LMS Implementation Strategy Tip N8: Provide Support For The Users Of Your New LMS

You can’t just put up a Learning Management System without the appropriate back-end infrastructure. In this next article in our series, we’ll talk about what you need to do before going live for an LMS implementation – namely, setting up customer service processes and having clear business objectives (as well as other requirements) so that everything is running smoothly after the LMS goes live.

After you’ve installed your Learning Management System (LMS) and made sure your employees know how to use it, there may seem to be nothing left for you to do. However, it’s important that you plan ahead for when things don’t go as smoothly as planned. A great way of doing this is by preparing specific technical support and training resources for after you launch the system.

So, what kind of things do you need to consider here? Let’s look at a few examples:

1. How will you orientate your learners on the new LMS? This can be done in several ways such as lunchtime drop-in sessions where you can demonstrate the demo version of the LMS to employees, creating leaflets showing the core features and benefits, hosting webinars for system walk-throughs, Intranet content and email announcements. All these methods have proven to give learners a good orientation for new corporate systems.
2. How will your learners get support for using the new Learning Management System? You can ask your LMS vendor for a list of standard FAQs (which should already be available in the system) as this will be a good starting point. Then make sure your LMS includes details of your support helpdesk where learners can see contact details such as a phone number and/or email address. Also, make sure to continually update the FAQs page with all the common questions that get asked of your helpdesk!
3. Who will you learners contact to get support or have their questions answered? Depending on the LMS vendor, they may well allow all your end users to contact them directly for support. However, it is usual for your own organization to act as the first line of support. That could be your IT team or the HR/Learning & Development teams. Whichever it is, make sure this is communicated to your learners and the information is always available within the LMS.
4. How will you continually keep learners updated with new features and functions and how those can be used within your organization? Some LMS systems will include a news section where you can post new articles relevant to learning and the LMS. This is a great place to keep your employees up to date with the system. Also, you should consider monthly newsletter emails and even drop-in sessions when major changes or updates are available in the system. Think of it as marketing the platform, so you could make use of your internal marketing teams and get some ideas from there!
5. If your internal teams will be the first line of support, how will they be trained to be able to support the system? This is down to your LMS vendor so you should ensure training is included in your contract. Make sure that the relevant personnel are available for the training and have them list any questions they have that can be answered by the vendor.

So, as you can see, there is a fair amount to consider regarding how you will provide support for your learners of the new LMS system. After setting up your LMS, the next thing to do is make sure all your employees are prepared. And since not everything always goes as planned, it’s good to have some backup plans ready before launching the system so you’re never stuck in a tough spot – such as having detailed technical support and training materials ready for every possible scenario. Another thing to take into consideration, always make sure to get your vendor involved as they are the experts of their product!

We at JZero Solutions take great pride in how we support our new and existing clients. We support you through implementation and then ensure you have all of the information you need to support your learners. And we are always just a phone call or email away from being able to lend a hand if you need us!

Find out more about JZero Solutions and JLMS, our Learning Management System by visiting our website.