Training Management System Buyers Guide
When is it time to purchase a Training Management System?
- Do you currently spend a lot of time sending joining instructions, creating invoices, updating dates and places remaining on your website?
- Do you currently update Excel registers or paper records in your daily operations?
- Are there many errors that constantly need correcting?
- Do your customers suffer from these mistakes you make?
What should I consider when choosing a Training Management System?
Which features do I need?
- Do I need smart scheduling features?
- Should my website update automatically when I make changes to the courses?
- How should I manage payments for the courses?
- Automation for confirmations, joining instructions, follow-ups?
- Do I create and sell e-courses?
- Do I need to manage certificates and diplomas?
- Should the instructors themselves record attendance and perform certain tasks?
- Do I need to be able to integrate my TMS with other systems?
Compliance and legal requirements
GDPR and other legislation determine how and where you can store your participants’ personal data and other company data. End customers may require you, as a data processor, to ensure that data is processed in accordance with GDPR or other data protection laws. This means you need to be aware of where data is processed and how.
Continuous development
Choose a Training Management System and a provider that regularly releases new updates and features. Ask how often the platform is updated and whether all customers automatically receive all updates. A platform that continually grows in the number of features and improvements increases your ROI over time.
World-class customer support
The market is full of providers who only offer support via a ticketing system or through a support portal with pre-written articles and guides. Choose a provider who, in addition to this, can also be reached by phone, email and chat.
Custom-built or a off-the-shelf Training Management System?
Custom-built systems
Custom-built systems, or systems with general modules adapted for training, are commissioned by you as the customer and assembled case by case by the supplier.
Pros of a custom-built TMS:
- Customised to the needs you communicated to the provider
- Integrations with other systems as part of the delivery
- You only pay for the features and demands you communicated
Cons of a custom-built TMS:
- A high up-front cost
- Long delivery time
- A lot of maintenance and increasing “technical debt”
- Stuck with what you commissioned from the start
- No open user training available from the supplier
- Your specification of requirements needs to be very thorough and precise
- The scope often increases during the implementation phase, along does the costs
Off-the-shelf Training Management Systems
Off-the-shelf Training Management Systems are cloud-based (SaaS) and are already operational and thoroughly tested by numerous training providers. They are usually ready to use immediately upon ordering.
Pros of a off-the-shelf TMS:
- Turnkey solution
- Very fast implementation phase
- Low or no up-front cost
- User training during implementation and then ongoing
- Accessible user support
- Solution centre with articles and guides
- Always the latest version and regular updates, including completely new features
- More features than those originally included in your specification of requirements
- Flexible and scalable
- Complies with all laws and regulations, such as GDPR
Cons of a off-the-shelf TMS:
- You do not have full control over updates; the supplier does
- The supplier controls the pricing of licenses and features
- You may need to adapt parts of your operations for the TMS to suit you
- You usually pay the same fee even when you do not use all the features
What is the cost of a new Training Management System?
After features and potential opportunities/time savings, the price of the investment is a major factor.
Turnkey off-the-shelf systems are almost always the most cost-effective investment when compared to custom-built solutions. The supplier’s development cost for new features is spread across all the supplier’s customers and their subscriptions. With a custom-built system, you bear 100% of the cost for new features, updates and configuration changes.
EduAdmin’s pricing model is transparent and flexible. Fill in your details to access our price list.
Beware of hidden or variable costs
- Processing fees - Some suppliers charge per participant or per course conducted on the platform. This is often not transparent or predictable from the outset and may only be mentioned in the fine print.
- Percentage-based fees - The supplier wants a fixed percentage of the revenue you generate on the platform. There may also be a fixed minimum fee when you organise courses and seminars that are free.
- Modules that incur additional costs - The supplier usually provides a demo showcasing all the features available in their Training Management System. Be sure to ask what is included in the version you are reviewing and what comes at an extra cost.
- Long contract terms - Some suppliers try to entice you with substantial discounts if you choose to sign a multi-year agreement. If you are unsure whether the supplier and their system are right for you, you should aim for a 12-month contract at the standard price, and perhaps include a clause allowing you to terminate early if certain requirements are not met.
Compare and evaluate
Ensure that the supplier you choose has good references and reviews. Check sites such as G2.com and see what other training providers say about the system you are considering.
