Building a Custom Corporate Training LMS: Your Free Guide
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Building a Custom Corporate Training LMS: Your Free Guide
Olha Neborachek
Senior Marketing Copywriter
Oct 23, 2024
[Updated]
12min read
Content
EdTech solutions have completely changed the process of learning and working!
The most significant change began during the COVID-19 pandemic. People who had never considered online learning suddenly started using e-learning solutions, and then e-learning quickly became part of their routine. Schools, universities, and businesses (even small businesses!) started to adapt to remote learning. Finally, learning management systems (LMS) became the backbone of education and corporate online training.
Online training platforms have shown incredible results today, especially in improving learning outcomes. Various university studies have shown that students who use LMS tools perform better than students who use traditional learning methods. One reason is the ability to access learning materials anytime and anywhere.
Employees in small, medium, and large corporations are using corporate LMS solutions to improve their skills, choose a personalized online training program, and access the information they need. For large organizations, the benefits of LMS are even greater because online training is going faster and more efficiently. Thus, companies can quickly and effectively upskill their employees cost-effectively.
The potential of LMS is huge, and companies in different industries are incorporating LMS into their operations.
First, let’s define an LMS and then explain what a corporate training learning management system entails.
What is an LMS?
A Learning Management System (LMS) is a software platform or app where you can host, manage, control, and deliver educational and training materials. An LMS is a tool for organizing online learning. It allows users to create training materials, stream lessons, conduct them in various formats, etc.
What is a Corporate Learning Management System?
In a corporate context, an LMS is used for employee training, including onboarding, tracking progress, and addressing individual development needs.
Corporate Learning Management System is a key tool for companies looking to maximize training efficiency. It can be used for better process optimization, such as:
Onboarding for New Employees
Companies can launch job training faster and more effectively. An LMS helps new hires get acquainted with company policies and procedures in a more structured way.
Training to Increase Specific Skills
Employees can complete custom training programs to improve specific skills, often leading to faster career growth.
Compliance Training
In industries where compliance is critical, an LMS ensures that employees stay updated on mandatory certifications and have constant access to regulatory training requirements.
Real-Time Reports & Tracking
With the learning platform, managers can track employee progress, check the effectiveness of online training programs, and analyze real-time reports to understand better what employees need to improve.
Custom Learning Paths
With LMS, you can develop custom online courses based on roles, responsibilities, and business needs. This helps provide employees with relevant materials faster and makes training much more effective.
As you can see, a Corporate LMS platform enhances processes, improves employee learning, and boosts performance. It helps businesses ensure that their workforce remains competitive and compliant with industry standards. Soon, we will discuss in detail which features to add to make LMS even more effective!
Who needs Corporate LMS?
Various organizations, businesses, and industries widely use a Corporate LMS. Let’s explore the key groups that benefit the most:
Large Enterprises
Large companies with thousands of employees mostly use LMS. It helps manage training and speeds it up! LMS centralizes learning content into a platform or App to which all employees have access, so the processes smooth much faster!
Small and Medium Businesses
Small and Medium-Sized businesses in different industries also actively use a corporate learning management systems. LMS streamlines onboarding and skill development without the need for in-person training sessions. It helps smaller teams improve efficiency and costs less.
Remote Teams
Remote and Distributed teams can access training materials from anywhere. Now, more than ever, companies work remotely, so Corporate LMS software allows employees to join training despite having to do so in different locations.
HR and Training Managers
HR and training departments also benefit from an LMS as it simplifies learning. With an LMS, they can create courses, deliver training content faster, track employee progress, and know what to improve to get better results.
Compliance-Heavy Industries
In industries like healthcare, finance, or legal sectors, where compliance and certifications are essential for every employee, a Corporate LMS software helps employees stay up to date with regulations and complete mandatory training.
Customer Service Teams
For teams that need constant product updates (customer service, sales), a customer training & sales training LMS provides quick access to the latest training materials. Because all information is stored in one place, employees always have the important information they need to perform well.
Employee Development
Companies and organizations focusing on employee development use a Corporate LMS to build personalized learning paths, helping employees grow and advance within the company.
These are just some of the different groups that need a Corporate learning platform. Now, let’s see the benefits of an LMS for different groups.
A Corporate Learning Management System offers countless benefits. It’s just one tool, but look at how significantly it can impact various processes!
Benefits for Employees
Access to Training Anytime, Anywhere
Compliance training platforms allow for remote learning. Employees can easily access training materials from any location.
Personalized Learning Paths
Compliance training platforms offer personalized training that helps employees focus on specific materials, improve necessary skills, and study at their own pace.
Faster Skill Development
Compliance training platforms allow employees to choose which areas to improve and track how much content remains to be learned. Overall, this leads to faster skill development compared to traditional training methods.
Increased Engagement and Motivation
Feedback from thousands of companies already using compliance training platforms shows that employee engagement increases when they can choose personalized, relevant content and check the professional development progress.
Progress Tracking
Most compliance LMS platforms include progress-tracking features, allowing users to monitor their learning progress. By knowing how much material remains, employees can better understand their overall progress and adjust their learning path accordingly.
Improved Job Performance
As employees develop new skills, they can apply them to their work, leading to better job performance.
Benefits for Business Owners
Streamlined Employee Training Process
Compliance training platforms centralize all training materials, user data, progress tracking, etc, into one system. It significantly simplifies managing, delivering, and tracking employee training.
Cost-effective
Compliance training platforms are cost-effective compared to offline training. They reduce the need for in-person training and scale easily as the company grows.
Better progress
Compliance training platforms make tracking of employee progress and performance much more effective. LMS platforms offer analytics and reporting tools to monitor employee progress and training effectiveness. Managers can see who has completed training and who still needs to.
Compliance management made easy
In industries requiring certifications, an LMS helps ensure employees comply with regulations.
Increased productivity and efficiency
Compliance training platforms increase productivity and efficiency because they provide only crucial information and don’t require wasting time on unnecessary content.
Custom LMS vs Ready-Made Solutions: What Does Your Business Need?
When choosing an LMS, you generally have two options: a ready-made platform or a custom-built solution. Let’s explore both options and see why a custom LMS might be the best choice for your business.
Ready-Made LMS Solutions
Ready-made LMS platforms are pre-built systems that are quick to deploy. They come with a range of features that can meet general business needs. Here are the pros and cons:
Pros:
Faster Deployment: Since it’s pre-built, you can implement a ready-made LMS much faster than a custom solution.
Lower Initial Cost: Initial costs are generally lower compared to custom solutions.
Cons:
Limited Customization: You only have features the platform offers, even if your business doesn’t need them.
More complex Scalability: As your business grows or changes, scaling or modifying the system may be challenging. So, you may need a custom solution overall.
Hidden Costs: Subscription fees, upgrade charges, extra features, etc can cost extra.
Less Control: As it is a ready-made solution, you rely on the provider for updates, maintenance, and any necessary support.
Custom LMS Solutions
A custom LMS is designed and built specifically for your business, giving you complete control over its features and functionality. Here’s why a custom LMS often proves to be a smarter investment in the long run:
Pros:
Built on specific business requirements: A custom LMS is built from the ground up based on your business needs. You can add any unique features, integrations with existing systems, etc.
Scalability: As your business evolves, so can your LMS. Custom solutions can easily grow with your organization, as you can adapt them to new processes and goals.
Cost-Effective in the Long Run: Initial development costs are higher than a ready-made. However a custom LMS eliminates the ongoing subscription fees and other hidden costs.
Full Ownership: You own the software, which means you have control over updates, security measures, and future modifications.
Cons:
Longer Development Time: Building a custom LMS requires more time upfront for development and testing.
Higher Initial Investment: The initial cost of developing a custom LMS can be higher than purchasing a ready-made solution.
Building a custom corporate LMS solution is a strategic process. Based on our approach at RewiSoft, we tried to explain it briefly: what steps should be included into custom learning management software development. Let’s see details!
1. Business Analysis
The first step is understanding your organization’s training needs. We conduct a thorough analysis of your business goals, employee learning requirements, and the challenges you aim to solve with the LMS.
2. Project Planning
Once the business analysis is complete, we create a detailed project plan with the scope of work, timeline, resources, and budget for the LMS development. This plan serves as the roadmap that gives everyone clear steps and objectives.
3. Technical Documentation
Technical documentation is a must for guiding the development process. We prepare all necessary documents, including system architecture, integrations, and technical requirements.
4. UI/UX Design
The user interface and experience are critical to the success of your LMS.
We focus on creating a visually attractive and engaging interface that helps learners to easily navigate and interact with the platform.
5. Development
At this stage, our developers start coding the LMS, building the features and functionalities based on your business requirements.
LMS mainly includes features like course management, progress tracking, and reporting tools.
6. QA and Testing
QA is the next step after Development.
At this step, we check if your LMS is error-free and fully functional. We then run thorough testing to identify and fix any bugs and make the platform work seamlessly across different devices and browsers.
7. Deployment and Integration
After testing, we deploy the LMS to your servers and integrate it with your current systems (such as HR, CRM, or other management platforms).
8. Launch
The final step is the LMS launch!
9. Post-Support We offer our clients post-launch support, helping your team get familiar with the platform. After launch, we’re available to help with future updates, scaling, and improvements.
Which Features to Include in Your LMS?
Now that you’re familiar with the basics of LMS development, the next step is deciding on the features. The right set of features will greatly impact the success of your LMS, and they should align with your business goals. Here are some of the most widely used and essential features to consider:
Course Management
Course Management Feature helps create, organize, and manage training courses. It allows administrators to create new courses or improve existing ones, design and structure courses, assign them to learners, track progress, etc.
User Profiles and Roles
User profiles and roles are important for providing only access to relevant content: you can easily allow different access levels for admins, managers, and learners
Progress Tracking and Reporting
This feature provides real-time analytics about employee performance. It mostly shows course completion rates, quiz results, learner progress, and areas that need improvement.
This feature also allows managers to see the effectiveness of online training course.
Quizzes
Interactive quizzes help learners understand the material in a fun form. This feature can include game-style elements, personalized feedback, and even certifications upon successful completion.
Mobile Learning
An LMS should support mobile access, allowing learners to complete courses anytime, anywhere, on any device.
Mobile-friendly platforms increase engagement, especially for remote or traveling employees.
Gamification
Some elements like points, badges, leaderboards, and rewards boost learner motivation. With gamification, even “boring” materials turn training into a more interactive experience.
Collaboration Tools
Collaboration Tools can include a discussion board, chat functions,etc. Collaborative learning enables employees to collaborate and share knowledge. It gives a sense of community learning even in online training form.
Custom Learning Paths
This feature allows the LMS to provide individual learning materials for employees based on their roles, skill gaps, or personal development goals.
Integration with Other Systems
Integration with existing business systems (such as HR software, CRMs, or project management tools) is another feature that increases a company’s operations, and data is synchronized across platforms.
Certifications
For some industries with specific regulations, this feature tracks certifications and ensures compliance training is up to date.
Analytics
Advanced analytics provide detailed reports on the effectiveness of training programs, employee engagement, and learning outcomes. It helps businesses refine their training strategies.
Content Library
With a content library, you can easily access learning materials, as all the necessary information is stored in one place.
E-Learning Requirements and Standards
Here are the most commonly recognized e-learning standards you should be aware of:
SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model)
SCORM is one of the most widely used e-learning standards. It ensures that content can be shared across different corporate learning management systems. SCORM compliance guarantees that learning content is accessible and can be reused without compatibility issues. Most learning management systems integrate SCORM to enable easy import and export of course materials.
xAPI (Experience API or Tin Can API)
xAPI is an advanced standard that tracks learning experiences inside and outside the LMS. It captures detailed data about learners’ activities, such as watching videos, completing quizzes, or engaging in real-world scenarios. This flexibility allows for richer learning analytics compared to SCORM.
AICC (Aviation Industry CBT Committee)
AICC is another popular standard for e-learning content. While less common than SCORM, it still offers compatibility with legacy systems and supports courses hosted on remote servers.
LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability)
LTI enables different learning tools to communicate with one another. This standard allows for seamless integration of third-party tools (such as quizzes, simulations, or video players) into your LMS, creating a more interactive and engaging learning experience.
ISO/IEC 19796-1
This international standard provides outlines the best practices for managing learning processes and ensuring the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the LMS.
IMS Global Standards
IMS Global Learning Consortium offers standards like QTI (Question and Test Interoperability), which helps manage and standardize assessments, tests, and quizzes across different platforms. This is particularly useful if your LMS needs to support a variety of testing and grading systems.
These e-learning standards ensure your LMS meets industry expectations while maintaining the flexibility to evolve with your business needs. If you are unsure about E-Learning Requirements and Standards, turn to RewiSoft professionals. Our development team will provide you with all the necessary information.
Cost of Developing a Custom LMS
When it comes to developing a custom LMS platform, costs can vary significantly depending on the scope of the project and the features you want to include.
At RewiSoft, we offer different pricing options based on the type of solution you’re looking for.
Mobile App – Prices start at $30,000.
Web Platform – Prices start at $30,000.
LMS MVP – Prices start at $25,000.
MVP is ideal if you want a basic version of your LMS with core features to test the platform before scaling.
These are the starting prices for LMSs with a basic feature set. As the scope of your LMS expands, the cost will increase accordingly.
At RewiSoft, we provide flexible options to fit your budget and ensure you get the most out of your investment, whether you’re starting small with an MVP or building a fully-featured web platform.
What Affects the Cost of LMS Development?
The final cost of your LMS project can be influenced by several factors, including:
Feature Set
The more advanced features you want, the higher the cost.
For example, adding features like gamification, AI-based recommendations, complex analytics, or social learning will increase the price compared to a basic system with limited functionality.
Company Location
The cost of development depends on where your development team is based.
For example, hiring a team in North America will typically cost more than working with a team in regions with lower labor costs, such as Eastern Europe or South Asia.
Tech Stack
The technology stack you choose also affects the cost. A more complex or cutting-edge stack may require highly skilled developers, which can raise the price.
Type of Company (Development Company vs. Full-Time Employee)
Working with a specialized development company like RewiSoft ensures a dedicated team with expertise, which is more cost-effective than hiring full-time employees to develop the LMS in-house.
Customization Level
Customization allows you to build features unique to your workflows but can also increase the overall price.
We have completed over 130 full projects, 10 of which are in the E-Learning LMS industry. So, we can proudly say we know how to make the Corporate Training LMS market competitive!
Learn more about our e-learning app development expertise here.
Why Choose RewiSoft?
We offer more than development services—we build long-term partnerships and support your project throughout the entire LMS development process and beyond.
Here’s what you will get in our collaboration:
Weekly syncs: We provide weekly sync meetings, giving you a clear understanding of your project’s progress.
Long-term relationship: We’re committed to building a lasting relationship. We offer continuous support and development as your business grows.
Free post-launch support: We offer free post-launch support and bug fixes for the first month!
Our Professional Development Team
When you work with us, you’re partnering with an experienced team exactly in the industry you are looking for. Your team will include:
Project Manager, who will keep you informed about all the stages.
Developers
Tech Lead
UI/UX Designer
QA Engineers: If needed, we bring in additional team members.
We’re looking forward to collaborating with you and making great projects together!
Let’s talk about your Project Needs
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