6 Ways a Learning Management System (LMS) Will Benefit You

Learning management systems (LMS) are nothing new to our history.  When you reflect on the basic definition of the expression we can travel back in time to all cultures that mandated education as a way of society and also outlined it in such a way that it gave the learner a clear path.  Looking back to our grade school and college years, our learning was managed by our teachers who then worked with a standard reporting system that graded us and then we viewed our grades via a report card system.

Just because we are out of school, has the need for education diminished?  Absolutely not.  As a matter of fact, continuing education is an absolute must in order for us to keep in tune with our current or future job positions and to keep pace with how business in general continues to evolve.  Education creates a stabilizing influence for a company’s employees and provides the learner confidence and a pillar to lean on when things become challenging.

As the digital age continues to morph, learning management systems continue to be an asset and a necessity for corporations.  It is no longer a question of “Should I?” it is a question of “Why don’t I have one yet?”  Stop for a moment and remember when you received your report card in school and you received all “A”s or you see from one quarter to the next an improvement in grades.  Did not the full circle of that learning management system create stability and confidence for you to start your career?  Should not this stability exist for our own career path and for our team that we count on every day?

As I have been able to get to know various multifamily property management companies, I have observed 3 distinct categories with their approach to education.

1. Strong advocate of education.  Believes it is a fundamental to a company’s existence.  Have their own internal LMS or have an external platform provided for them.
2. Strong advocate of education.  Have no LMS and not sure of its benefits and value.  Is overwhelmed with trying to keep track of all the learners’ training and progress.
3. Does not believe in continuing education.  Feels that education should be listed as an expense like paperclips are on the profit and loss report.  If education is a mandate, then they find the cheapest content and delivery method available and they get what they pay for.

For the first group, imagine a huge cheerleading squad for your company because that is simply awesome.  For the second group, a hat tip to you for moving in the right direction and there is help available for you.  For the third group, perhaps this post will provide inspiration and food for thought.

For the second group, here are 6 ways The Training Factor’s LMS can benefit you.

1. Completely automated training from the first day of hiring.  That’s correct!  From the moment your employee is entered into payroll, they are automatically enrolled with their educational program based on their job title and sent a welcome letter by you via email outlining their first steps.
2. A user friendly reporting system that automatically sends out exception reports every week to key positions of oversight.  A reporting system that allows you to drill into every level even to the point of being able to see which parts of the education that your learners need the most assistance on.
3. A fully functional, user friendly custom course builder.  Imagine a simple policy change that has taken place and you need to make sure every team member is aware of it.  In as little as 15 minutes you can create your own course, a test and enroll all necessary learners.  This becomes a requirement of their curriculum and is noted on their transcript when it’s completed.
4. A multifunctional online calendar.  Do you have different schedules for different teams?  Of course you do.  Imagine a drop down box with different calendars for different people.  Now the whole team is completely aware of the company’s schedule.
5. Are you tired of having documents stored in numerous locations?  Are you tired of having to make changes to a document and then having to communicate those changes and making sure that your team does not use the old one?  Our resource center allows you to have a single point where all of your key documents can be uploaded and stored for whomever you wish to have access to them.
6. Remember the difference between the inspiring and boring professors and teachers?  I am sure you preferred the inspirational teacher and so do we.  Our courses are not simply content that is delivered, it’s education that is engaging and is designed with the learner in mind.  With interactive scenarios and role playing in many of our courses, you can be assured that you will reap the most benefits with this enhanced style of delivery.

This really provides a very basic overview of what our system does for our clients.  It was designed for the multifamily industry not as an expense, but as an asset.  When you reflect on the cost of employee turnover, lack of resident retention which leads to more turns, and the challenges with occupancy, the value of a powerful learning management system will no longer be a “Should I?” it will be a “Why don’t I have one yet?”

In all fairness I have heard from many multifamily folks that they were seriously burned by their decision to choose XYZ Company’s LMS.  Feel free to make your own expressions on what an LMS has done for your company good or bad.  If you are a client of The Training Factor, please feel free to make your own comments on how system has benefited you.  The following video testimonial was from one of our clients that were hosting a leadership conference at which The Training Factor was invited to attend.  Please take a moment and view.  Thanks!

Written by Jonathan Saar