Moving Training Online? 5 Ways We Ease the Transition

Moving some or all corporate training online is a gargantuan project. For many companies, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated their transition — adding to the challenges and heightening existing concerns. But transitioning to online training does not need to be a nerve-wracking experience, and you do not have to navigate the journey alone.

When moving to online training, many organizations start by choosing an LMS. That alone can be overwhelming. That’s why we offer our customers help with the entire transition — starting before you select an LMS. Our soup-to-nuts approach is designed to ease your fears and smooth common trouble spots. Here are five ways we help you navigate the process of moving training online — from the decision to offer online training, through your implementation and launch, and beyond.

 1. Start with a Training Audit

Rather than take a piecemeal approach — buying an LMS, hoping it works with your talent management system, trying to add a virtual classroom or microlearning platform later — we encourage customers to develop a strategic plan.

We’ll even help you do it! We’ll study your existing talent management and talent development systems, talk with you about your training and performance needs, and help you plan the transition to online training in a way that makes sense for your organization and budget. We’ll ensure that you choose system components that work together and can grow with your organization. And we’ll be with you throughout the entire journey — anticipating and easing your fears, addressing challenges, and keeping your organization on track to a successful implementation.

2. Choosing an LMS Means Choosing a Training Partner

An LMS — a learning management system — doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s a key part of your learning and development ecosystem. It has to integrate easily with your other components, like your HRIS or your talent management system. Some of those components might be vague future plans at the time you choose your LMS, which makes the choice tough: How do you know what you’ll need in three years or five years?

We can guide you past these worries to a solid decision that will anchor your online training for years to come. Our team can help you analyze training needs and workflows to determine what LMS features you need now and are likely to need in the future. We’ll even help you write the RFP you use to select an LMS platform and vendor. This long-term relationship may be one of the most important decisions you make as you transition to online learning. Let us help you make the right LMS choice.

3. Ensure a Smooth Implementation and Launch

Your new LMS is probably not a plug-and-play device; some effort is required to integrate it with your existing employee and learning databases and tools. And your training administrators will have to learn how to create and launch training, migrate existing content, add and manage users and enrollments, and so much more.

Our implementation consulting services take the guesswork and anxiety out of your implementation and guide you to a successful, on-time launch. We’ll work with you to create an implementation plan, train your administrators, guide you through configuring your LMS, and help you manage integrations with the rest of your talent management ecosystem.

We’ll ensure your LMS is optimized for your specific needs and learner population, and we’ll automate tasks like sending reports or course reminders. Our team will even help you sync employee and learner data from your HRIS or other systems. Weekly calls or meetings will answer all of your questions and keep the process running smoothly.

4. Your Launch Is Just the Start

Launching your new online training initiative might feel like crossing a finish line … but it’s really just the beginning! Running a new online training program is exciting and challenging — and we’ll be there to help.

For small training departments in particular, the sheer number of ongoing tasks is a bit daunting: You may need to keep on creating new training, manage learner enrollments and credentials, update records, generate reports, and do so much more.

Our managed services take care of it all — or any part of it you need to offload. When your team grows, we’ll train new administrators. We will also handle routine training admin tasks, design and develop training, and continue to consult as your training strategy evolves. Choose individual services or hand off your management to us. Either way, we’ll help you keep your online training program running smoothly.

5. In It for the Long Haul

Looking at the transition to online training or the purchase of an LMS as a single event is misguided. Those significant events are pieces of a broad long-term employee development strategy. And as your partners and consultants, we’ll stick with you.

We’re known for our outstanding customer support. Our SmarterU LMS follows an ambitious schedule of updates and enhancements, many in response to customers’ needs. Our dedicated Client Success Team provides solutions quickly and knows your needs inside and out.

Ready for Your New Online Training Adventure?

With the right partner, transitioning some or all of your corporate training to online training platforms and formats is an exciting new adventure — not a cause for trepidation and lost sleep. Contact us today and learn more about how we can guide you on your journey.