How Cloud-based LMS can help a Startup to Grow?
Making sure that employees are always kept up to date with the latest technologies and the best practices is a standard part of training and development strategies. While these strategies are widely implemented by the global powerhouses, the small businesses (primarily the startups) are yet to follow this trend.
If we take a look at the startups, it is quite clear that they fall into the small business category. But, there is something that differentiates them from the established small businesses. In order to reach success, startups rely on innovative services or products.
However, there is another important aspect that has a major effect on the startup’s ability to succeed and grow – i.e. the people. And, this is exactly the aspect that can benefit the most from a learning management software (LMS).
Let’s take a look at how eLearning can help a startup grow.
The Foundation of the Company’s Learning Culture
An LMS can be utilized to design a perfect starting point for a startup. A starting point that will set it on course towards growth and prosperity. Arming your young organization with a knowledge database shared with no restrictions is the first step towards success. Setting an example by learning right from the start is a great way to show the employees that you share common interests – i.e. learning.
This leads to a climate suitable for building a knowledge sharing culture. When everyone is on board with latest and best practices in the industry, tips and tricks that can increase productivity with no negative effect on product or service quality, every startup can expect to grow and prosper.
Besides, employees will get into the habit of regularly checking the LMS platform for updates. This is a really effective way to keep everyone updated with regulatory compliance, especially if a startup is targeting international markets.
Bring Order and Hierarchy to Information Distribution
We are living in the era of information. For a young business, it is incredibly important to have a system that filters what is important from what is obsolete or even damaging. This is exactly where an LMS can be of help. With simple to use and intuitive authoring tools, a lot of existing documentation can be imported and reused.
With a system that brings order, hierarchy and a flow of information, entrepreneurs can focus more on the core business processes. Employees will have access to the LMS and they will be kept up to date with their responsibilities in great detail. On top of that, entrepreneurs will have access to metrics and reports while on the go, thanks to cloud technology.
Engage Employees and Build a Team
It is not uncommon to have complete strangers in your office. You know what they are capable of doing professionally but don’t know them personally. Do you devote time towards team building sessions or towards fragile business processes? Do you have enough time to let everyone adjust at their own pace? With an LMS software, you can speed up the socializing aspect of any business.
In the recent times, elearning industry has witnessed the use of gamification, forums, blogs etc to motivate the participants to engage with others while learning and sharing. The more employees participate in quizzes and lectures, the more knowledge they will gain. And, this does not only makes them more skilled, but it also allows them to bond and build great teams.
Built for Scaling
During the initial stages, a startup may hire more people to make sure that their work process continues to be streamlined. Some of these new employees may even be outsourced and located in completely different geo locations. A cloud-based LMS is a tool that enables information distribution that knows no borders.
This way startups can continue to grow by not losing sight from their primary goals while keeping the information distribution process intact. New web technologies allowed LMS vendors to develop learning management software that supports sharing of links, news, blog posts, creating web sessions, etc.
It would be appropriate to say that an LMS is not just a platform for knowledge distribution, but also a platform that enables communication and makes it more effective. In the end, communication is the most sensitive subject when it comes to business growth and it must be maintained at all times.
Employees Can Share Experiences
Any employee can contribute to the content found inside an LMS. It is easily achievable via the user privileges panel and of great importance for a young organization. Content shared via LMS’s is not strictly restricted to textual content. It can be videos, presentations, as well as audio recordings.
While it may seem obsolete and counterproductive for a startup to foster this type of behavior, it has powerful benefits. This is simply because modern LMS tools are using the Tin-Can software specification. With a Tin-Can enabled LMS, startups can track all kinds of learning behaviors so that future experiences are more accommodating and engaging for the employees.
Summing up
Every business has a unique set of requirements. With startups in mind, it is much easier to know what to do as the requirements are the same for all. Learning management software is one of the rare tools that can benefit so many aspects of a startup in regard to growth and success.
It is important to do your research and find out what are the characteristics of a successful startup. When you get some experience with learning management software, it will come naturally for you to know how to utilize this multi-faceted tool to its full potential.
Author bio:
Kamy Anderson is an ed-tech enthusiast with a passion for writing on emerging technologies in the areas of corporate training and education. He is an expert in learning management system & elearning authoring tools – currently associated with ProProfs.
