During a recent Go1 webinar promoting our latest eBook, the panel offered expert tips on purchasing a learning platform, digging into topics such as getting stakeholder buy-in, creating a culture of learning, measuring workplace learning ROI, and more. The webinar was hosted by Melinda Potente, Senior Customer Success Manager at Go1, who was joined by expert guests Luke Barnes, Director of  Partner Success at Go1, Anj Jipp, from the Enabling Team at Chorus, and Olivia Tsen, Development, Performance, and Inclusion Group Lead at Hassel.

We’ll recap the highlights of this insightful discussion, but if you want more, you can also catch up on the full webinar replay below. Or, for further insights, check out our eBook on choosing the right learning platform for your business.

To kick things off, Melinda asked Olivia what prompted her organisation, Hassle, to start on their journey and why learning was a business priority for them. According to Olivia, her key focus was delivering best-in-class learning. 

“We have a lot of learning and knowledge sharing needs and actually purposeful learning is at the core of our strategy and our culture. So one thing that I was very keen to work on straight away when I joined the company was to make sure that we had a best-in-class learning platform and solutions to support our best-in-class work,” she said. 

“For us it was a huge priority, and I'm really pleased that the business got behind and supported the implementation of a new system.”

Anj added to this, noting that her organisation’s learning journey was all about flexibility.

“We already had an LMS, but we were finding it wasn't particularly flexible. It was very, very hierarchical in its structure. And that's quite different from our organisation. We want anyone that joins the organisation to be able to choose not only to complete any mandatory elements, but also what kind of pathways they're interested in,” she said.

“So, the new LMS that we have now allows that sort of flexibility. People can lean into something they're interested in and passionate about as well as completing things that are mandatory.”

Following this, the discussion moved on to getting stakeholder buy-in. For Anj, this was a case of engaging learners throughout every step of the process.

“Most of the time, [our workforce] are accessing learning from their mobile device. They're not coming into the office every day. And so it's really important that the LMS is responsive on a mobile and that you can access it and play content. It didn't require you to have a laptop, and because of that, we really wanted [our learners] to be involved from the beginning,” she said.

“We wanted people to feel engaged and excited, and choose to log on to the LMS because they want to see what’s there rather than ‘oh, I need to do this again.’ So, it's really kind of getting that enthusiasm and excitement about something that's new.”

Olivia expanded on this, explaining her approach to getting stakeholder buy-in at Hassel.

“I truly believe that learning is something that everyone needs to be involved in, either teaching or sharing information and as well as consuming it. So that was definitely part of that consideration in terms of getting stakeholder buy-in, is that we have subject matter experts and people that will be potential users of the platform across every team, at every level of the organisation, whether it's senior leaders or a grad or a business support person,” she said. 

“So, really trying to understand what each of those stakeholder groups needed from it and making sure the platform that we chose and the content that's available through it is flexible and adaptable enough to be able to meet all their needs.”

Next, Luke shared his perspective on what factors can influence an LMS purchasing decision, emphasising that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

“I think that ease of use is vital, but also some organisations are quite hierarchical, and they need a very structured learning management system that goes along with that. Others are very self driven, and so they need a system where people can easily input their own content and start sharing that content and have more social elements to it. So, it really is finding the right system to fit your style of organisation and what you're trying to kind of get out of it,” he said. 

Following this, the panel discussed the LMS implementation process and how to avoid any potential hiccoughs along the way.

“Test, test, test. I cannot stress enough, just getting that feedback from people. So testing and getting some feedback and involving people in those early stages. I think that's probably by far the biggest thing that we needed,” Anj said. 

Melinda added to this, sharing her insights on reporting and tracking ROI after implementing a new learning system. 

“I find that a common thread with some of my customers that I speak with is that reporting and insights can really support and uplift the organisation. You can say where top learners, top teams or departments are within the business. And they can start to be some of your learning champions and pilot groups to get that feedback and then try to replicate it across other parts of the organisation,” she said. 

“And that's where you can start to build that learning culture as well, which we all know is so important.”

Finally, the panel cast their eyes to the future, sharing their predictions for L&D in 2024 and beyond. According to Luke, the future of L&D will rely heavily on adapting to change and learning from others. 

“Now, there is a really diverse range of pathways and what someone has done previously isn't necessarily the same thing that you're going to be doing or the same pathway you're gonna take. So, being able to find your own things and your own pathway through, but being able to learn from what a wide variety of people have done is gonna become really important.”

Want more? Catch up on the full webinar replay below: 

Your expert guide to purchasing a learning platform

For more insights, download our eBook on choosing the right learning platform for your business. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

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During a recent Go1 webinar, the panel offered expert tips on purchasing a learning platform, digging into topics such as getting stakeholder buy-in, measuring workplace learning ROI, and more.

APAC webinar recap: Your expert guide to purchasing a learning platform

Welcome back to another enlightening edition of The Extra Mile, the blog series where we interview Go1 customers and their Customer Success Managers (CSMs) about their relationships, challenges, learning goals, and everything in between. 

If you haven’t already, catch up on the inaugural edition of The Extra Mile, where we chatted to Mandy Rutherford, L&D Manager at Wave Utilities, and her Go1 CSM Emily Reynolds. 

In this month’s edition, we’ll talk to Dan Ritchie, Assistant Director of Learning & Development at H2M Associates, and Peter Pietro, Enterprise Customer Success Manager at Go1, about their first impressions, lessons learned, obstacles overcome, and how Peter went the extra mile to help H2M source industry-specific content to meet their learning needs. 

From the outset, Dan knew there was something different about Go1 compared to other learning providers he had dealt with. Whereas some platforms offer a CSM in name only, he believes that Go1 delivers Customer Success in the truest sense — a crucial point of difference in their selection process. 

“A designated CSM isn’t something new, but most platforms never deliver a true CSM, where Go1 truly has an educated partner that will resolve and help you navigate through challenging situations. It is their competitive advantage,” he said. 

Peter adds to this, providing insight into what sets Go1 CSMs apart. 

“We take the time to learn the customer's goals and try to understand what they need from the Go1 solution to be successful, and then try to enable them with the tools and knowledge to achieve that success,” he said. 

Of course, while having a CSM was significant, it wasn’t the sole factor in H2M’s decision. Dan also emphasised that Go1’s integration capabilities were vital.

“Another factor was Go1’s integration with our LMS,” he added. 

With the partnership off to a strong start, they began working together in earnest, with both Go1 and H2M Associates finding the relationship to be rewarding and professionally beneficial.

For Dan, the qualities that stood out most about Peter were his responsiveness and willingness to go above and beyond to solve any issue.

“Any time we have an issue or need something added to the offerings, [Go1] are always responsive,” he said.

Similarly, Peter praised Dan for being extremely clear and communicative about the type of content he needed. 

“Dan is easy to work with and very clear on what he is looking for in regard to Go1,” he said. 

As with any partnership, challenges can arise. How you overcome these challenges is what matters. And Dan and Peter were no exceptions. 

As Dan recalls, their first big task was integrating Go1 with H2M’s existing LMS, which proved relatively straightforward. 

“At first, the Go1 platform was not integrated with our LMS,” he said  

“Once it was, Go1 trained us on the capabilities.” 

Following this, their next major goal was sourcing industry-specific technical content that met H2M’s unique learning needs. According to Peter, this was trickier — though far from insurmountable. 

Ultimately, you’re bound to learn a thing or two from each other while working so closely together. 

Peter says he learned several valuable lessons from Dan, many of which he plans to apply to working with future clients to make himself an even more well-rounded CSM. 

“I have learned a lot about the industry [Dan] is in and what companies like his are looking for from an L&D perspective,” he said. 

Likewise, Dan summarised his key lesson from working with Peter with one pearl of wisdom: “If you ask, you might just get exactly what you need.”

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

In this month’s edition of the Extra Mile, we’ll talk to Dan Ritchie, Assistant Director of L&D at H2M Associates, and Peter Pietro, Enterprise CSM at Go1.

The extra mile: How Go1 helped H2M Associates level up their training

As a global leader in licensed sports merchandise, Fanatics aims to be number one – not just for their customers but also for their employees. However, Dawn Stopha, Director of Global Programs, was faced with numerous requests for employee development opportunities. She knew that to be number one, her team had to make some changes to Fanatics’ learning and development offering. Enter, Go1.  

Fanatics’ workforce is comprised of 10,000 employees across the globe, from salaried corporate workers to hourly distribution center workers. With such a vast and varied employee base, the company needed to find diverse learning content that could meet a plethora of unique needs. 

Providing employees with learning content wasn’t a new endeavor for Fanatics, but they knew their content offerings needed significant improvement. Before they started their vendor search, Fanatics primarily used off-the-shelf content and push training. “We would develop things quickly using PowerPoint and just push out content, not really getting to know who our audience was,” Dawn reflected. “Nothing was translated; nothing was done from a high-level safety or compliance standpoint.” 

To ensure they got exactly what they needed from their new content provider, Dawn and her team created a checklist of priorities they used to evaluate different vendors. While the list featured many diverse needs, their main priorities were top-notch compliance training, learning content in a variety of languages, and an easy-to-use content library. 

Thirteen vendor interviews later, Dawn and her team had settled on their top two contenders. When they presented these options to the entire learning and development team, Go1 stood out as the crowd favorite. Next, they presented their options to the chief people officer – and her response solidified their decision. “When we reviewed it with her, we [presented] Go1 first,” Dawn recounted. “She pretty much said, ‘I don't need to see anything else.’” 

So, why did Dawn’s team ultimately decide to partner with Go1? Dawn says many distinct factors made Go1 the obvious choice. 

First, it was important to Dawn that her team would be able to establish a strong relationship with whichever vendor they selected. “You can enter into a contract with any vendor, and if the relationship with them is not there, then it just doesn't work,” Dawn said. “You're in it for the long haul over the life of the contract, and you really need to have great relationships with everyone that you're going to be talking to.” 

Dawn was pleased to find that Go1 exceeded her expectations for the relationship between the two companies. “There's not been any situation where Go1 has not helped us find something,” she said. “It has been the easiest vendor relationship that we've had." 

Go1 also fulfilled Fanatics’ need for high-quality compliance content. When choosing compliance training, Dawn had to consider many different state laws and regulations. “I think about states like California, New York, Connecticut, Illinois, where their laws for employees are so strict. We needed to be able to say, let's take this training, we're going to review it, and then we're going to be able to provide it to our employees so that they're covered,” Dawn said. “We found a couple different [Go1] courses. Anytime we went back to our legal team, all of them were top-notch.” 

In recent years, Fanatics has undergone a generational change and, consequently, a shift in their company culture. Fanatics employees currently span six generations, with 82% of the workforce made up of millennials and Gen Z. Dawn loves that Go1’s wide range of content means there’s something for all learning styles, including the younger generations. 

“What we had to do was really shift to meet the changing culture of the employees that were coming into Fanatics,” Dawn said. “The Go1 content is everything from podcasts to short, quick microbursts of learning, to now, they're moving into virtual reality. It really, really entertains the generations that we have now in our culture.” 

What’s more, Go1’s content has allowed Fanatics to provide learning in various languages, catering to the company's global workforce. “Two months ago, we had gotten a call from someone in our Japanese office that said that they were looking for content,” Dawn said. “So, we worked with our contact at Go1, and we were able to provide them with 435 courses in Japanese. That was like a slam dunk home run because we've never provided learning to the countries that we support.” 

In addition to self-serve learning, Fanatics has incorporated Go1 content into other areas, like new hire training. Their new hire orientation supports employees through their first 90 days at the company, providing them with learning content on topics like business etiquette and business writing. 

Go1 has also enabled Fanatics to launch its first leadership development program. “We have 38 global leaders that are going through this program. All of the content is from Go1,” Dawn said. “We started the pilot two weeks ago and we've gotten rave reviews. The impact that this is having and will have down the line is going to be exponential.” 

Dawn and her team have seen incredible outcomes since partnering with Go1. Over the past year, employee engagement has risen significantly. “We increased employee engagement by 7%,” Dawn said. “And we can attribute it to the Go1 content because of the fact that we could see it in the comments. There were probably close to 9,000 comments that said, ‘Thank you,’ ‘You heard us,’ or ‘Our career growth and development has increased and here's why.” 

Dawn says the biggest impact Go1 has had on Fanatics is providing their workforce with diverse content. “What I would tell someone considering using Go1 is that I've been so pleasantly surprised with not only the foundation course topic information that's available but also the diversity,” she said. “The content is engaging. It's not boring. It's content that will keep you energized.” 

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs. 

Find out how Go1’s diverse content library has helped Go1 customer Fanatics meet their goals.

Customer story: A slam dunk for Fanatics learners

Brenda Lazarus, Manager of Learning and Development at Daylight Transport, is passionate about making learning accessible for everyone. “I really care about bringing education to the people,” she said.

And in today’s world of work, where virtual and hybrid employees are more common than ever, making learning accessible means making learning virtual.

In partnership with Go1, Brenda successfully implemented a remote learning program for all Team Members across Daylight Transport. Read on for her advice on how you can facilitate remote learning, too.

To get started, you must ensure your remote learning solution is flexible enough to support employees across various times and locations. 

Daylight Transport's workforce is dispersed across the U.S., posing a unique logistical challenge. So, when Brenda set out to find a learning program, she needed a solution that would work across several time zones. Once she discovered Go1’s asynchronous content  which can be completed anytime, anywhere, she knew it was the perfect fit.

Brenda also offers virtual training and development sessions, which she schedules at multiple times across various time zones. Doing so is a priority for her, as it ensures no one misses an opportunity to learn.

If you’re thinking about offering remote learning, it’s important to remember that employees must have access to all the tools they need to engage with virtual learning content.

According to Brenda, Daylight Transport Team Members can access Daylight University through company-issued computers or other company-approved devices only while they are on the clock.  Since they can log in to the learning program at both on-site and remote work locations, it’s easy for Team Members to learn wherever they happen to be working.

When working with a remote or hybrid team, clear, continuous communication is vital. That’s why Brenda promotes Daylight University in various ways. She sends Team Members articles about the program, attends virtual Town Halls to discuss the program, and lets Team Members know when new learning playlists are released. 

Frequently promoting Daylight University means new Team Members can learn about the program, and those who have been around a while are reminded to challenge themselves to continue on their personal learning journey if they haven’t already.

Remote learning comes with unique challenges, but Brenda makes herself available to help both on-site and remote learners overcome any obstacles they encounter. Brenda assists Team Members who need help searching the platform for specific content. She also helps managers familiarize themselves with the platform to pass this knowledge on to their Team Members and provides tips and tricks for those who are just getting started.

Implementing a remote learning program has given the entire Daylight Transport team continuous access to growth and development opportunities – thereby strengthening their workforce.

“I love when our learners tell me that they found a course or topic they never thought they would in a learning system at work,” Brenda said. "If the learner learns something new and gets better, then Daylight gets better.”

The workplace has changed, which means learning must change, too. Find out how one of our customers implemented remote learning for their entire workforce.

Insights from the Industry: How to facilitate remote learning

Watch sneak peeks of courses by some of our amazing content partners, including Seven Steps to Writing Success, The Inclusive School and Teacher Wellbeing. Enhance your IT skills with our featured playlist and read more about our new partnership with the Anangu Lands Education team. Explore all that and more in this month's edition of the EC Premium Content Insider. 

Meet some of our fabulous Content Partners!

Help your students master the art of narrative, persuasive, and informative writing with these comprehensive courses designed for primary and early secondary educators. These courses break down the writing process into manageable skills, from brainstorming to crafting captivating conclusions. Led by Jen McVeity, OAM, Founder and CEO of Seven Steps to Writing Success and a prolific author, the courses delve into each step’s core concepts through concise theory videos. You’ll then apply these techniques in your classroom with downloadable resources. 

Seven Steps on EC Premium

The Inclusive School’s course, Inclusion Matters, is a beacon for equitable education. It empowers educators and families by delivering practical tools for creating inclusive learning environments. Led by experienced educators, this transformative program covers diverse topics from embracing inclusivity to collaborating with families, offering hands-on strategies, and real-life cases. For teachers, administrators, parents, and community members, it’s an opportunity to inspire and foster welcoming spaces for all learners.

The Inclusive School on EC Premium

Daniela Falecki, an experienced teacher across primary, secondary, and tertiary education, presents Five Foundations to Boost Educator Wellbeing. By recognising the unique stressors of teaching and their impact on teaching quality and student outcomes, Daniela is dedicated to supporting educators who tirelessly juggle diverse needs and life’s demands. Prioritise your wellbeing as an educator and understand that student wellbeing starts with you.

Teacher Wellbeing on EC Premium

Which great content partners are coming soon to EC Premium?

Conexiones is a global leader in K-12 educator professional development, combining education with compassion, expertise and innovation. With a dynamic team comprising over a century of combined experience, Conexiones pioneers state-of-the-art training and ground-breaking research to elevate education worldwide. Their impactful collaborations include UNESCO’s Teacher Training Initiative, OECD, AERA, and more, spanning 40+ countries. You can expect interactive, engaging courses diving into how the brain works and providing accessible resources to understand your students’ neural pathways and improve your teaching practice.

Our Featured Playlists are included in all schools’ Learning Hubs and are a great way to see a variety of high-quality content from different providers, all with just one click!

Recommended by ICT Professionals delivers a spectrum of essential subjects for educators seeking IT expertise. Explore courses and download resources on cybersecurity, virtualisation, cloud security, powerBI, SQL, Windows Server, Azure fundamentals, disaster recovery, InTune, SCCM mastery, networking essentials and more! Elevate your IT proficiency and equip yourself for the challenges of the digital age.

Pitjantjatjara country is mostly in the far north-west of South Australia, extending across the border into the Northern Territory to just south of Lake Amadeus, and west a short distance into Western Australia. The Anangu Schools represent ten schools across the state in the most remote areas. 

Our team has diligently collaborated with the Local Education team to ensure they have access to tailored content that caters to the unique needs of their staff spread across these vast and remote lands. By offering high-quality educational resources, we aim to empower educators and school support staff in areas where professional development opportunities are traditionally limited due to geographical remoteness.

In the September edition of the EC Premium Content Insider, you can enhance your IT skills with our featured playlist and read more about our new partnership with the Anangu Lands Education team.

The EC Premium Content Insider – September 2023 edition

Ben Smith spent more than 20 years teaching before joining Go1 in 2022. But even while he was a teacher, Ben was always a learner first. 

During his time in the classroom, Ben taught a wide variety of subjects, including physical education, science, math, outdoor education, learning support, IT, and even coffee culture. His desire to teach many of these topics was fueled by his personal interest in learning about them. “I've always loved learning new things and developing myself,” Ben said. “Through different parts of my life, I was learning different things and applying them to my teaching.” 

In 2017, Ben decided he was ready for a career change. While thinking about what he should do next, he considered one of his long-standing interests: coding. Ben had previously tried his hand at developing a few web apps – including a stat-taking app for the volleyball team he was coaching – and he loved the process. “I've always been involved in technical things,” he said. “I've loved coding and I've run a few businesses on the side of teaching where I've hired developers to do different bits and pieces of work. So, I decided to go into coding and software development.” 

Once he decided to pursue a career in coding, Ben’s next step was to enroll in a software engineering program. As a dad of three who worked full-time, going back to school was no small task. Completing the program required him to spend most of his evenings studying. "Most nights, from eight o'clock – once the kids were in bed – to about midnight, I'd be studying and developing my coding skills,” he said. 

After several years of hard work and late-night studying, Ben was ready to find a job. That’s when he came across Go1 – although it wasn’t the first time he had heard of the company. 

Earlier in his career, Ben had built a booking management system for health and wellness practices, which he then took to a sponsored business accelerator program. At the accelerator program, he met the founders of GoCatalyze – the company now known as Go1. “Andrew, Chris, and Chris were in that same program, and so I got to know them there and they were very smart cookies and worked really hard and did some pretty great things,” Ben recounted. “I've been following what they've been up to, so I looked into the company and saw there were job openings." 

Ben applied for a graduate developer role at Go1 and got the job. His role as a developer involves building up the Go1 codebase and fixing problems one ticket at a time. “I'm working on different coding jobs as part of a team, as part of the bigger picture for Go1,” he said. 

Ben has found that he’s been able to learn and grow at Go1, due in part to his willingness to ask questions and admit when he needs help. “I think I've been able to grow quite quickly because I'm comfortable saying, ‘Hey, I don't understand this. Give me a hand,’” he said. “There's plenty of things I don't know. As you go along, you understand even more that there's so much to know. No one's going to know everything and you're going to have to ask questions.” 

Plus, Ben’s team is always eager to support him through any challenges he encounters. “Everyone at Go1 is supportive and encouraging and there to help,” he said. “It's been really good to be able to continue learning new technologies and having the trust and faith from everyone at Go1 that any trouble I've had is okay – we can get through it.” 

In addition to its culture of learning, Ben says one of his favorite things about working at Go1 is the company’s transparency, especially compared to his previous job. “There’s a lot of bureaucracy in teaching, and I've had the pleasure of having amazing principals and working with some really encouraging, growth-focused people, but I've also had a lot of time where there's been just a lot of red tape and a lot of closed secrecy,” Ben recounted. “There's a lot of blame for when things go wrong without much celebration of when things go right.” 

“Go1's not like that at all,” he continued. “Right from the start, everything is transparent. It's open. In any workplace, people are going to have good times and hard times, and there's going to be positives and negatives anywhere. What I've found is that Go1 has been just completely open and honest about everything that's going on. I just have complete faith that all the actions that are being taken all the way through the company are for the best possible outcomes for the company and everybody in the company. And it just feels like a wonderful, open, welcoming place." 

Ultimately, Ben is happy with his career transition, and he feels Go1 enables him to keep learning every day. “It’s an amazing place to begin a career,” Ben said. “I’ve found it's been a really encouraging and easy place for me to grow and improve and put effort into. It’s a joy.” 

Learn how Ben transitioned out of his career in teaching and into a career in software development at Go1.

Meet the team: Ben Smith

September is a great time to look at your customer-facing teams and ensure they have the necessary skills to satisfy your customers, both before and after closing a sale. We have provided you with two great playlists to get started in our 12 Months of Learning calendar, helping you improve customer satisfaction and elevate your sales skills. We've also got some fantastic content providers to highlight below.  

What content providers should you check out this month? 

Topic coverage: Management & Leadership, Sales & Customer Service, Equality & Diversity, Health & Wellbeing, Compliance

880+ courses in Premium ranging from 2 to 205 minutes in duration

Courses include infographics, cheat sheets, coaching blueprints, and other downloadable assets

Top courses: Effective Time Management, Building Resilience At Work, Communication & Influence, The 4 E's Of Effective Telephone Communication, Negotiation Stage 2 – Managing The Discussion   

Topic coverage: IT software, Microsoft Products, Devops, Leadership, Communications, General Personal Development, Diversity and Inclusion

1560+ courses in Premium ranging from 1 to 480 minutes in duration

Top courses: Awareness and Prevention: Getting Real About Workplace Violence, Surviving an Extreme Act of Violence: Getting Real About Workplace Violence, Advanced Training for Managers and Supervisors: Getting Real About Workplace Violence, Effective Communication, Personal Integrity

Topic coverage: Leadership, Sales & Customer Service, HR Compliance

360+ courses in Premium ranging from 6 to 908 minutes in duration

The catalog includes adaptive learning options

Top courses: Service Attitude: Service Mistakes, Team Building: Building Team Trust and Respect, Service Attitude: Character & Integrity

What new content providers have been added to the Content Hub?

Topic coverage: Data Compliance, Finance and Communication

21 courses in Premium, ranging from 3 - 120 minutes in duration, all in German

Top courses: Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz – Grundlagen für Führungskräfte (General Equal Treatment Act - Basics for executives), Exportkontrolle (Export Control), Verantwortung und Haftung (Responsibility and Liability)

What great new content have our current content providers added to the Content Hub?

ej4 has refreshed its library and added 165 additional courses in a variety of topics.

AssembleYou doubled its content in the Go1 library, adding 110 new courses in topics such as leadership, sustainability, sales, and personal development. 

Packt added 66 new and updated technology content courses, including web development, cybersecurity, Ruby, and more.

In September, we have more great playlists from our 12 Months of Learning calendar, as well as some awesome new content providers to highlight.

The Go1 Content Insider - September 2023 Edition

In September, we have more great playlists from our 12 Months of Learning calendar, as well as some fantastic content providers to highlight. 

When looking for the ideal learning management system (LMS) for your organization, you should pay attention to two key features: tracking and admin. Ensuring an LMS has the appropriate tracking and admin capabilities will help you get the most out of it, both from an HR and management perspective and a learning perspective.

Therefore, before you buy an LMS, you must explore its tracking and reporting functionality, including how it integrates with other systems and how you manage content.

To help with this, we’ll explore the ins and outs of LMS tracking and reporting, detailing everything you should know to efficiently and effectively use your LMS. For more information, download our e-book, The ultimate guide to choosing the right learning platform for your business.

Understanding the importance of an effective LMS

At first glance, an LMS may simply seem like a tool you use to train your workforce. Of course, this is true, but when used effectively, your LMS can provide many more benefits, including personalized learning at scale, onboarding, greater employee engagement, saving time and money, and creating a culture of learning at your organization.

Without employee development, your organization will stagnate, and it won’t be long before you fall behind your competitors. Your LMS also streamlines employee learning and the time-consuming administrative tasks that come with it.

Whether employees have to complete mandatory compliance training or an upskilling course, an LMS provides quick and easy access to learning resources. So, whether your employees are office-based, remote, or hybrid, they can all access the same training materials, ensuring company-wide compliance and consistency.

By utilizing the complete functionality of your LMS, you’ll increase productivity, efficiency, and engagement, which in turn improves the return on investment (ROI) of your LMS. 

Providing your workforce with upskilling and developing opportunities is only one of the many ways you can use your LMS. To maximize engagement and ensure compliance, many LMSs have useful tracking features that show how, when, and where employees access course materials.

By tracking employee engagement, you can offer additional help and resources to those who need it, assess the value and success of your learning program, and use data to make decisions about the future of your L&D strategy. Important LMS tracking tools include:

Access: Tracks whether employees have logged into their accounts to access training and resources.

Progress: Tracks how employees engage with training courses, including module progress, time spent in specific modules, and overall course progress.

Assessments: Tracks course assessment results, such as scores, pass rate, and how many times a course was attempted.

Time: Tracks the amount of time employees spend using the LMS.

Engagement: Tracks how employees engage with course content and interactive elements, such as discussion forums and video views.

Attendance: If your organization uses in-person or blended learning, you can use your LMS to track attendance.

Admin capabilities: the backbone of an efficient LMS

Your LMS is only as effective as its admin capabilities. The last thing your management and HR teams need is an unintuitive system that slows down admin tasks. Without a functional back-end, neither your administrators nor your workforce will have a productive, efficient, or effective experience. Common admin capabilities to consider include:

User management: The ability to instantly create, edit, remove, and manage users, including new starters, tutors, and other administrators. If you integrate your LMS with your HR system, you can automate this process, making it even faster.

Course management: Course management is vital to customizing employees’ learning and introducing personalized learning at scale. 

Content creation: To create content specific to your organization, you’ll need a content creation and management system. An LMS content creation system may not offer as many features as a dedicated authoring tool, but it should let you create basic training content.

Course enrollment: Admins should be able to add employees (either individually or in bulk) to courses, with the option for employees to enroll themselves or register interest.

Communication: Admins should be able to communicate with employees through the LMS (typically via a notification system) to share any expectations, changes, and deadlines.

Customization: You should be able to customize your LMS to use your company’s logo, colors, fonts, messaging, and more.

Analytics: You should be able to access data and reports to measure how your workforce engages with your LMS. Without meaningful insights, you can’t accurately evaluate the success of your L&D program.

Integrations: For functionality and a seamless admin experience, an LMS must integrate with other systems your business currently uses. 

Seamless integrations: enhancing the LMS experience

One of the most crucial aspects of an LMS is whether it integrates with your existing systems. If not, this could cost you time and money in the long run.

Integrations link your LMS with other software that your organization uses, including HR software, your customer relationship management (CRM) system, and your single-sign-on (SSO) solution. Your LMS should also integrate with online course providers, such as Go1 — we integrate with hundreds of LMSs so you can provide training to your entire workforce through our content hub.

Integrations streamline processes by providing synchronization, preventing the need to duplicate data entry, speeding up processes, and improving security and management. For example, when a new starter enters your HR system, integration with your LMS can automatically create an account for them. This eliminates the need to create multiple accounts, ensuring a faster process. It also prevents delays, so your new starters can begin onboarding from day one.

Another great integration to take advantage of is gamification. Gamification introduces a fun and competitive element to learning, thereby increasing engagement. It rewards employees who use your LMS, which helps build a culture of learning.

Choosing the right LMS: a strategic decision

Choosing the right LMS can be difficult. It depends on the unique needs of your business, your budget, and whether you will create a large volume of original content.

For more information, speak to our experts today to find out how Go1 can support your L&D strategy. 

We’ll explore the ins and outs of LMS tracking and reporting, detailing everything you should know to efficiently and effectively use your LMS.

Key tracking and admin capabilities to look for in an LMS

We’ll explore the ins and outs of LMS tracking and reporting, detailing everything you should know to efficiently and effectively use your LMS. 

Learning and development is crucial for any organization. Without it, your employees can’t upskill and stay up-to-date with industry changes. As a result, your organization will stagnate, and you’ll quickly fall behind your competitors.

As such, it’s vital to address barriers to learning as soon as possible. Concerningly, research shows that 66% of employees face at least one barrier to learning at work. These barriers prevent your business from cultivating a culture of learning, meaning you won’t meet your goals as quickly — and risk not meeting them at all.

So, we’ll explore how you can address learning barriers to foster a happier, more skilled, and more productive workforce. For more information on overcoming learning barriers, download our e-book, The ultimate guide to choosing the right learning platform for your business.

Understanding common barriers to learning

Barriers to learning can come in many forms — including your employees themselves. Occasionally, external learning barriers arise, but most of the time, learning barriers are internal. The good news is your organization can alleviate internal learning barriers, which we’ll cover in detail below.

But, what exactly are these learning barriers, and how do they affect your employees’ ability to learn and develop? Common examples of learning barriers include:

Lack of time - When employees are at capacity, learning takes a back seat to meet work-related deadlines.

Lack of resources - Workplace learning is nearly impossible when employees don’t have the relevant materials or tools.

Unclear objectives - When employees don't have clear goals, timelines, or objectives, learning can grind to a halt.

No incentives - If there are no incentives or rewards, employees can struggle to engage with learning.

Technology - Old or outdated tech can be a significant blocker.

Language - If employees don’t speak fluent English, a lack of training resources in their native language will prevent learning.

Self-doubt - Employees can delay learning if they have self-doubt and are worried about the challenge. They may also have a fear of failure.

Fear of change - Some employees won’t be open to change.

Lack of learning culture - If your organization doesn’t foster a learning culture, it will become a major barrier.

Lack of stakeholder and management support - Senior staff — especially the leadership team — must champion learning to ensure employees recognize its value.

Organizational silos - Employees with a specific and defined role may not be encouraged to broaden their skills.

Difficulty sourcing resources - It may be difficult to source training resources, courses, and materials.

Cost - Certain training courses can be expensive, particularly in-person and tutor-led training. The economy and market trends can also influence costs.

Personal commitments - Employees may have personal commitments that affect their ability to learn.

We’ll explore how you can address learning barriers to foster a happier, more skilled, and more productive workforce.