How to choose the best e-learning platform for your company

Indeed, organisations around the world are turning to e-learning as a way of ensuring that their employees have access to the training and development they need. One more way to retain them.

In addition, these platforms bring other benefits to companies, including economic benefits. As training can be delivered remotely and sometimes at a time of the learner's choosing, there is more flexibility and no disruption or interruption to the overall productivity of the company.

Things to take into account

When choosing an e-learning solution for our company, some aspects should be taken into account:

• Supplier size and industry experience

Not because it's larger can be the best option for your needs, but it's good to know other customers and the experiences they have had. If these users also match your area of influence or the industry you operate in, the supplier may know the particularities of your business better and adapt to them.

It is true that the large e-learning providers seem more reliable and often have more resources to be able to develop and offer courses on numerous business topics. However, a smaller supplier tends to have a more personalised, one-to-one customer service. In addition, this smaller size often results in more agility, both in terms of procedures and deadlines and tasks. It is also not necessary to ignore that they are usually specialised in certain areas of business training.

• Technically advanced

The possibilities of e-learning are so vast that when we complete a training course via a laptop we can have a real educational experience.

To achieve this, it is essential that the provider we rely on is technologically advanced and that its catalogue of courses meets our needs. Some platforms also allow the development of a personal programme for each department or working group. Even at an individual level.

It is recommended to opt for those that allow us to see employee statistics as well, so that we can evaluate the effectiveness of learning and provide recommendations for further training.

Also bear in mind that if you have to train non-office based employees, the platform should be accessible from other devices and they should have a helpdesk that can deal with technical problems as quickly as possible.

• Educational content and learning management system (LMS)

When opting for e-learning for employee training, it is recommended to choose a provider that is able to offer both the courses and the Learning Management System. In this way we have a single point of interaction and also ensure that the training works with the learning system without errors or problems.

• Quality of the courses

Cheap is often expensive. Remember that training that uses advanced technologies and techniques, such as gamification, augmented reality or interactivity, is often much more effective, in addition to being more attractive.

Similarly, find out who the trainers and teachers are for those courses you are prepared to pay for, so that they are the most suitable option for your goals.

• Easy-to-use interface

The first impression is what counts. Therefore, the platform you choose must be user-friendly and, above all, easy-to-use. If employees are going to have to learn how to use this tool in order to train themselves, it is quite likely that neither will be achieved.

Remember also that this interface should not only be user-friendly for larger or smaller personal computers, but should also be clearly visible on smaller devices such as tablets or smartphones, especially if employees include people who do not usually work in front of a screen, but who should also receive regular training updates. Nobody would like to learn with a poorly managed education system and an interface that is too complicated.

As an additional bonus, the platform interface can suggest other courses and training to employees once they complete a route, as well as having their own wishlist.

Meanwhile, for the HR department, this interface will show them the data and conclusions in the simplest and most efficient way possible, facilitating the creation of these learning routes according to the department, previous knowledge and career plan of each employee.

Conclusion

It is likely that, despite all these recommendations, it is still quite difficult to choose the right e-learning provider. The good thing is that nowadays most e-learning providers offer a trial period so that you can find out for yourself.