By 2021, the LMS market will be worth over $15,72 billion.  Also, 41,7% of global Fortune 500 companies are using some form of LMS to contribute to their employees’ learning and development, as well as improving the customer onboarding experience.

Why is SaaS LMS important?

Enterprises are increasingly adopting a work from home or hybrid schedule that can make it challenge to supply training to employees. A SaaS LMS can bridge this gap by keeping employee training up to date, wherever the employees are. That’s not all an LMS can provide. The ability to automate training programs across continents cuts costs and focuses employees on value creation versus training setup and system maintenance. 

Benefits of a SaaS LMS hosted in the cloud

While there are hosted LMS solutions on the market, a SaaS LMS provides additional resource saving benefits. 

#1 Save some server space

A cloud based SaaS LMS means the SaaS provider has mthe responsibility for storing LMS data, providing an instance of the software, and ensuring there is enough server capacity to run your LMS. This means any servers you control are freed up for other tasks. 

#2 Increased access

Mobile, web, desktop are methods modern employees expect to access training. Hosted LMS solutions can be a headache to adapt to different platforms. A SaaS LMS is able to meet your employees where they are, regardless of the platform. 

#3 Less friction

Ever make a plan and when you set out to do it you were missing your favorite pen? Then you remembered you need to wash your favorite mug before getting going. These are friction events that slow your ability to get started on the first step of your plan. For a SaaS LMS, friction is reduced because there is no setup. Just log in on the web and you are ready to go. It’s like your favorite pen and mug are always ready and waiting for you! 

#4 Always updated

Hosted solutions often require a team to manage software updates and security patches. These dev ops people are there to keep things running and prevent hackers from stealing information. But do you really need to hire and train these professionals to maintain your LMS? It is more secure and cost-effective to leave these tasks to teams that focus 100 percent on LMS server updates and security. SaaS LMS provide a dedicated team that keeps your software secure and running 24/7.

Choosing the right SaaS LMS

When choosing a SaaS LMS, there are few things you should consider:

  • The purpose of your SaaS LMS:  Is it for onboarding new employees? Compliance training? Or are you considering using it for customer onboarding? A SaaS LMS may be better for one application over another. 
  • Usability:  Is the SaaS LMS intuitive? Do you need to watch several videos or read through multiple help threads to figure out how to use it? If it’s hard to use, it won’t get used.
  • Reporting: tracking progress for each employee’s training is critical to realizing the full value of a SaaS LMS.
  • Integrations: efficiency is a key benefit of a SaaS LMS. The ability of an LMS to integrate securely with your existing software applications is essential. For example, a SaaS LMS should have Single Sign-On (SSO) capabilities. SSO increases efficiency by using your employees security credentials to automatically authenticate that employee to use the SaaS LMS. 

Top 9 SaaS LMS providers you must consider

#1 Adobe Captivate Prime

Adobe is an established company that uses the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver “hyper-personalized” experiences. The recommendation engine helps learners find created and curated content from LinkedIn Learning, Harvard Manage Mentor, and Get Abstract among others.

Another feature is the gamification of learning. Adobe Captivate Prime allows you to turn your LMS into a game by providing badges and leaderboards to incentivise engagement.  SSO is also offered along with integration with Zoom, Slack, Workday, and others. 

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#2 Absorb LMS

Absorb LMS features personalized learning experiences by incorporating learning paths and easy to assemble online courses that can adapt to changing educational needs. They offer 24/7 customer support from their in-house team. 

Absorb LMS also provides courses from leading eLearning content providers so you can get training shipped to employees immediately. 

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#3 BrainCert

BrainCert offers a courses platform, an online testing platform, an HTML5 virtual classroom, and a content management system. BrainCert also offers a “blended learning” option that combines the best of the online tools with in-person training tools and resources. 

BrainCert also has specific tools for customer onboarding that has a virtual classroom and mobile friendly access to get customers up and running. 

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#4 Cloud Academy

Cloud Academy offers a baseline skills assessment for employees and provides the ability to see where team starts at and how they improve over time. There is a deep focus on technical training with courses on Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, AWS, and Devops. 

Cloud Academy offers lab scenarios that can challenge a whole team, building both individual competency and team cohesion. You can even build training that mirrors your production environment!

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#5 EdApp

EdApp is a mobile first SaaS LMS solution that uses microlearning, gamification, and spaced repetition as part of their system. One important benefit is that it is free to start! 

EdApp emphasizes microlearning as both a better way to learn but also an easier way to create courses. By focusing on fewer topics, knowledge has a greater likelihood of transferring from short-term to long-term memory where it is embedded. 

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#6 Docebo

Docebo focuses on drag and drop customization so anyone can make unique training experiences. Using free extensions, like certifications, automation, e-commerce, custom domains, audit trail, gamification, makes setup easy. They also boast 35+ integrations including Salesforce, Slack, Google Drive, GotoWebinar, and ADP among others.

Also, Docebo allows you to sell online courses and set up virtual coaching sessions. 

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#7 Knolyx

Knolyx provides multiple environments for different learning types including asynchronous self-paced and instructor led programs. They also have a mobile app that can work offline. Knolyx provides robust administration tools, perfect for large course offerings. 

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#8 Looop

Looop is built around optimizing launch campaigns and iterating on learning experiences with data. Loop constantly winds awards for its user experience and customer experience. Looop takes the best from marketing software and applies it to engagement tools and tactics to get learners engaged. 

Integrations are nearly unlimited with Looop’s open API. It even has an integration with Hotjar for advanced heat mapping on where your learners are spending the most time on a page.

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#9 Lessonly

Lessonly is ideal for enterprises that want to train their customer services and sales teams. Leesonly claims that using their SaaS LMS can make onboarding sales people 62 percent faster and increase sales across the team by 75 percent. 

Lessonly offers a virtual coaching platform with easy to use feedback tools.