This LMS Buyer’s Guide aims to simplify the key considerations and best practices for evaluating small business LMS platforms and the process of how to buy the best LMS for small businesses. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of the essential features, pricing models, and content options to look for when selecting a learning management solution that fits your small company’s specific learning needs. We’ll also offer you a free trial and LMS buying toolkit!
IN THIS ARTICLE...
Benefits of using a Small Business LMS
Implementing a small business LMS can provide numerous benefits, including:
- Cost-effective training delivery compared to classroom sessions
- Consistent training experience across the workforce
- Self-paced, on-demand learning to fit employees’ schedules
- Automated tracking of training progress and compliance
- A structured approach to upskilling and professional development
But you already know that, right? So let’s get stuck into the good stuff…
When it comes to investing in a robust employee training program, small businesses often face challenges of limited resources and budgets. However, leveraging the right LMS for small business software with a content library can provide a cost-effective way to deliver comprehensive training.
Let us show you how…
Identifying Your Training Needs
Before diving into the evaluation process, you must gain clarity on your organization’s specific training requirements. This solid foundation will ensure you get small business learning management software tailored to deliver the right learning programs effectively.
Assess your organization’s learning goals
Before looking at small business LMS options, clearly defining your company’s training objectives is important. Are you aiming for compliance with industry regulations? Do you need to provide technical product training? Do employees need soft skills development? Having specific goals will guide your learning management requirements.
What type of training do you need to deliver?
The training requirements for each small business can vary significantly based on the industry and workforce.
Common use cases include:
- Compliance training: Mandated training on workplace policies, safety procedures, discrimination prevention, etc.
- Product/service training: Equipping employees with knowledge of your company’s core offerings.
- Soft skills development: Building interpersonal, leadership, communication, and other essential professional skills.
- Onboarding and ongoing professional development: Comprehensive programs for new hire training and continuous employee learning.
Consider your employee demographics
When identifying training needs, also factor in the makeup of your workforce – their roles, educational backgrounds, tech-savviness, preferred learning styles, etc. A small business LMS should accommodate the diverse training needs of your employee base.
9 Key LMS for Small Business Features
With a plethora of LMS for small business platforms available, understanding the essential feature set can be daunting. This section breaks down the key capabilities to prioritize for driving training success as a small business.
1. User-friendly interface for admin and learners
A modern, intuitive user experience is crucial for both the admin managing training and the learners. Simple course assignment, an engaging learner interface across devices, and easy trackability are musts.
2. Mobile learning compatibility
With more employees working remotely or on the go, mobile access is essential. Look for an LMS for small businesses with a mobile-responsive design and offline viewing capabilities.
3. Engaging content formats
The learning management system for small companies should support multimedia course formats like videos, interactive modules, scenario-based learning, etc. to create an immersive educational experience.
4. Testing, assessments, and certifications
Built-in tools for administering tests, evaluating knowledge retention, and issuing course completions/certifications are valuable for validating learning outcomes.
5. Reporting and analytics capabilities
Insightful tracking dashboards provide visibility into learning metrics like course completions, test scores, time spent per module, and more to measure training effectiveness.
6. Easy content curation and customization tools
The ability to easily manage the content library by assigning curated course collections, adding annotations, and quickly swapping out outdated content streamlines ongoing training administration.
7. Branding and customization abilities
Many LMS platforms allow branding and white-labeling capabilities to create a branded learning environment aligned with your company’s identity.
8. Open API and integration capabilities
A small business LMS with open APIs and pre-built integrations with systems like HRIS, CRM, etc. enables seamless data transfer and a unified technology ecosystem.
9. Single Sign-On (SSO) support
SSO integration enhances the user experience by allowing one-click access to the LMS using existing corporate credentials.
Why a Built-in Content Library is Crucial
For businesses with limited training resources, a key advantage of LMS systems for small business is access to a pre-built library of online courses and eLearning modules. This allows leveraging expertly created content across technical skills, compliance training, soft skills, and more without the overhead of custom content development.
Evaluating Built-In Content Libraries
A comprehensive library of pre-built courses is a compelling asset for small businesses lacking resources for custom content development. Here’s how to assess the quality and relevance of an LMS’s training content.
Types of training courses
For cost-effective, ready-to-use training, the content library should cover relevant subject areas like:
Technical skills training – aligned to your company’s products/services.
Soft skills training – communication, time management, leadership, etc.
Quality of course content
Evaluate aspects like course recency, quality of production, and credentials of content creators to ensure a high-quality learning experience.
Regular updates and additions
The library should have a roadmap for continuous updates and new course additions to keep training materials current as per evolving needs.
Pricing and Support Considerations
Budget constraints are a perennial reality for small businesses. This section provides insights into the typical pricing models and service elements to consider for an affordable yet well-supported LMS experience.
Subscription-based pricing models
The majority of LMS vendors price their solutions using a subscription model, often based on the number of active users. This opex model is suitable for small businesses.
Implementation and training costs
Inquire about one-time setup fees and costs for admin training to properly budget the end-to-end learning management system investment.
Ongoing technical support
Robust customer support channels and quick assistance are critical to address technical issues and maximize the learning management software value.
Cloud Deployment and Accessibility
In today’s mobile, remote-friendly workplace, training needs to be available on-demand, from anywhere. Find out how cloud-based learning management system deployment enables this vital accessibility and flexibility.
Cloud-based, accessible anytime, anywhere
A cloud-hosted LMS eliminates the need for in-house servers/IT resources. Employees can access training anytime, anywhere via the internet.
Device compatibility
The best LMS for small businesses should enable seamless learning across devices like desktops, tablets, and smartphones for flexible training delivery.
The Intellek Grow Advantage for Small Businesses
Intellek Grow is purpose-built to provide small businesses with an affordable, full-featured LMS software solution along with ready-to-use training content.
Comprehensive content library
Intellek’s content library includes over 1000 multi-modal training courses covering technical skills, compliance, soft skills, and more curated by subject matter experts.
Continual product evolution
Intellek proactively evolves its solution’s capabilities based on analysis of customer feedback and emerging needs to provide long-term value and the best LMS for small companies.
Unlimited customer support
Intellek provides unlimited support to ensure clients maximize the value of their small business learning management system.
Other key benefits
- Simple, intuitive user experience for learners and admins
- Robust assessment and certification management tools
- In-depth reporting and analytics dashboards
- Scalable, cloud-hosted solution accessible from anywhere
- Ability to customize branding and curate tailored training paths
- Open APIs and pre-built integrations with HRIS/IT systems
- Available at an affordable subscription pricing model
Final Checklist Before Making a Purchase Decision
To further simplify your learning management software for small business evaluation journey, be sure to download our complimentary LMS Buyer’s Toolkit containing helpful checklists, comparison templates, and needs assessment guides to streamline your decision-making process.
- Clearly define your must-have LMS features and nice-to-have capabilities
- Determine the types and volume of training content you need
- Evaluate the LMS vendor’s expertise in your industry/training use cases
- Review customer reviews/ratings and speak to references
- Assess data security, compliance, and integration capabilities
- Negotiate contract terms like pricing, deployment timelines, etc.
- Request a free trial or proof-of-concept to test the LMS hands-on
Best Small Business LMS Solution
Implementing the right LMS can enable small businesses to deliver consistent, cost-effective training to build a skilled, high-performing workforce. By following a structured evaluation process focused on cloud accessibility, content depth, and key small business LMS features, companies can select a solution like Intellek Grow that meets their current and future learning needs.
The combination of Intellek’s intuitive LMS for small business platform packed with an extensive content library, along with its commitment to affordable pricing and top-rated support, makes it an ideal choice as a learning management solution for small businesses looking to uplevel their employee training strategy.
Experience the Intellek Grow Advantage with a Free Intellek Grow LMS Trial. Our experts will be happy to showcase how our platform’s intuitive design, rich content library, and top-rated support can revolutionize your company’s training approach.
Intellek (formerly TutorPro) is a founding member of the learning technology industry. With a presence in the USA, UK, Canada, and the EU – for over 30 years we have pioneered the development of cutting-edge eLearning software and online training solutions, with a large and diverse portfolio of international clientele.
Disclaimer: We use all the tools available including generative AI to create relevant and engaging content.
