features. They may also refuse to work on the LMS after it has been sold (ie, they don’t fulfill all the promises made during the sale). A company should change the LMS if it sees the following warning signs:

Warning Signs You Should Change Your LMS

Lack of Integration

The seller does not have enough support staff, which you need for any problem. It’s a problem if you have to make changes to your LMS without help from the vendor. Yes, you can get help online, but that takes time. Every LMS buyer needs some basic services. That is why they need the help of a broker. The LMS should have facilities such as customer support, which they should be allowed to access when they face problems with the products. Many plug-ins and features are required for an LMS, such as localization and marketing support for sending automated emails from the software to prospects and customers. A company cannot waste time adding plug-ins to the LMS. Therefore, the salesperson should be ready on time to help the company perform such tasks. A lack of customer education can be a reason for companies to want to get rid of their current LMS vendor.

Lack of Customer Education

With LMS vendors offering customer education, companies have a tough choice in front of them. Customer education helps buyers know which LMS is best for them. If customer education is provided, it can have better performance. Companies are investing in this domain. Companies can now see the ROI of LMS, which was not so easy. LMS can now be used to provide different types of training, such as Instructor-Led Training and blended training.

No Training Management System

Some LMSs are great for training planning because they are paired with a training management system. With this software, the company can manage the location and number of participants in the training. It may also reserve other aspects of the training such as hotel accommodation and meals for the participants. So, if your LMS doesn’t offer this feature, it’s time to change it. The LMS should also have features that facilitate testing before the company invests in it. While LMSs can provide certificates based on summative and formative assessments, they should also provide Virtual Reality (VR) assessments for students to demonstrate what they have learned. Students can receive certificates once they are able to prove their mastery of the skills they have acquired through VR simulation. Therefore, the LMS should have a place to integrate such simulations. Most LMSs on the market are capable of such integration. Therefore, a company willing to change its LMS must not compromise on this.

Integration with AI

An LMS should have AI capabilities so that consumers can benefit from features such as personalized lesson ideas and planning, easy translation, and management of training events. There are many ways you can create AI content in an LMS. So, if your LMS doesn’t have such capabilities, you’re missing out. AI can help with content curation and optimization.

Integration and Video Conferencing

LMSs can also be used in the integration of video conferencing tools that people can easily communicate with. Thus, an LMS that cannot be integrated with other LMS or communication tools is not fully serving its purpose, and it is time to change it.

An LMS can have other issues that make it obsolete. There may be a lot of downtime, which makes users frustrated. Also, the vendor may not be providing enough support in terms of training. There may also not always be offline learning in an LMS, so users must always be online to view content.

Other Problems

Data visualization is a necessary feature of LMS, which allows administrators to get reports on all students. If the LMS doesn’t provide that support, managers can’t see how many users are using the system and whether or not the LMS is worth the cost, or when the LMS doesn’t provide enough value and needs downtime to be fixed. This maintenance is the responsibility of the vendor, and when they do nothing about it the company cannot launch the LMS upgrade. A company can make such improvements, but an LMS should not be expensive. Gamification is an important feature of LMS because it is used to test student skills. A company should also be able to integrate LMS with social media to get the best out of it. Users can interact with them through the LMS or share their content on social media. Therefore, if the LMS does not have such features, it should be replaced.

Editor’s note: Explore our directory to find, select, and compare the top LMS Software for the eLearning Industry.