{"id":15259,"date":"2020-07-30T12:32:40","date_gmt":"2020-07-30T09:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/?p=15259"},"modified":"2023-03-24T16:31:56","modified_gmt":"2023-03-24T14:31:56","slug":"choosing-lms-for-a-small-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.talentlms.com\/blog\/choosing-lms-for-a-small-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing the right LMS for a small business"},"content":{"rendered":"

Training for small business employees needs to address the unique pain points that small business owners know all too well. Like, how do you improve your onboarding process to prevent turnover? How do you ensure employees actually retain knowledge and gain new skills? How do you keep up with the ever-changing compliance requirements and the new realities of remote training?<\/p>\n

Most importantly:<\/strong> how do you do all the above without breaking the bank? After all, according to the World Economic Forum, small businesses are still struggling to bounce back from the COVID-19 crisis<\/strong><\/a>. And while you understand the importance of continuous training for your team, you also need to keep the lights on. So, when it comes to small business employee training, you are looking for two things: low cost<\/strong> and effective<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Choosing<\/p>\n

The solution? Invest in a small business LMS<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

With a Learning Management System, you don\u2019t need to outsource your training. You can create your own courses and reuse all that content as many times as you need. Or, you can buy off-the-shelf, high-quality courses from your LMS vendor.<\/p>\n

Additionally, an LMS for a small business helps you streamline your training, offering eLearning solutions that are ideal for a remote working environment.<\/p>\n

Sounds ideal, right?<\/em> But remember, there is no \u201cone size fits all.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0On one hand, you need to make sure your selected vendor offers all the LMS features your business needs to thrive. On the other hand, you also need to be careful that the LMS vendor doesn\u2019t sneak in any unnecessary features that will only drive the price up.<\/p>\n

Consider the following your “small business LMS” cheat sheet<\/strong>. Below are the features you need to look for in your training platform.<\/p>\n

10+1 essential LMS features for small business employee training<\/h2>\n

Finding the ideal training software for small business training takes time and effort. It\u2019s important that it doesn\u2019t take unnecessary cost too, especially when you’re training on a budget<\/strong><\/a>. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve rounded up the top features you need to look out for when researching possible LMS vendors.<\/p>\n

Before making your selection, go through this list of features below and make sure your vendor offers all of them.<\/p>\n

1. Quick setup and implementation<\/h3>\n

In big companies, there’s usually a designated team responsible for LMS implementation. eLearning specialists and IT administrators set up the LMS, integrate data and tools, and create user accounts, delivering the HR department a training platform ready to use.<\/p>\n

Small businesses can\u2019t always afford an eLearning team. The eLearning team is often a team of one, and the LMS implementation is just one (small) part of their job. Therefore, you need a user-friendly LMS<\/strong>; one that comes out of the box, where you can add courses and users with just a few clicks.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"LMS<\/p>\n

Start training your teams with TalentLMS
\n<\/strong><\/span>The training platform that helps you go live
\nin half the time than the category average.<\/span>\"Create<\/a><\/p>\n

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2. Ability to support a wide range of media assets<\/h3>\n

Small business training should be imaginative and diverse. To that end, an LMS for a small business should be able to support a variety of media assets. Think anything from PDF files and infographics to interactive quizzes, videos, and podcasts.<\/p>\n

Using different media assets in your training courses meets different learning preferences and offers something for everyone. Plus, it helps employees engage with training and stay interested. Which is particularly challenging when you are training a hybrid workforce<\/strong><\/a>, as is often the case now.<\/p>\n

3. Gamification<\/h3>\n

Speaking of maintaining your employees\u2019 interest\u2026 how about turning learning into a game?<\/p>\n

An LMS that supports gamification features<\/strong><\/a> can do that. Employees earn points, climb levels, and win badges. As employees \u201cconquer\u201d more knowledge and make progress, they unlock new courses and stay motivated to keep moving toward their ultimate goal.<\/p>\n

\"LMS
Gamification features in TalentLMS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Employee collaboration options<\/h3>\n

A Gallup research shows that developing a blended learning approach (online and instructor-led) is very effective<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0because it allows people to collaborate.<\/p>\n

People prefer learning together\u2014especially when circumstances are keeping many teams physically apart. So, virtual training needs to be a part of your training mix: the same Gallup research found it promotes \u201ca sense of inclusion\u201d.<\/p>\n

Also important? A built-in message center where employees can communicate both with each other and with the instructors.<\/p>\n

5. Integration with tools you already use<\/h3>\n

An LMS for a small business should do big things for you. In fact, an LMS that integrates with tools you already use helps your workplace run smoother than before. Your LMS can\u2014or should\u2014integrate with project management platforms, video conferencing tools, calendar applications, and communication platforms.<\/p>\n

A few examples? Think about Slack<\/strong><\/a> or Google Calendar<\/strong><\/a>. There’s hardly a workplace that doesn\u2019t use these tools nowadays. Zoom integration<\/strong><\/a> is also essential if you are training employees remotely. It simplifies scheduling training sessions and allows you to track attendance and distribute learning material.<\/p>\n