The #1 Reason You Need a Learning Partner and Not Another LMS Vendor 

When your organisation begins its search for a learning management system (LMS), you’ll likely enter the process with a built-out list of technical specifications. You might want a platform that can integrate with videoconferencing tools, enable e-commerce and boast a robust report-building engine (to name a few capabilities).

But is tech all that matters? Beyond the functionality of the system, what more does your organisation need?

To make your learning programs a success over the long term, you need more than a technology vendor. You need a partner that can work with you to understand what success looks like, where technology fits in and how you’re going to achieve your goals.

Follow along to learn four benefits of finding a learning partner (spoiler: the fourth one is a biggie).

Expertise: Vendors Vend and Partners … Well, Partner

There’s a key difference between a learning vendor and a learning partner. A vendor focuses on selling the platform. A partner concentrates on helping organisations create, deliver and grow learning programs.

When you choose to work with a learning partner, your organisation gains not only their assistance but also their valuable expertise. You become part of an established user community, receiving access to admin guides, best practices and other resources that help you shape superior learning experiences for more learners.

Margot Miller is a program manager for the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS). When NSHSS began developing the Intern Readiness Certificate Program (IRCP), it started its search for a learning provider with industry experience:

We knew that there were a lot of platforms out there that could technically do the work we needed to be done, but being able to have resources in a lot of different areas—particularly around business development, scalability and customer service—was really important to us.

Margot Miller, program manager, National Society of High School Scholars

Support: So Much More Than Skimming a Technical Doc

Support shouldn’t end after implementation.

There are always areas where your organisation’s learning programs could be optimised. To leave an LMS as is would waste the investment and ignore the platform’s capabilities. Tailoring an LMS to your organisation’s needs requires committed support.

Committed support should look less like a mystery number you’re told to call when things go wrong and more like a dedicated team that regularly collaborates with your organisation to enhance learning initiatives.

Let’s go back to Margot’s story about implementing the IRCP. After some searching, Margot’s team thought they found their LMS. But after getting started, support plummeted:

We began developing the IRCP in 2020 with a different online learning platform, but ran into a lot of issues. The vendor’s customer service wasn’t great. The product worked okay, but we had a hard time onboarding people within our organisation because they weren’t very friendly. They didn’t partner with us, and they didn’t really want to help.

Margot Miller, program manager, National Society of High School Scholars

Put simply, a learning partner provides support for the long run.

Mission: Creating Impactful Experiences Together

You care deeply about learning; find a partner that does too.

Have you ever had a conversation with a stranger and felt like the two of you clicked, like when you discovered that Vivaldi’s lesser-known Lute Concerto in D Major is also their favorite song?

You’ll experience the same feeling when you collaborate with a partner that shares your organisation’s mission for learning (shared interest in Vivaldi not required).

If you choose to rely on a learning partner, you’ll find they’re on track with your goals (and maybe even a few steps ahead). Listen to Holly Doyle, eLearning program administrator at Sourcewell, as she shares the seamless experience of collaborating with a learning partner whose mission aligns perfectly with Sourcewell’s:

If someone were wondering why I like D2L and why it would be beneficial to consider Brightspace as an LMS, I’d tell them that they would never have to worry about the learning, the flexibility, the tools or the capabilities, both as an administrator and for the people they are administering that system for.

Holly Doyle, eLearning program administrator, Sourcewell

The right learning partner will share your organisation’s mission for education, making collaboration as seamless and rewarding as it is for Holly.

Success: The #1 Reason to Find a Learning Partner

Expertise, support and mission alignment are key motivations for working with a learning partner. However, the #1 reason is the crucial role a learning partner plays in the long-term success of your organisation.

A learning partner will leverage its expertise, provide dedicated support and share a commitment to education. This will help you effectively adopt, adapt and advance your educational programs. With a learning partner, you will experience success at every stage—from LMS implementation to program planning and growth.

It’s good to keep a list of cool features you’d like your LMS to offer, but remember: The true value lies in finding a partnership that empowers you to transform those features into meaningful learning experiences that align with your organisational goals.

Shaping the way your organisation learns isn’t a solo mission. Find a partner and transform learning—together.

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