Onboarding new employees is a critical phase in ensuring their long-term success and contribution to your organization. A well-structured onboarding process not only equips new hires with the necessary knowledge and skills but also integrates them into the company culture, boosting engagement and reducing early attrition. In today’s digital age, an Onboard Learning Management System (LMS) has become an indispensable tool for streamlining and enhancing this crucial process.
This article delves into the world of onboard learning management systems, exploring top platforms and providing insights into selecting the ideal solution to elevate your new hire experience. We’ll move beyond a simple list of features and focus on how these systems can truly transform your onboarding program, ensuring new employees are productive, engaged, and ready to contribute from day one.
What to Look for in an Onboard Learning Management System
Selecting the right onboard LMS is more than just ticking off features on a checklist. It’s about finding a system that aligns with your company’s specific needs, culture, and onboarding goals. Here are key aspects to consider when evaluating different platforms:
- Customizable Learning Paths: Generic onboarding programs rarely resonate with diverse roles and departments. Look for an LMS that allows you to create tailored learning paths based on job function, team, and seniority level. This ensures that new hires receive relevant information and training specific to their responsibilities.
- Engaging and Interactive Content: Onboarding shouldn’t be a passive experience. The best onboard LMS platforms support a variety of engaging content formats, including videos, interactive quizzes, simulations, and gamified modules. This keeps new hires actively involved and improves knowledge retention.
- Automation Capabilities: Automating repetitive onboarding tasks frees up HR and managers to focus on more strategic aspects of employee integration. Features like automated course assignments, progress tracking, and reminder notifications can significantly streamline the onboarding process.
- Mobile Accessibility: In today’s mobile-first world, accessibility is paramount. An onboard LMS with a robust mobile app ensures that new hires can access training materials and complete onboarding tasks anytime, anywhere, fostering flexibility and convenience.
- Reporting and Analytics: Data-driven insights are crucial for optimizing your onboarding program. A good LMS should offer comprehensive reporting and analytics dashboards to track learner progress, identify areas for improvement, and measure the effectiveness of your onboarding initiatives.
- Integration with Existing HR Systems: Seamless integration with your existing HR systems, such as HRIS and talent management platforms, eliminates data silos and streamlines workflows. This ensures data consistency and reduces administrative overhead.
- User-Friendly Interface: A clunky and complicated LMS can hinder adoption and frustrate new hires. Prioritize platforms with intuitive interfaces that are easy to navigate for both administrators and learners, ensuring a smooth and positive onboarding experience.
- Scalability: As your company grows, your onboarding needs will evolve. Choose an onboard LMS that can scale with your organization, accommodating increasing numbers of new hires and expanding training requirements.
- Customer Support and Training: Reliable customer support and comprehensive training resources are essential for successful LMS implementation and ongoing usage. Opt for providers known for their responsive support and helpful onboarding assistance.
By carefully evaluating these factors, you can select an onboard learning management system that truly empowers your new hires and sets them up for success within your organization.
Top Onboard Learning Management Systems to Consider
The market offers a wide array of onboard LMS solutions, each with its unique strengths and features. Here’s a closer look at some of the leading platforms, categorized for easier navigation:
For Comprehensive Training Libraries:
1. Onboard LMS (ITS Training Systems)
Onboard LMS by ITS Training Systems is specifically tailored for organizations in highly regulated industries, particularly energy. Its standout feature is its extensive library of pre-built courses covering OSHA regulations, natural gas, propane, hazardous liquids, and more. This makes it an ideal choice for companies needing industry-specific compliance and safety training for new hires.
Beyond content libraries, Onboard LMS offers “eWallet cards,” a digital alternative to paper qualification cards. These cards provide real-time records of employee training achievements, simplifying compliance management and eliminating the need for manual updates and reprints.
Key Features:
- Extensive, industry-specific content libraries (Energy, OSHA Compliance)
- eWallet digital qualification cards
- Suitable for heavily regulated industries
Considerations:
- Content library may be less relevant for companies outside of energy and related sectors.
- Pricing available upon request.
For Automated and Interactive Onboarding:
2. AcademyOcean
AcademyOcean excels in automating the entire onboarding process and delivering engaging, interactive learning experiences. Its strength lies in its user-friendly platform that allows you to create structured onboarding content with interactive elements like images, videos, quizzes, and assignments.
AcademyOcean also provides knowledge portals and libraries for easy information sharing and a mobile app for on-the-go access, making it a versatile option for companies prioritizing automation and accessibility.
Key Features:
- Onboarding process automation
- Interactive content creation tools
- Assessments and quizzes
- Knowledge portals and libraries
- Mobile app access
Considerations:
- Requires content creation from scratch, lacking pre-built editable course libraries.
- Starts at a monthly subscription fee.
3. WorkRamp
WorkRamp is designed as a comprehensive corporate learning platform, particularly robust for onboarding employees in sales, support, retail, marketing, and HR roles. It allows for building customized learning paths based on role, team, or seniority, ensuring targeted onboarding experiences.
WorkRamp’s data dashboards and analytics provide valuable insights into learner progress and performance. Customizable calendar templates further streamline onboarding for multiple new hires simultaneously.
Key Features:
- Customized learning paths
- Data dashboards and analytics
- Customizable calendar templates
- Integrations with other business tools
Considerations:
- No mobile app, primarily desktop-based.
- Pricing available upon request.
For Collaborative and Flexible Learning:
4. AdaptiveU
AdaptiveU fosters a collaborative learning environment, encouraging team growth and knowledge sharing. This platform allows for creating onboarding training courses and paths, as well as compliance training for existing employees.
AdaptiveU promotes content sharing and peer performance review, enabling learners to contribute and learn from each other. Learning reports track individual progress, providing insights for managers.
Key Features:
- Course and training path creation
- Content sharing and peer review
- Learning reports
- Cloud-based platform
Considerations:
- Lacks gamification features, potentially reducing engagement for some learners.
- Pricing starts from a free plan to paid monthly subscriptions.
5. 360Learning
360Learning champions collaborative learning with features designed to empower teams to create and share knowledge. Its collaborative authoring tool includes course templates, video recording, and cheat sheets to accelerate content creation.
360Learning supports various question types, discussion forums, mobile learning, and offline access, creating a flexible and engaging onboarding experience.
Key Features:
- Collaborative authoring tools
- Course templates and diverse content formats
- Discussion forums for social learning
- Mobile app and offline mode
Considerations:
- No pre-built editable course library.
- Subscription-based pricing per user per month.
For Customizable and Feature-Rich Platforms:
6. Academy LMS (Creativeitem)
Academy LMS from Creativeitem offers a highly customizable onboard LMS solution. It enables the creation of online course modules, quizzes, and lessons with diverse content formats. Built-in messaging facilitates communication with learners.
Academy LMS supports various add-ons, including analytics, forums, and SCORM compatibility, allowing you to extend its functionality. A mobile app ensures accessibility for learners on the go.
Key Features:
- Course creation and management tools
- Quizzes and assessments
- Diverse content format support
- Built-in messaging
- Mobile app
- Add-ons for extended features
Considerations:
- Add-ons may incur additional costs.
- Starts at a one-time purchase price.
7. Administrate
Administrate provides a centralized system to plan, organize, deliver, scale, and track all onboarding resources. Features include course templates, event management, integrations, data analytics, and virtual instructor-led training (VILT).
Administrate’s VILT capability allows for converting face-to-face training into virtual sessions, offering flexibility in delivery methods.
Key Features:
- Centralized onboarding resource management
- Course templates and event management
- Data analytics and reporting
- Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT)
- Integrations
Considerations:
- Lacks a pre-built editable course library.
- Interface may require a learning curve for new users.
- Pricing available upon request.
8. Cloud Academy
Cloud Academy is a robust training portal ideal for businesses needing comprehensive learning content for both onboarding and ongoing employee development. Its standout feature is a customizable content library that can be cloned and adapted directly within the platform.
Cloud Academy offers learning paths, training plans, quizzes, exams, and a content engine for creating organization-specific materials. Offline training and testing capabilities add flexibility. Notably, its course library focuses on technical skills.
Key Features:
- Customizable content library
- Learning paths and training plans
- Quizzes and exams
- Content engine for custom content creation
- Offline mode
Considerations:
- Content library is focused on technical skills, potentially lacking in soft skills or other areas.
- 7-day free trial, subscription-based pricing.
9. Auzmor Learn
Auzmor Learn focuses on simplifying employee training with a course and lesson library that provides access to third-party content. Customized analytics track learning progress and performance, offering real-time insights.
Auzmor Learn supports mobile learning across devices and provides real-time results and insights to optimize learner performance.
Key Features:
- Course and lesson library (including third-party content)
- Customized analytics and reporting
- Mobile learning support
- Real-time results and insights
Considerations:
- Lacks gamification features.
- Subscription-based pricing, no free plan mentioned.
10. Coassemble
Coassemble allows you to transform static documents like PDFs and Word files into engaging courses. Its course builder offers 30 lesson screen templates and interactive elements.
Coassemble features advanced branding and workspace customization, along with integrations to connect with existing tools.
Key Features:
- Document conversion to interactive courses
- Course builder with lesson screen templates
- Advanced branding and customization
- Integrations
Considerations:
- No pre-built course library.
- Subscription-based pricing.
11. Thinkific
Thinkific empowers quick development of professional-looking learning content. Its user-friendly course builder provides ready-to-use templates and supports live lessons, quizzes, assignments, certificates, and various media types.
Key Features:
- User-friendly course builder
- Ready-to-use templates
- Dynamic lesson types (live lessons, quizzes, etc.)
- Support for various media formats
Considerations:
- Primarily focused on course creation, may require integrations for broader LMS functionalities.
- Subscription-based pricing.
12. Whale
Whale is a customer onboarding LMS adaptable for employee training and process documentation. Its intuitive editor and templates facilitate building engaging onboarding lessons, delivered automatically to new hires.
Whale offers a browser extension for easy access and skill profiles to evaluate employee performance and identify training needs.
Key Features:
- Browser plugin for accessibility
- Skill insights and performance evaluation
- Custom integrations
- Process documentation features
Considerations:
- Pricing starts after a free trial.
Designing Effective Onboarding eLearning Programs
Beyond selecting the right onboard LMS, the effectiveness of your onboarding program hinges on its design and content. Here are key tips to create impactful onboarding eLearning:
- Clearly Define Learning Objectives: Before content creation, identify specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) learning objectives. What key knowledge and skills should new hires acquire during onboarding?
- Prioritize Interactive and Engaging Content: Move beyond static documents. Leverage videos, interactive quizzes, simulations, scenarios, and gamified elements to make learning active and enjoyable.
- Implement Robust Assessments: Assessments are crucial to gauge understanding and knowledge retention. Utilize quizzes, assignments, and practical exercises to evaluate new hire comprehension and identify areas needing reinforcement.
- Incorporate Social Learning Strategies: Foster a sense of community and knowledge sharing through discussion forums, peer collaboration activities, and mentorship programs within the LMS.
- Maintain Transparent Communication: Keep new hires informed about the onboarding process, timelines, and expectations. Clear communication reduces anxiety and promotes a positive onboarding experience.
By focusing on these design principles and leveraging the power of an onboard learning management system, you can create an onboarding program that truly sets your new hires up for success, driving engagement, productivity, and long-term retention.
