Learning Systems

These organizations have proven that educating their channel provides a measurable return on investment and more importantly a significant competitive advantage, and as a result, these organizations treat channel learning as an ongoing mission-critical initiative.

The nominated LMS solutions all have varying degrees of sophistication in core channel functionality including domain segmentation, ecommerce, social learning, globalization, broad content support, integration, analytics, mobile delivery, dynamic audience grouping and ease of use.

Avoid sticky situations and reduce inter-reseller conflict with educational resources that cover these topics; for example, you'll want to clarify the rules of engagement, how to register customer opportunities and how to resolve disputes when two or more partners claim the right to call upon a customer.

Unique LMS differentiation is based on varying combinations of the LMS vendor’s experience, services provided, regional focus, industries served, functional capabilities, technical sturdiness, license approach, and ongoing support provided.

In my estimation they do most everything right -- prepare, understand business needs, know their solution at all levels, engage the audience, tell great stories and win.

The implementation team includes subject matter experts, project managers, learning technologists, project consultants, trainers, account executives, executive sponsors and data integration/migration specialists.

You can’t do too much research on your prospect, their business and their industry before and while engaging in the sales cycle -- the more you know, the better chance you differentiate from the competition.

Individuals are ultimately responsible to know their own ongoing continuing education requirements, take the required training, maintain ongoing proof of completion and submit to appropriate accreditation body to maintain their license or certification.

With each incremental accrediting jurisdiction the problem compounds and becomes so complicated that many organizations can’t use a commercially available LMS to manage CEUs but rather are forced to cobble together spreadsheets, home-grown custom systems, specialized commercial CE trackers and manual processes to bridge the gap, connect the data and ensure compliance. 

I concluded that it will take too long to teach 700+ LMS vendors the new anti-acronym trick and the easiest path would be to create a living, one-sentence, non-techie dictionary of LMS acronyms for learning systems buyers.