Why Your LMS Should be More Than Software (Hint: Support)

Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of a LMS! Despite what you may have read in your LMS provider’s website, however, software isn’t the most important requirement for a successful LMS platform experience. Many CME directors purchase LMS software assuming that they are buying access to an LMS service when they’ve only bought access to software. The problem is that a CME software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform won’t meet your needs as a CME director without an active “service” component.

What You Mean by “Service” and What Your Software Seller Means

It isn’t that you aren’t capable of managing your LMS on your own. Warts and all, you’ll find a way to make your software do your bidding even if it takes several late nights and a few hours of watching YouTube DIY instructional videos. It’s just that you (like us) probably think that your LMS should be more than software. Your time is valuable, and if spending a few hours scanning YouTube for tips on how to compress an HD video and integrate it into an activity isn’t appealing to you, then you are probably unhappy with your generic LMS. For you (and EthosCE) “service” probably entails:

• Having a human available during business hours to answer questions when the FAQ isn’t enough
• Getting a solution to a problem within hours, not days
• No limits on the number of questions you can ask about how to make your platform work for you.

When you don’t have enough technical support for your LMS, your entire organization suffers. You end up working for your LMS, putting in hours trying to find technical hacks to help it do its job when you would really rather be working on something—anything—else. When you don’t have access to ongoing support, you are at the mercy of the quirks of your LMS. What’s worse, your learners are too.

Why LMS Customer Service is a Right, Not a Privilege

Most generic SaaS platforms ignore the “service” portion of their customer promise. However, you bought access to a software-as-a-service platform, so “service” should be part of the deal, shouldn’t it? You would think so. However, for many LMS providers, the “as a service” portion of “SaaS” is just a few extra letters. You may find limits on the number of times you can consult with tech support without charge (!) or you might not be able to reach tech support at all for certain issues. The integrity of your CME brand rests on your ability to rise to the challenge of meeting your CME learners needs, and so does your program’s bottom line. If a user experience problem can’t be rectified quickly via tech support, then your learners will suffer, as will your prospects for growth. If you wouldn’t buy a car brand that provided no official guidance or access to brand-certified mechanics, then why tolerate an LMS that can’t provide support when you need it most.

The bottom line? Buying LMS software from a company that doesn’t offer comprehensive support services may equal extra work for you and lost productivity for your entire team.

Cutting-Edge Learner Experience Design is a Part of Customer Service

When your LMS is intuitive, and user-experience focused, you experience fewer learner tech support requests. A solid LMS design means less “clean up” time for you and your team: your learners get to focus on their educational experience, and you don’t have to devote weeks to developing DIY remedies for product fails. At EthosCE, we’ve used the experiences of our CME directors as a model for our LMS design for more than 16 years. We’ve developed the way our LMS platform functions based on modern learning experience design best practices as well more than a decade of feedback from our users. Because we make it simple to do everything from adding multimedia components, set up live streams, integrate ticketing and attendance for live events, and printing certificates, you’ll need call tech support less. When you do want to call, however, we’ll be there. We don’t put a limit on how many times you can ask for service. That’s what you pay us for.

It’s Time to Get What You Want: An Enterprise-Grade LMS That Comes With Exceptional Support

If you have a generic LMS, then it is likely that you’ve had enough wasting time with DIY solutions that never seem to last. As your program grows, so do the challenges you face in meeting your learners’ needs. If you’ve spent a good week creating a method for getting your learners to a custom video and then back to their activity, you may be thrown when you receive support requests indicating that some mobile users are having problems with the links that you’re sending them to. Since you can’t call tech support about a feature you’ve created yourself, you’re back to square one. At EthosCE, we believe that you, just like your learners, don’t really have the “extra” time needed to solve the problems your LMS solution is causing. Just like your LMS users, you need a number to call when you get stuck.

Our bottom line? You Need a CME Management Platform, Not Just Software

Your biggest LMS headaches can be solved by using a better platform—one that integrates with the latest CME management features and enterprise-grade LMS components.

Let’s face it: some LMS issues shouldn’t be “fixed.” Poor user experience is often indicative of a poor LMS structure— one designed to generate sales of add-on features, not better educational outcomes. EthosCE combines a comprehensive analytics suite with an enterprise-grade LMS to allow CME directors to scale their programs effortlessly. With EthosCE, you’ll have access to:

• Ongoing, human support without query limits
• An enterprise data management and analytics suite that will give you complete control of your program data
• User-friendly curriculum development modules, allowing you to create innovative, customized educational tools on the fly
• JA-PARS compliant reporting, drawing programming data directly from the LMS and eliminating data gaps
• A robust, scalable CME management platform that offers add-on services, such as curriculum development and web design a la carte.

EthosCE offers CME directors an alternative to a bare-bones LMS that offers limited support—we empower you with the support that you need to expand your CME program without compromising educational quality. With EthosCE, you’re backed by 16 years of experience in helping CME directors enact successful growth strategies.

Tired of going it alone? Connect with us for a 1-on-1 demo and see how we can help you achieve your CME vision.