As an LMS consultant, you aim to provide thoughtful, actionable advice to your clients as they expand their skills and development training and choose a learning management system to support their needs.
But there’s a dizzying array of learning management systems to choose from, and sorting through the options to find an excellent LMS that adapts to your client’s unique needs can be overwhelming.
As an LMS consultant, you continue to advise and direct learning for your clients during the LMS integration phase and coach them on delivering LMS training. You work hard for your clients – you deserve an LMS platform that works hard for you, too.
In this blog, we’ll share 10 helpful tips for choosing a solid LMS solution for your clients. But first, let’s look at how good software supports LMS consultants and their clients.
How a stellar learning management system supports LMS consultants
LMSvconsulting goes deeper than recommending a learning management system. You’ll likely hold your clients’ hands as they design their corporate training and advise on the metrics they should track to meet their learning goals.
The right LMS supports your work throughout your whole LMS consulting process with vital features like these:
Simplify LMS migration and implementation
A major part of LMS consulting is implementation consulting, so it makes sense to look for a learning management system that makes migration and implementation a breeze. If problems arise during your LMS migration, make sure the LMS you choose has a track record of above-and-beyond customer service to help you troubleshoot any issues.
Find a custom LMS that works for you and your clients
You don’t need full custom LMS development to achieve a highly customized learning environment. You can ensure a custom LMS experience – and make the customization process easier for you – by guiding your clients to a learning management system with options to customize roles, permissions, access controls, and more.
A good LMS will also let you change the branding, workflows, and spec requirements like storage and user capacity.
Save time with practical training and content development
The best LMS platforms should make it easier to train your clients how to use the software and develop their content. The more intuitive the interface, the more quickly your clients will grasp the mechanics of creating educational content on their new learning management system, allowing you to help more clients simultaneously.
Rest assured with incredible customer service
No matter what LMS consulting services you offer – from training and support to content development – your role is infinitely easier with a knowledgeable customer service team on your side. The right LMS for your needs offers 24/7 support from a skilled team of experts.
10 things to look for in a learning management system
LMS consulting is all about finding a solution that fits. From budget to scalability to easy implementation, over a dozen factors dictate whether a learning management system is the right fit for your client.
Here are the 10 LMS consulting tips.
LMS consulting tip 1: Analyze the client’s needs and objectives
A solid understanding of your client’s specific educational needs is always the first step in sound LMS consulting services. Consider details like the organization’s size, the type of content they’re teaching, and their learning goals.
You’ll also want to get to know the audiences they’re trying to reach, and there are likely more than one. Clients may want to educate new hires, seasoned employees, sales staff, and customers – all with one LMS solution. The LMS you choose should be flexible enough to align with each goal.
LMS consulting tip 2: Consider the client’s budget
Depending on the size of your client’s organization, budget may be a significant factor in choosing the right platform. A learning management system is an investment for your client, and all investments involve some financial risk. The right LMS will fall within a price range that doesn’t expose the client to an uncomfortable amount of risk while still providing all the LMS services they need.
Consider whether the LMS you recommend offers opportunities to upgrade in the future. With the correct system, you can pivot to LMS upgrade consulting if your client opts to expand their learning budget down the road.
LMS consulting tip 3: Future-proof your recommendation with scalability
No matter what your clients’ current needs are, they’ll likely change down the road. Your LMS consulting services should help clients find a system that allows them to work with more users, content, and courses as the organization expands.
LMS consulting tip 4: Make sure the LMS is easy to use
An intuitive interface goes a long way toward ensuring your clients are happy with your LMS recommendation. The proposed learning management system should be easy for both administrators and learners, shortening the learning curve and easing the implementation process.
LMS consulting tip 5: Prioritize customization and flexibility
Most organizations will want their LMS to follow brand guidelines and accommodate a variety of learning content. Promote an LMS that can be tailored to any content type (e.g., videos, quizzes, SCORM packages, and more).
LMS training practices change, and your client will be better served with software that responds to adapting learning processes. Like scalability, flexibility ensures your LMS recommendation is a future-proof investment for the client that will continue to meet their needs as their company changes and grows.
LMS consulting tip 6: Pay close attention to technical requirements
LMS consulting requires deep knowledge of your client’s technical requirements. An LMS that won’t integrate with your client’s technical infrastructure is a bad fit, so always check that the LMS of choice is compatible.
Ask for specifics on the existing software your client uses, as well as browser support and hosting options (for SaaS LMS solutions). Your client may have particular requirements when it comes to storing learner data, so a SaaS LMS might not be the best choice.
LMS consulting tip 7: Double-check the integration capabilities
Your client uses a host of other software systems, like HR systems, CRM, and content authoring tools. Savvy LMS consulting looks for learning management systems that integrate seamlessly with existing software so data sharing is streamlined and business operations continue without a hitch.
So much of successful LMS consulting depends on smooth LMS implementation. Choosing an LMS system that plays nicely with your client’s software will help ensure a smoother LMS implementation experience.
LMS consulting tip 8: Get reporting and analytics that matter to stakeholders
Almost every LMS includes low-level reporting features. However, the truly exceptional LMS will offer reporting and analytics features that are highly customizable, with the ability to change the tracked and reported metrics so that they answer important questions for stakeholders and instructors.
An LMS is an investment for your client, and they’ll need to track learning costs and outcomes to ensure their educational content offers a healthy ROI. The right LMS will help them track learner progress, assess training program effectiveness, and make data-driven decisions about the academic content they offer.
LMS consulting tip 9: Don’t settle for less-than-stellar support
Whether your consulting role is an ongoing, retainer-style arrangement or you’ll part ways with your client after providing LMS migration consulting, access to excellent support and maintenance is essential.
Look for an LMS vendor with 24/7 global support and a solid reputation for rolling out bug fixes and updates regularly.
LMS consulting tip 10: Ensure compliance and data security
Depending on your client’s industry, they may need to comply with strict legal requirements when it comes to handling and storing learner data. The LMS you recommend should come with robust security features to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with all industry regulations for how data is stored, shared, and transferred.
Three actionable steps to finding the best LMS
Here’s how you can get started finding a serious LMS contender for your clients:
Collect user feedback
Get feedback straight from the source by talking to anyone who will use the LMS your client chooses, including the learners, administrators, content creators, and instructors. Find out what they hope they’ll get in the LMS you recommend. Also, ask them if they’ve used an LMS in the past and, if so, which features they found unhelpful or unimportant.
If you are helping with LMS implementation, talk to the client’s team about the software they use and the integrations they expect from sound learning management systems. You’ll be better able to recommend an LMS that will integrate with their existing systems, and you’ll enjoy a smoother LMS migration consulting experience during LMS implementation.
Scout the vendor’s reputation
Read online reviews of each LMS you’re considering, and ask for client testimonials. Even better, ask if you can speak to existing clients directly.
Also, look for financial stability, custom LMS features, and the vendor’s commitment to ongoing development and support. That way, you can ensure client satisfaction long after the LMS implementation is complete.
Ask for a demo
There’s no substitute for first-hand experience. A demonstration or tour of the software lets you see how the system works and how much custom LMS development it will need to make it work best for your clients.
Receive a demo of each potential LMS solution before you discuss it with your client to help you weed poor candidates without wasting clients’ time.
Ready to work with the learning management system that makes LMS consultancy a bit easier? Take a tour of LearnRight. We’re the LMS consultant’s easy choice for a solid, all-around LMS recommendation you can make to every client.
