The use of extended enterprise learning management systems has taken corporate employee training by storm in recent years. Reinforcing the immense global growth of learning management systems (LMS), as of 2023, the number of LMS users is estimated at 73.8 million1.
Despite the growing popularity of these learning platforms, you might wonder, “What exactly is an extended enterprise learning management system?” In this blog, we’ll outline the basics of an extended enterprise LMS and how it can revolutionize your training and development initiatives. Whether you're a growing enterprise looking to train external partners or a human resources (HR) professional seeking to expand your organization's training, we’ll dive into how an enterprise LMS works and why it might make sense for your organization.
What is an extended enterprise learning management system?
An extended enterprise LMS is a learning software platform that allows organizations to deliver corporate training programs to a wide range of external learners, including customers, partners, contractors, and other stakeholders. By adopting an extended enterprise LMS, businesses can create customized learning experiences for different audiences, manage corporate employee training programs more efficiently, and distribute consistent, scalable training.
What are the core functions of an enterprise LMS?
Core functions of an extended enterprise LMS include user management for creating and managing accounts, content management to deliver training materials, and integration with other systems for a seamless experience. These functions are instrumental in helping organizations provide product training, customer service, and support through secure access portals.
The business case for an enterprise training system
An enterprise training system is a natural fit for organizations aiming to provide a learning experience to their external users. For example, compliance and regulatory training are critical for organizations, and an extended enterprise LMS can help meet these demands by effectively tracking and documenting completion.
Moreover, by providing corporate employee training and resources to a broader audience beyond your employees, your organization can more easily accommodate diverse learning needs and ensure connected parties have access to relevant, up-to-date educational resources. Two additional extended enterprise learning management system benefits are reducing redundancies and supporting revenue growth.
Eliminating redundancies with an extended enterprise LMS
An extended enterprise LMS is the right choice for organizations looking to eliminate redundancies and optimize their training efforts. By centralizing training resources, the LMS reduces duplicate content, resulting in more efficient and cost-effective learning experiences. Furthermore, it ensures consistency and standardization across different audiences, such as employees, customers, resellers, and external workers, by providing secure access to the same learning materials.
Driving revenue growth through online training
Beyond supporting customers and partners, online training is a powerful tool for driving revenue growth, especially for businesses looking to expand their market share. By monetizing training programs and selling online courses to external learners, businesses can generate additional income. More specifically, with an extended enterprise LMS, organizations can tap into new markets and leverage course content to boost their bottom line.
3 Key features to look for in an extended enterprise LMS
When considering an extended enterprise learning management system, having a wide range of features available is key to delivering an effective and engaging learning experience. In the initial selection stages, we recommend finding an LMS with customization options, an intuitive interface, and reporting capabilities—these features will help you maximize customer satisfaction and achieve business goals.
1. Personalization options
Personalization options in an extended enterprise LMS offer a range of benefits for learners and administrators. Users can customize their learning experience by designing their own paths, setting individual goals, and accessing various content types. With the support of adaptive learning algorithms, many learning platforms provide personalized recommendations based on learner progress. Advanced customization options like this enhance engagement and motivation, making the learning experience more relevant and meaningful.
2. User-friendly interface and navigation
Second, a user-friendly interface and navigation are both critical components of an extended enterprise LMS.An intuitive design helps learners easily access course content, while clear and organized navigation menus ensure fast information retrieval—allowing learners to spend more time learning and less time finding content.
Plus, the benefits of an intuitive interface extend beyond the learner’s experience. User-friendly dashboards also provide administrators with progress updates, achievements, and upcoming courses to help businesses stay organized. Furthermore, robust user management capabilities, including role-based access and hierarchy, further enhance the user experience by allowing administrators to easily distribute training.
3. Reporting and analytics capabilities
Lastly, advanced reporting and analytics provide valuable insights into learner progress as well as real-time data on training effectiveness. Data like this supports informed decision-making by driving tailored analysis and robust analytics—both offering visibility into learner engagement and course performance. Above all, these performance-focused capabilities make an enterprise training system the ideal solution for tracking and evaluating the success of external stakeholder and corporate employee training initiatives.
How can an enterprise training system improve the customer experience?
To effectively enhance customer education, an extended enterprise learning management system plays a key role. Through essential training and user support, it can boost your customer’s product knowledge, enhance brand loyalty, and reduce churn with effective training programs.
Supporting user product knowledge
When it comes to supporting your clients’ product knowledge, an extended enterprise LMS plays a crucial role. By providing comprehensive training materials, the LMS helps customers gain a better understanding of your products, leading to an optimal user experience. Additionally, this enhanced understanding of the product enables users to make better-informed buying decisions—ultimately reducing frustration and empowering customers to become proficient users. Lastly, by offering training resources, your company can help customers troubleshoot issues independently, reducing support calls and improving the overall experience.
Enhancing loyalty through ongoing training
Offering ongoing educational content related to your products, industry trends, or related skills demonstrates your commitment to the success of your customers. Delivering this type of valuable knowledge beyond the initial purchase shows that you care about your customers’ long-term growth and ensures they stay up to date with product features and improvements. An investment in your customers’ product knowledge supports increased brand loyalty and maximizes the value users get from products and services.
Reducing churn with effective training programs
Another way that an enterprise LMS plays a crucial role in training is by minimizing customer churn.An extended enterprise LMS enables businesses to create tailored training programs for different customer segments, allowing users to learn based on their specific needs and preferences. This level of personalization allows clients to foster a stronger bond with the brand and makes them feel valued.
When is an extended enterprise LMS the right choice for your workforce?
An extended enterprise learning management system is the right choice for your workforce when your organization requires training and development solutions beyond its internal employees. Here are some situations when an enterprise training system might be an appropriate option for your users:
- Training external partners or customers: If your organization works closely with external partners, such as vendors, distributors, resellers, or franchisees, an extended enterprise LMS is valuable. It allows you to provide corporate employee training and added support to external stakeholders, ensuring they have the knowledge and skills needed to represent your brand effectively.
- Customer training and onboarding: When your products or services require training for customers to use them efficiently, an enterprise LMS is essential. It enables you to offer self-paced training and onboarding resources to customers, reducing customer service outreach and enhancing their overall experience.
- Channel sales training: Businesses that rely heavily on channel partners or sales teams to sell products or services will benefit from the use of learning software. Like customer experience training, it delivers product knowledge and training to enhance performance and drive better results.
- Certification and compliance programs: If your organization needs to manage industry-specific certifications or compliance training for both internal employees and external partners, a learning platform can streamline these processes and track user progress.
- Global or distributed workforce: For companies with geographically dispersed workforces, including remote employees, freelancers, or contractors, an extended enterprise LMS allows you to deliver consistent and accessible training across locations.
In summary, consider implementing an extended enterprise LMS when you need to train employees, partners, or customers outside of your organization. A training platform will help you centralize your education initiatives and provide a consistent learning experience across different groups within your workforce.
Conclusion: An enterprise training system fosters organizational knowledge
In conclusion, an extended enterprise learning management system is a valuable tool for businesses looking to streamline their training processes and knowledge retention among internal and external stakeholders alike. Ultimately, implementing a future-focused learning system will empower your users with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.
Looking for an LMS to support your organization? Absorb is a cloud-based LMS designed to promote learning and boost workplace productivity. Our online learning platform combines cutting-edge technology that scales as your business grows.
Contact us to book a demo today.
