Introduction

When evaluating Learning Management System (LMS) providers, here are some practical examples of how to assess a number of factors before making a formal commitment and signing a contract. We often have clients migrating to myAko from our competitors because they previously focused purely on price, rather than reviewing the quality of after sales support, whether they have to pay for support, or the negative impact of automated annual price increases, which are often hidden within complex contracts. Let's review some other areas you can consider and evaluate during your market review.

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Quality of Service and Support

• Contact the LMS provider's customer support and observe their response time and level of expertise. Ask questions related to your organisation's specific needs and evaluate their ability to address your concerns.
• Seek testimonials or reviews from current users to gain insights into their experiences with the LMS provider's service and support.
• Inquire about the provider's scalability options, such as the ability to handle a growing number of users, storage capacity, and potential customisation options to meet your organisation's evolving needs.
• Research the provider's track record on data security, including encryption, backups, and compliance with relevant regulations like UK-GDPR.

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Ease of Use

• Request a demo or trial version of the LMS to experience the user interface first hand. Pay attention to the navigation, organisation of course content, accessibility of features, and overall intuitiveness.
• Consider the user experience from both the learner's and administrator's perspectives including how easy it is to set up and maintain. You don't want to spend a long time in support queues to resolve basic administrative issues.
• Explore the mobile friendliness of the LMS to ensure your learners can access courses on various devices seamlessly.

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Price

• Request detailed pricing information from the LMS provider, including any upfront costs, licensing fees, and ongoing maintenance expenses. Clarify whether additional costs may arise for future upgrades or support services.
• Consider the value for money the LMS offers by assessing the features and functionalities included in the pricing package. Areas such as real time reporting, chat and telephone support and mobile Apps.
• By all means consider different LMS providers pricing but don't just focus on this, consider the other areas mentioned in this blog as well. Consider not just the first year but proceeding years cost of ownership as well.
• Take into account the scalability of the pricing structure and the provider's willingness to negotiate or customise pricing based on your organisation's current and potential future needs.

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Contract Terms

Consider the contract terms and conditions to understand if there are clauses that may cause future concern, like:
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• automatic contract renewal, especially if you don’t give sufficient notice.
• automatic annual price increase.
• additional payment for support of customer service.
• other terms that prevent you moving to another LMS provider if you are not happy with their quality of service.

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Summary

By evaluating these practical aspects, you gain a better understanding of how well an LMS provider aligns with your organisation's requirements in terms of quality of service and support, ease of use, and price.  There are other areas you can consider such as accreditation and quality of learning and this will be covered in a future blog.

Remember to document your evaluations, compare different providers, and consider your organisation's unique priorities before making a final decision.