Best LMS Features and LMS Tools for Mid-Sized Enterprises

The last decade has witnessed dramatic advances in technology. The cloud, social media, eCommerce, and mobile devices have changed everything from the way we shop to the way we access knowledge and to the way we learn. The constantly evolving technological landscape has made it mandatory for organizations to redefine their strategies and processes. In an endeavor to include lifelong learning and continuous education in order to remain relevant in the market. Technology and learning today go hand-in-hand, prompting more and more organizations to find and invest in the best LMS tools to support their corporate training or academic learning goals.

LMS today is an essential tool of eLearning that allows you to create, update and host your content on cloud-based platforms and reduce the risk of losing important data. While there are different types of LMS tools available in the market for mid-sized enterprises, they must incorporate the following features:

Cloud-Based Centralized Repository for Hosting Content: A cloud-based LMS will ensure that all your content is stored at a centralized location and can be accessed by authorized users across all geographies, anytime and anywhere.
Game-Based Learning Tools: Gamification refers to the use of game design elements and mechanics to increase engagement and maximize learning potential through incentivized behaviors. These learning games allow learners to first consume content and then translate the knowledge into actual job performance. While choosing an LMS, ensure that it has the tools necessary to add game-based learning features to your content. So that your learners have unlimited opportunities to replay and gain content mastery before putting their skills to use in the real-world environment.

Personalized LMS Portals: The value of an LMS is not just restricted to managing the educational and training needs of employees. With a personalized LMS, you can create custom courses for all the employees of an organization, irrespective of the department they are working in, for example, accounts, sales, admin, etc. Ensure that the LMS tools you choose can function as an extended enterprise, performing diverse operations such as tracking and information distribution, allowing you to calculate and monitor all metrics for success and return on investment.

Social Networking: Social networks have spawned an entire generation that is hooked to the idea of using social media websites to consume and share information, from local news to current trends. The LMS is not immune to these behaviors. The LMS tool you choose should incorporate portals that can be tailored to the preferences of your end-users based on their social networking activities, to gauge their knowledge and preference and provide complementary content and training.
Ease of Access Across All Devices: In the era of smartphones, all data and content should be available and easily readable on all devices including laptops, desktops and mobile devices. Choose an LMS tool that allows your learners to access content while on the move.
Easy to Track Progress of The Learners: Choose an LMS tool that allows you to track the progress of users undertaking learning and training, measure their interaction with the content, administer tests and see if the content provided meets their needs or if there is a need to add more videos, text, audio, etc., to improve the learning outcomes.
Reduce Cost of Education and Training: Cost is always an important factor in all business decisions. An LMS reduces costs in terms of mobility required to attend lectures and training held in physical classrooms. Besides, it can also bring down all costs related to the use of paper in learning and training since all resources can be digitalized. That said, the role of a teacher/instructor cannot be completely by-passed, so make sure the LMS has all the necessary tools and features to promote blended learning, that is, a mix of physical and virtual classrooms.

Easy to Update: The course content is ever-evolving. Choose an LMS that allows you to easily add, delete or update online content.
Create Micro-Learning Nuggets: As business functions get more complex and employees get more time-constrained, the best way to provide learning and training is through content encapsulated as micro-nuggets, consumable while on the move, anywhere and at the time when your employees most need access to that particular information. So, while choosing the best LMS tool, make sure that it incorporates features for micro-learning.

That said, here are five LMS tools that are best suited for mid-sized companies.

1. Hurix Digital LMS: It is a cloud-hosted, Moodle-based LMS, which comes with customizable features and support services, and has found favor with startups, mid-sized companies, and large enterprises. Its salient features include:

Fully customizable white-label LMS with perpetual IPR, based on open-source robust Moodle-based architecture
Mobile compatible with cloud or intranet deployment
Easy integration with external systems & third-party tools
Subscription License-based LMS instance with setup in no-time and out-of-the-box features
Comprehensive maintenance, support, and upgrades of Moodle-based LMS
Complete end-to-end LMS administration & day-to-day management of your LMS

2. Learnyst: This LMS allows you to teach online and sell courses from your own website. Here are some interesting features of the platform:

White-labeled and fully customizable websites
Best-in-class analytics for smooth operations and learner management
Unlimited course and mock tests with unlimited learners
Data encryption for your valuable content
Direct payment to a bank account
Round the clock support

3. The IPIXLMS software: This LMS tool provides collaborative functionalities which makes it possible for trainers in various locations to work together. The main features of the LMS tool are:

Creates unlimited courses with PowerPoint, Video, SCORM ﬁles, PDFs, 3D videos and CSV ﬁles
Built for the easy management of large training programs involving thousands of learners.
Measures your trainee’s performance of online and instructor-led live training – all from one place.
Manages your training program easily and conveniently with the mobile application.
Deﬁnes the roles that control various levels of access to account settings, billing, content, and groups.

4. ProProfs LMS: With this LMS tool, you can:

Add new compliance standards to your online training course within a couple of minutes.
Maintain your e-Learning materials in a single location
Add additional online modules to your e-Learning course in simple steps
Provide unlimited access for the audience to all your e-Learning materials 24/7.
Enhance your evaluation capabilities! The software helps you to track your learners’ progress and performance easily, thereby letting you know that they are meeting their performance milestones.

5. Zenintranet: This completely free LMS system allows mid-sized companies to easily create internal training and/or documents to facilitate the knowledge-sharing process. With this LMS, you can:

Create the process of onboarding of new employees within your company
Customize access right to individuals and track the completion of their training.
Create a collaborative online learning environment
Access free collaboration tools to boost your business

Conclusion:

Traditionally, only large businesses were able to manage and maintain an LMS, given its high maintenance cost. However, the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has made the training and learning software cost-effective and easy to implement. LMS has now extended its reach to mid-sized companies and start-ups that too can enjoy its benefits without having to hire an IT team to maintain the LMS.

As a mid-sized company, you can use an LMS without an extensive budget. With an LMS, you can reduce training costs such as instructor costs, learning material, travel and lodging expenses, and printing charges. In fact, setting up an LMS is far easier and quicker than administrating a traditional training program.