What to Look for in a Customer LMS Demo

Deciding which learning management system (LMS) to invest in can be challenging because there are many factors to consider. For example, organizations need to think about the size of their user base, different use cases, the specific learning needs of their customers, their budget, and the scalability of the chosen LMS to accommodate future growth.

So, how can an organization know if a particular solution is the best LMS for them? That’s where an LMS demo can help. An LMS demo provides insight into how a platform works so an organization can assess whether it aligns with its requirements. In this article, we’ll discuss how to prepare for an LMS demo and key questions to ask the provider during an LMS demo.

What is a learning management system demo?

An LMS demo is a guided tour of software or a platform designed to help prospects or target groups get a firsthand experience of how the system works. It is an interactive presentation where users can explore the features and functionalities of the LMS. This hands-on demonstration allows potential users to better assess whether the LMS aligns with their needs for managing and delivering online learning content.

How to prepare for your LMS provider demo?

Here are five considerations to get ready for an LMS demo.

1. Who should attend an LMS demo?

When organizing an LMS demo, invite a diverse group of stakeholders that play crucial roles in different aspects of the business. This includes IT professionals, HR managers, customer success managers, and other department managers. This is necessary to ensure that the demo addresses the needs of each team.

Before the demo video, we recommend giving the attendee list to the vendor. This will allow them to customize the presentation to address likely stakeholder concerns, deliver a smooth presentation, and facilitate a more informed decision-making process.

2. Does your demo need to be split up into groups?

You might want to consider more than one demo, so sessions can be more focused and customized to the specific needs of each group. Start with the main stakeholder, and then when you’ve narrowed your choice down to just a few vendors, bring in people from other teams, or hold additional demos for other stakeholders.

For example, a demo for customer training managers would highlight features that are helpful for external training needs. The presentation would include demonstrating tools for creating customer-specific online courses, managing user access, tracking customer progress, and providing an engaging learning experience for external audiences.

3. What key features should you look for during an LMS demo?

Since you have limited time in an LMS demo, think about the features you’d like to see in advance. Here are some important features to mention to the vendor so they can prepare a demo that meets your needs:

• Content creation and management: Are there features that support multimedia elements, course authoring, interactive assessments, and collaborative learning?
• Support for multiple content types: How does the LMS handle different content formats, such as videos, audio, quizzes, and interactive simulations? Ask if their LMS can create multiple learning pathways based on user role and skill set.
• SCORM compatibility: Does the LMS support SCORM standards for seamless integration of eLearning content from different sources?
• Integration capabilities: Does the LMS integrate with other systems used by your organization? Most companies that want to monitor the success of their training program would benefit from a Salesforce integration, while others may need eCommerce and payment gateway integrations to easily collect payments for their courses.
• Built-in assessment tools: Does the LMS have built-in assessment tools that allow for creating and managing quizzes, evaluations, and certifications?
• Customization features: Can you “white-label” the platform to align with your branding and best practices for the user experience? What type of advanced customization capabilities does the LMS have?

4. Explore plans and pricing

Ask providers to give you a transparent overview of their pricing structure, detailing any tiered plans or additional costs for specific functionalities. Make sure you clarify if the LMS offers subscriptions or custom pricing for organizations with unique requirements or larger user bases. Then, have them explain the process for getting a custom quote and the factors that influence this pricing.

5. Review examples of LMS successes

Ask vendors about the track record and achievements of the LMS. Case studies and success stories can help illuminate how other companies are using it, giving you some ideas for how you might want to leverage the software.

Ask about other companies in similar industries that have successfully implemented the LMS. Find out what challenges they had and how the LMS addressed their needs and led to positive outcomes. Ask vendors about relevant key performance indicators (KPIs)  so you can see measurable results achieved by organizations using the LMS.

Important customer questions to address during an LMS demo

Here are three questions frequently asked during an LMS demo and the motivation behind them so you can prepare for demos with potential providers.

Question 1: How scalable is the LMS?

You want to know if the LMS can grow with your organization. Can the system handle more learners, content, and additional features as your needs expand? To help determine which LMS is right for you, consider asking for information about potential challenges other organizations faced during scaling and how the LMS platform addressed those issues.

Question 2: What support options do you provide?

You want to know what help is available for your team if there are any issues. The purpose of this question is to check if there’s a dedicated support team. You also want to know if there are tutorials, guides, or help center resources available. Some LMS vendors like Skilljar offer a self-serve training portal with resources to help plan, design, launch, and optimize your platform.

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