If you’re running a sophisticated enterprise, your L&D strategy will look significantly different from that of a small business. You need a learning management system (LMS) that can handle your organization’s multi-tiered learning and development strategy, manage compliance training processes, and support thousands of end-users. A “one-size-fits-all” LMS isn’t capable of sufficiently managing these complexities.

Unlike an out-of-the-box learning platform, an enterprise LMS is built to support the complex learning and development strategies of regional, national, and international enterprises. Enterprise systems typically include deeper functionalities and configuration options than other learning platforms, allowing you to adjust the LMS to your exact specifications. Some functionalities you may find in enterprise systems include:

• The ability to create and define custom user roles
• The ability to tailor administrative, manager, and user privileges
• Specific course communications, notification triggers, and course-related dynamic variables
• Multiple language support that allows you to teach a global audience
• Hierarchical and matrix managerial structures so you can review and update training plans

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An enterprise LMS can also help support training for your extended enterprise—vendors, partners, and other external stakeholders. An enterprise LMS has a greater breadth and depth of functionalities and features for this purpose. In addition to the functionalities here, rights management and multi-tenancy features will help you serve external audiences while maintaining control of your training content.

You can leverage an enterprise LMS to extend your sales enablement efforts through:

• Partner training that equips suppliers, resellers, franchise owners, and other business partners with the knowledge they need to accurately represent your brand.
• Customer education, including product training and certification programs to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Targeted training initiatives thatensure your supply chain vendors meet your quality standards.
• Standardized onboarding and ongoing education to support your franchise network and maintain brand consistency.
• Revenue generation initiatives that transform your learning programs into profitable ventures by selling courses to external customers.

Conduct Vendor Research and Create a Comprehensive RFP

There are several effective ways to shortlist potential LMS providers.

• Consulting with peers in your industry can be a helpful starting point, but remember that their organizational needs and culture may be completely different from your own.
• General web searches can give you a broad idea of what’s available, but the sheer volume of LMS providers means that web searches can take a considerable amount of time.
• Reading reports from Training Industry and other reputable analysts in the L&D industry can give you more meaningful insights into which organizations are the best LMS providers, along with their unique selling points. However, there may be costs associated with obtaining these reports.

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As you research potential providers, consider how a solution’s capabilities align with your learning and compliance training requirements. Once you’ve settled on a shortlist of providers, the next step is to create a request for proposal (RFP).

Create an RFP That Serves Your Organization’s Needs

Designing a comprehensive RFP is a critical step in choosing an enterprise LMS provider. The questions asked in your RFP will help your organization understand how each vendor’s solution can meet your requirements. Your questions also give you greater insight into that provider’s experience and expertise.

Consult with all relevant stakeholders within your organization and determine your LMS requirements. List your detailed requirements as a series of capability questions. Then ask vendors to indicate if each feature:

• Is included in the standard product
• Will be available by a specified date
• Is otherwise available on a custom basis for an additional cost

Your RFP should include your required product features and functions. Some examples include:

• Architecture and technical requirements, such as security, accessibility, ability to integrate with existing systems, mobile capabilities, reporting and analytics, compliance record management, etc.
• Services expectations, including implementation, training, staffing, support, consulting, and maintenance

Your specific LMS requirements may include the ability to:

• Personalize learning experiences connected to performance outcomes
• Integrate with skills enablement and performance management software
• Support agile decision-making, user communications, and advanced reporting

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Also, consider asking vendors for the following:

• Their company’s financial viability, market share, strategic partnerships, examples of their demonstrated industry leadership, number of employees, years in the business, and details on their support model
• Solution costs, including all costs and fees associated with SaaS or on-premise software, training, customer support, data migration, and implementation services
• Information on the number of customers the provider serves and whether they support other organizations in your industry
• Customer references

A Sample RFP

Below is a list of sample questions and information to ask potential LMS vendors for in your organization’s RFP. Be sure to modify the questions and statements to fit your needs.

• Describe your delivery services and how you will minimize risk and reduce time to value for the implementation.
• Describe how your system can automate, track, and report on compliance training, ensuring our employees meet regulatory and internal training requirements.
• Explain how your LMS supports continuous learning, from skills gap analysis to personalized learning paths.
• Detail how the platform encourages knowledge sharing and collaboration between employees and across teams.
• Describe how your software customizes notifications, learning paths, and reminders for different employee groups, such as managers, team leads, or specific departments.
• How easy is it to update course content or modify enrollment?
• Provide details on how your system handles differentiated learning needs across various departments, locations, or employee categories.
• How does your solution enable learning administrators to monitor progress and mitigate potential risks?
• Describe the process for enabling LMS administrators (or others) to act on behalf of another in the approval process when needed, i.e. proxy capabilities.
• Describe how your solution can integrate learning content from multiple sources.
• What analytics are available to support managers in making informed decisions about learning paths, content, and training resources?
• Does your solution promote collaboration between L&D, leadership, and line managers? If so, how do you envision this benefitting our process?
• Is there anything that we haven’t considered in our RFP that you believe would have a positive impact on our process or ability to deliver on our L&D strategy?

Give vendors several weeks to respond to your request. Thoroughly review all the responses, then meet with your internal planning team to decide which LMS vendors should be on your shortlist for a product demonstration.

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Prepare for Product Demos

At this stage, you’ll want to narrow down your list of potential vendors before scheduling in-depth demos. From your initial research and RFP, you should have a clear picture of your top contenders. It’s important at this time to see demos only from the providers you’re confident can meet your primary needs.

The software demo is your first chance to have an in-depth look at the learning system, explore its user interface, and understand its ease of use. You’ll also have an opportunity to ask questions that help you see how the solution will fit into your current workflow. The best providers will be eager to work with you and offer their expertise. They’ll focus on how their enterprise LMS can adapt to your processes, rather than dictating how you’ll need to adapt your workflows to fit their solution.

Questions for Demo Day

Come to demo day with an open mind, and be ready to ask questions about how the LMS’s features and capabilities could apply to your organizational needs. Consider asking the following questions:

• Does the LMS meet the base system requirements we need?
• How will this solution integrate with our existing systems?
• Will this solution accept historical data (employee profiles, performance ratings and skills information, succession management data, reporting records, etc.) from our current LMS? If so, how many years of data can be included?
• How often are software updates released?
• How long does implementation typically take for an organization of our size with similar requirements?
• What type of support team will we be working with daily? Who is included on that team?
• What type of training will be provided to the L&D team, our assigned system administrator, and LMS end-users?
• What’s included in a standard scope of work, and what is the pricing for enhancements or add-ons?
• If we have trouble with the solution, what is the process to resolve the issue and how quickly does that typically happen?
• How configurable is your system without incurring additional costs? Are there customizations available with this solution?
• If so, what is the pricing associated with these?
• Can we add more features later? Are features and modules upgraded automatically, or do we have to activate them with each new release?
• What type of reporting and analytics are part of this solution?
• What can you tell me about the data security of your solution?

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Implementing Your New Enterprise LMS

There’s no standard timeline when it comes to implementing a new LMS. The research phase alone could take weeks or months, depending on the complexity and specificity of your needs. The more sophisticated your case, the longer your timeline will be. Whether you choose to do a single implementation or take a phased approach will also impact your overall timeline. As a broad guideline, researching, selecting, and going live with a new LMS vendor could take upwards of 18 months.

It’s best to work backwards with your L&D and leadership teams to decide on your approximate go-live date. Consider your end-goals, then work backwards to determine the steps that need to take place before you can implement a new solution. With your end-goal in mind, you can begin evaluating potential vendors that can meet your technical criteria within your desired timeline.