Searching for a new Learning Management System (LMS) is similar to being on the online dating market— you have to look high and low for that special someone who ticks all the boxes.

The market is flooded with providers:

• Some are shinier than others
• Some have next to no content
• Some are complex, indecipherable essays 
• And others come with everything under the sun, but you just don’t have a lot in common
  

Sound familiar? 

When approaching any new relationship in life, be it with the person through the screen or your new LMS provider, it’s important to be clear on your needs and what is important to you. Then, you can start researching and swiping your way through potential matches. And, as a business, you get to have some fun with it.

Here's how you can take the hard work out of LMS matchmaking in 3 simple steps.
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Step 1: Create your dating (business) profile

Take the time to clearly promote who you are and what you are searching for. Know your business needs and the top 5 non-negotiable features that you want to see in your ideal LMS.

For example:

• My business operates in the XYZ industry.
• Within my business, I have X number of employees that require training. 
• All my employees need to be Inducted, and 3 groups have totally separate training needs.

When choosing an ideal provider partnership,  I value:

• Tailored reporting:  My managers need franchise reporting access and the ability to pull dynamic, real-time reports.
• Permission-based login access: Different people need different access privileges in the system; we need some people to be able to see more and others to see less.
• An engaging and easy-to-use interface: The system needs to be aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-use so that Sandy, who is 18, is engaged and doesn't get bored, and Rob, who is 56, will find it intuitive and fun to use.
• The ability to integrate and play well with others: We are a multi-faceted company, and the LMS needs to be able to effectively ‘plug in and talk to’ with other key players in our business family, such as SalesForce and XERO.
• High values in communication: My team needs to be able to speak to a human when they need support—it's important to not have an automated / blanket response or robot answering their calls.
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Step 2: Know your approach

Now that your profile is written, take note of your approach. Are you swiping left within 1-2 seconds based on face value? Or are you delving a bit deeper and reading your potential matches profiles and doing more intimate vetting?

This is where it’s good to get lots of detail by asking questions; you could even set up a spreadsheet with columns detailing your metrics. Make sure that the people you are talking to and investing your energy in are looking like the perfect partner.
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Step 3: Always go on a first date

First impressions are everything. So why not go on a date with a company and see if they’re ‘The One’? Like any good date, a company will be sure to bring you flowers—in this case, they should provide you with a demo/presentation of how their LMS works.

A company that wants to build relationships will invest their time in doing just that, and will keenly demonstrate how it can meet your needs and work with you. In doing so, they can show you how they can improve the current training landscape of your business, the quality of your products and services, and ultimately, your bottom line.
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Seal the deal

Once you have been on a few ‘Demo Dates’, you will intuitively know who the stand out candidates are. Often, it won’t be the ticks on your boxes or the bells and whistles that you were initially attracted to. It will be that feeling you get when you know you’ve found ‘The One’—the provider who wowed you with their innovation and dependability, and the one who you immediately trusted. That feeling is what will seal the deal for you.