Ready to launch an LMS? Congrats! Before you do, here’s what you need to know to make sure it’s a success.
Launching an LMS is not just about ticking off technical requirements, it’s about crafting an engaging and effective learning environment that meets the needs of your users.
From defining your objectives to choosing the right platform and creating compelling content, there are a few things to consider before you hit the green button.
Let’s look at them in more detail.
🚀 Pro Tip
Still not sure which LMS will suit you best? We wrap up everything you need to consider before you choose your new learning management platform.
What you need to know before you choose a new LMS
6 things to consider before you launch an LMS
Launching a learning management system (LMS) is a significant undertaking.
So, you need to make sure you check all the moving parts before going full steam ahead.
Make sure you consider:
- Your objectives and requirements
- Your learning content
- What integrations you need
- How you’ll pilot test
- LMS adoption
- How you’ll support your learners
Define your objectives
When you’re setting up an LMS or any new learning content, you need to be sure that you have set goals for learners to aim for.
Decide what your focus is. Are you focusing on employee training, academic courses, compliance, or something else?
Understanding the needs of your target audience is key. What are their expectations and technical skills?
Setting these first, and then creating goals around this is a sure-fire way to succeed.
Content development
Develop or source high-quality, engaging content that meets your objectives and is suitable for your audience.
Do your quizzes contain various content formats like videos, documents, quizzes, and interactive elements?
Set up your integrations
Check how well the LMS integrates with existing systems such as HR platforms, CRM systems, or other software tools.
You’ll need all of these set up before you launch so it’s worth taking the extra time to make sure it’s up and running properly.
Remember, your LMS (if it’s a BuildEmpire LMS anyway) may offer APIs for custom integrations or data exchanges.
This is really useful or getting the info you need where you need it most.
Implementation and rollout
Run a pilot test with a small group of users to identify any issues before full deployment.
It’s always better to test first as you’re bound to find at least one bug that needs dealing with.
If you users are met with a bad experience on their first visit, you’re going to struggle to get them to return to your platform.
And low engagement means low enrollment. Low enrollment means a lot of missed opportunities when it comes to better business outcomes.
Once your pilot group is done, collate their feedback and make the necessary adjustments.
Training and support
Before you launch your LMS, you need to make sure your admin can use the platform. And even more importantly, you need to ensure your users are prepared to use it too.
Find your experts and use them to empower and upskill your users.
There will be a learning curve when it comes to using the LMS, and so you need to have the resources in place to support that learning process.
Whether that’s face to face or online learning, or offering resources like help docs and guides, you need to make sure you’re prepared to be faced with lots of issues and know how to troubleshoot them.
LMS adoption
Build it and they will come, right?
Wrong.
Just because you’ve built a fantastic platform, doesn’t mean that learners will flock to use it.
You need to promote it.
Here’s where you need to don your marketing hat.
Think about your learners and what their pain points are. Use these pain points to create marketing messages, and then get busy.
Find your channels; email, Slack, pop-ups and more, and share your content.
Use influencers (aka your leadership team, those most vocal on messaging apps or subject matter experts) to share your training content and advocate for learning.
Wrapping up
By carefully considering these aspects, you can enhance the likelihood of a successful LMS launch that meets your objectives and provides value to its users.
When you’re thinking about a new LMS, or new learning content, you’re likely also thinking about learning ROI.
You don’t want to invest in learning (both time and money) and not reap the reward, especially when there’s mounting pressure on you.
For more details on how to improve your learning outcomes, book a demo. You’ll be able to get expert advice from our team on how to build a better learning platform.
The BuildEmpire Edition is a great option if you’re still choosing a new LMS.
With limitless customisation, add-ons like gamification and eCommerce as well as core learning features for all types of learning, you can access a tool that boasts an uptime of 99.998%, 99% customer retention and a whole range of stories of customer success.
