If only you could snap your fingers and have your organization buy into an LMS. Unfortunately, stakeholders outside of L&D or HR functions don’t always think about how much eLearning can improve workplace culture and productivity.
When it comes to investing in new technologies, decision-makers are often motivated by priorities like:
- Visibility and ROI
Decision-makers want peace of mind that they’ll be able to see how the solution will be used. They need to know they’ll have access to data that helps them understand whether it’s delivering a return on investment. - Reliability and Security
What if your organization becomes reliant on technology that suddenly stops working or becomes a security risk? This could have a disastrous impact on your bottom line. Leaders want to be assured that any new technology will stay safe and stable over the long term. - Efficiency or Profitability
Ultimately, an investment needs to save money or make money. Bear in mind that this will always be a top priority for your decision-makers as you navigate any conversation about investing in an LMS.
Will the right LMS align with these priorities?
Yes.
Do stakeholders realize this automatically?
Not necessarily…
We’re all afraid of making the wrong decisions at work. And your stakeholders may have objections related to pressing concerns about internal strategies and trends in the industry or economy.
The key to getting the ‘Yes!’ you’re hoping for lies in connecting the dots for your stakeholders. They’re bound to raise concerns, but keeping business priorities top of mind when providing counterpoints will help you show that an LMS is an investment worth making.
Read on for five of the most common objections to purchasing an LMS, and what you need to know to overcome them.
Objection 1) “We’ve Already Tried an LMS and It Didn’t Work for Our Staff”
Negativity bias means we’re all prone to putting a lot of stock in events that are even slightly negative. If your stakeholders are coming to the idea of an LMS off the back of a disappointing experience, the reality is that you’ll have to work quite hard to help them see a different way. Consider asking them for more details on what went wrong with the previous LMS so you can do your research in advance and speak to each concern directly.
For example, if siloed teams and a lack of accountability were an issue, you should research learning platforms that are known for manager empowerment, and back up any claims with quality information and third-party research. Gartner, for instance, reports that employees with effective managers are 15.4 times more productive. But only 35% of managers surveyed by McKinsey say they have the resources required to prioritize talent management. Would your organization pull ahead when an LMS helps your managers better support talent?
Come to discussions prepared with figures and talking points on these kinds of benefits. And don’t forget to prove how your chosen LMS can unlock them! Sharing case studies and customer testimonials to back up ROI claims can go a long way toward persuading decision-makers that not all LMSs are created equal.
MORE FROM THE BRIDGE BLOG | ‘How to Prove the ROI of Learning & Development: Unlocking the Metrics That Matter’
Objection 2): “An LMS Will Complicate Our Tech Stack”
When it comes to skills-based learning, Gartner’s Market Guide for Corporate Learning Technologies advises that L&D pros “need to strongly consider data consistency and integration requirements, especially across enterprise systems.” When an eLearning platform can't integrate into your existing tech stack, you’ll quickly have a mess of inaccurate data and complaints of app fatigue on your hands. If your stakeholders are worried that LMS implementation will lead to an unwieldy tech stack, show them that you share their concerns. This imbues confidence as it proves that you value your organization's success first and foremost, instead of blindly pushing your own agenda.
But don't let the conversation end there. Do your stakeholders know that the right LMS can actually streamline software maintenance? Less isn't always more. The right choice can consolidate development, performance, and engagement tools on a single platform—all while seamlessly integrating with a host of other apps, including your HRIS.
This is so much better than the alternative, which is to do all L&D activities—including vital compliance training—on an ill-suited platform, or manually via email or messenger. Some researchers have found that the average professional receives 80.1 emails per day, while others think around 32 daily emails is a more likely figure. Regardless, is it really wise to add to your staff’s admin burden for fear of using distinct software? Especially when this software is expressly designed to slot into existing technologies and ensure seamless learning. Bridge LMS, for example, partners with the world’s top tech providers to offer you secure, stable integrations that will lighten the load for your IT team.
LEARN MORE | ‘The Why and How of Strategic L&D Tech Consolidation’
Objection 3): “We Can’t Prove Whether Employees Actually Benefit”
The facts are that employees do benefit from L&D if it's done correctly—and the research proves it. So as objections go, this might be one of the easier ones to overcome. Don't hit your stakeholders over the head with figures, but share a few key statistics to give them a better perspective on corporate training.
Consider the LinkedIn Learning 2024 Workplace Learning Report, which finds that having a culture of learning can boost internal mobility by 23%. You can also share social proof to help your stakeholders understand that many of their peers may already be investing in L&D. The World Economic Forum, for example, reports that two-thirds of companies expect to see a return on investment in skills training within a year of making that investment. This ROI is expected either in the form of improved cross-role mobility, better worker satisfaction, or more productivity.
You’ll want to illustrate that an LMS can track and analyze learning within the business as well. Show decision-makers how LMS reporting and analytics give a clear view of each employee's development and empower managers to help staff stay on track.
Also speak about how an LMS can help you measure utilization. With Bridge, for example, you can track enrollments, identify overdue learners, view completion percentages, and measure how engaged end-users are with training programs.
You can prepare use cases for how features like these will benefit your organization. Consider backing any claims up with research from independent publishers like the software marketplace, G2, which uses customer feedback to help buyers find an LMS that is sure to provide strong ROI.
Objection 4): “We Can Just Use Our HRIS”
If your stakeholders are really concerned about budget, it makes sense that they want to make the most of your organization's HRIS. But the juice may not be worth the squeeze. While you may save money in the short term, you're likely to cause inefficiencies over the long term. Speaking with your stakeholders about the points below can help you illustrate the long-term risks of over-relying on an HRIS:
- You can’t author or host content on your HRIS, so your L&D or HR team won’t have the dedicated space needed to develop effective content. Imagine trying to use Excel or Google Sheets to create a presentation deck—it might be possible, but it’s not best practice and won’t be pleasant or efficient.
- Keeping learning on a dedicated platform helps you control content delivery and analyze results. It’s hard to see whether learners are completing courses or making improvements on an ill-suited platform.
- Doing L&D on your HRIS can inflate your compliance spend. With the right LMS, you’ll have essential training covered with off-the-shelf content, which is often cheaper than creating it from scratch. An intuitive, user-friendly LMS like Bridge will also empower your internal subject matter experts to author courses, which saves money over the long term.
It’s worth pointing out that 81% of organizations across the globe are looking to invest in educational or workforce technologies by 2027. Help your stakeholders see that using a distinct tool for education will get the best results, and you’ll then be in good company with your chosen LMS.
Objection 5): “The Timing Isn’t Right”
The economic landscape or industry challenges can rightly make decision-makers nervous. It's a good idea to empathize with any concerns your stakeholders have around timing and come prepared with well-researched counterpoints.
Consider speaking on the risk of not getting your hands on the right technology during a critical time. 44% of employers estimate that workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next five years. It’s not hard to see that this could harm their effectiveness and job satisfaction. If your organization wants to stay current and competitive, you'll need to make sure that you can help employees develop.
You can also talk to your decision-makers about attrition, which can quickly end up costing your organization more than an LMS when things are tough. The LinkedIn Learning 2024 Workplace Learning Report highlights that L&D can increase retention by 57%. This is no small feat, considering that employee disengagement and attrition could cost a median-size S&P 500 company between $228 million and $355 million a year in lost productivity.
Lastly, you can ask your stakeholders to consider the impact of compliance failures, workplace accidents, or atrophying skills when your organization is already facing pressure from other challenges. Research shows that poor training can put staff in danger and that accidents are more frequent when workers are underskilled.
While sharing research like this can help your stakeholders gain a new perspective, it's important that you don't turn the pressure up too high or let your counter-arguments veer into criticism. The last thing you want is to come across as trying to strong-arm or scare your stakeholders. You want to help them see that LMSs are generally not risky investments: they’re generally SaaS (Software as a Service) offerings and tend to be operational expenses. This means your organization will maintain flexibility in the budget across the year and steer clear of the risk of a large, up-front capital expense.
DISCOVER MORE | ‘Finding the Right LMS Fit: A Buying Guide for Mid-Market Buyers’
Want to Wow Your Stakeholders With a Top-Performing LMS?
Bridge is an all-in-one LMS and skills platform that will help your HR and L&D teams work more efficiently while ensuring staff steadily progress towards learning- and personal development targets. We've helped organizations around the globe educate their staff on our secure, trustworthy platform. We'd love to do the same for you. Book a demo with us below if you want to get the conversation started.
