There are a lot of great online training platforms available today that will allow you to more easily train your employees. These are especially helpful if you need to organize seminars, lectures, online courses, or workshops. Online learning for business has never been more popular.
In years past, you may have had to pay a huge amount of money to a third party in order for them to properly train employees on certain matters. However, with the emergence of online business training platforms, there is now a way for you to do all of this in-house.
Yes, you might have to put some work into getting all the material and information together, but once it is done, it will save your business a lot of money on employee training.
Today, we are going to go over some of the best online learning platforms for business. These will allow you to better train your employees on company matters and also save you a lot of money over time.
See, one of the main successes of modern organizations is measured by how fast their employees can attain new skills and learn new information quickly. While there are dozens and dozens of online course platforms, I am going to break it down to some of the best out there.
What is an Online Learning Platform?
Also know as eLearning platforms, online learning platforms are information systems that schools, universities, and corporations use for teaching and training. This concept has been around a while, and over the past few years, it has become extremely popular in the business world as well.
There are actually a few different types of online learning platforms. All incorporate the same concept of making it easier to train and teach, but all of them may be used for slightly different situations. They include:
- CMS (content management system)
- LMS (learning management system)
- CSCLS (computer-supported collaborative learning system)
- KM (knowledge management)
These are all different types of virtual communities filled with students, tutors, and professors. To get more specific, today we want to focus on the company side of things and explore online learning for business.
For that reason, we will view the platforms below in the LMS category, simply because even though they are modeled for businesses, they are still relevant learning management systems.
Let’s take a dive into some of the best online learning platforms for businesses that are available today.
Best Online Learning Platforms for Business
1. iSpring Learn LMS
iSpring Learn is a cloud-based LMS that is very easy to use, yet full of functionality. It will allow you to easily create and deliver training programs for your employees fast and efficiently.
The system covers an array of training needs. Some of the main focus includes new-hire onboarding and the ability to build complete, complex, step-by-step programs that will help provide ongoing training for employees.
All in all, you will be pretty hard-pressed to find a better online learning platform for business. Aside from all the above, iSpring also provides an excellent reporting engine, perfect user experience, and a mobile app for both iOS and Android users.
Features
- Learning tracks that make it easy to build
- Built-in authoring tool
- Create adaptive eLearning courses right from your browser
- Integration with the iSpring toolkit
- Advanced reporting system
- Integrates easily with Zoom
- Simple, easy-to-use interface
- Gamification
- Amazing technical support
2. TalentLMS
If you are looking for an intuitive system that is cost-effective, then look no further than TalentLMS. The system gives you everything you need to train employees properly and also features eCommerce and Zapier integration.
This online learning platform will give you all the basic tools necessary to create presentations, videos, packages, and just about any other type of content imaginable. TalentLMS is also very good when it comes to social learning, as they will help both your learners and trainers stay in touch very easily.
Features
- Built-in tools for creating simple courses, quizzes, and surveys
- Switch between user-roles quickly and easily
- Integration with webinar services
- Individual URLs available
- Custom designs
- Custom reports and scheduling
- Multiple integrations with web services like Zapier
3. MindFlash
MindFlash is another one of the very best online learning platforms for business out there today. The platform allows you to customize all of your course content, putting you in total control of the entire thing.
From creating PowerPoint presentations to videos and documents, the system is loaded with functionality and provides the ability to easily track the performance of all trainees.
One of the more eye-opening features that MindFlash provides is the ability for scalability when you need it. With three tiers of use, you can move all the way up to the pro level and scale out if needed. The social integration features are also very good and the system comes with a free trial.
Features
- Train not only employees but also external stakeholders like contractors
- 2-week free trial available
- Excellent customer support
- Adheres to SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) standards
- Course creation
- Online learning management
- Reports galore
- Intuitive dashboards for everyone
4. Docebo
If you have a need for both formal and informal learning, then Docebo is probably an online learning platform for business that you will want to look into. The platform will allow you to easily upload all sorts of different content types including SCORM and xAPI courses.
It also and has a simple built-in content editor. This allows for HTML page creation from both text and media. The Docebo system comes complete with a powerful AI, which analyzes all content that is upload and tags it with keywords.
Last, but not least, Docebo provides freedom to create what you want, but unlike some other platforms, it also gives you access to ready-made courses that have already been created by professional course developers.
Features
- Advanced content management
- Built-in quiz editor
- Create and share learner-generated content
- Localize user portals to over 40 language choices
- Ready-to-go courses
- Custom reports
- Over 30 available integrations
5. SAP Litmos
Another cloud-based online learning platform that employees and trainers can access through desktop or mobile is SAP Litmos. It has over 1-million users and has built this type of a following because it provides a built-in dashboard that is simple, easy-to-use, and very powerful.
The platform also offers a 2-week free trial. This way, you can get to know the setup, the system, and figure out how it all works and operates before you make a final decision. Finally, you will also be able to monitor all sales activity by connecting it to Salesforce.
Features
- Intuitive design
- Free trial
- eCommerce option
- Track all sales
- Fast onboarding
- Robust analytics
- Easy-to-use mobile app
- Universal accessibility
- Engagement and adoption
6. Adobe Captivate Prime
With advanced social learning capabilities, skill management, and extensive reporting, look no further than Adobe Captivate Prime when searching for an online learning platform for business.
The Adobe LMS stands out because it allows admins to create and manage external groups. This means that the process of training someone outside the company, like a partner, is easy to handle.
Where Adobe Captivate is different than the other platforms on this list is in the authoring section. The platform does not actually provide any authoring features to create content. To do this, you will need to add another authoring tool.
However, what they do is provide you with a full library of shelf courses that you can purchase and use to train employees.
Features
- Robust reporting engine with scheduled reports
- Extensive social learning features
- System is built to increase learner engagement
- Manage external learners only
- Create multiple versions of content in different languages
- Tons of third-party integrations
7. CourseMill
Finding a place on our list is CourseMill. They allow you to create unlimited courses and provide advanced tracking and reporting to go along with that. You will be able to access beautiful visual charts that track everything imaginable.
Easily notify your employees or other learners about upcoming courses, trainings, and other important updates right from the intuitive system. The notifications that are sent out take the form of emails and will have course and training links built right in.
Features
- Fully-functioning notification system
- Instant messaging feature
- Automate all enrollment and employee training
- Self-paced eLearning experiences
- Manage compliance
- Sell eCommerce courses
- Formal and informal learning
- Dashboard creation and customization
8. eFront
One of the newer opine business platforms for learning out there is eFront. It makes our list because it offers a ton of tools and features and it offers scalability, customization, efficiency, and reliability. It is fully user-intuitive and is also packed with Gamification features.
As far as content goes, the eFront platform adheres to all industry standards and provides you the ability to customize and design all sorts of courses and materials. From ethics in the workplace to business management training and more, this platform has you covered. Give it a look.
Features
- Private cloud hosting
- Mobile accessibility
- Content friendly
- Assessments engine
- Surveys engine
- SCORM and TinCan
- Assignments
- Re-usable content
- Full courses marketplace
9. Absorb LMS
Rounding out this list of the best online learning platforms for business is Absorb LMS. It is an intelligent, multi-purpose online learning platform that is both easy to scale and fully configurable. The system is available as both a hosted option or an on-premise alternative.
Absorb makes it very easy to create and distribute training courses and they also have a ton of automation features built-in. Optimize all your content in over 20 languages and make employee training easier than ever with this platform.
Features
- Assembly tools for everything
- Ability to embed YouTube videos
- Hosted solution or on-premise solution
- Very powerful AI
- Learner engagement
- Smart administration
- eCommerce
- Reporting and analytics
- Mobile app
- SCORM compliance
- Content libraries
- eSignatures
- Tons of integrations
How to Choose an Online Learning Business Platform
Since there are so many virtual training programs out there, it can be difficult to figure out how to choose one. You need it to fit your business needs, probably be fairly priced, and give you all the tools you need to get what you want.
There are basically three other things to consider when choosing an eLearning platform to train your employees. Yes, personal preference and needs are a big part of it, but don’t forget about the following.
Academic or Corporate
Both of these types of platforms will allow you to automate a lot of different training processes. You will also be able to provide access to learning materials online, so employees will be able to access those when needed.
That being said, there are some major differences between the two. Things like organizational structures, scheduling units, and tracking and assessment systems will be laid out and act differently depending on the platform.
Make sure you have a hold of the right one for your business.
Industry Specific and Use Cases
There are probably going to be a lot of instances where you need the online learning business platform you choose to be very industry-specific. With that, you will need some use cases in place as well.
A good example of this is the health industry. If your business is tied to healthcare, then you want a learning platform that can be integrated with a hospital management system, HIPAA, and ACCME web services.
Of course, this is just an example, but you see how this can be a major factor in the final decision made.
Use cases are another aspect to consider. Will the online learning business platform you choose be able to handle everything you need? For example, is employee onboarding or peer-to-peer management training vital?
Features and Tools
Make sure the platform you choose has the specific tools and functionality you need. Perhaps create a list of things that are a “must-have” for your business and setup. Use that list and compare it to what you see from the platforms above.
If you can match up everything you need to a specific platform, then you are good to go.
Conclusion
Virtual training platforms are all the rage right now. If your business is looking into something like this, then you can’t really go wrong with any of the online learning for business platforms that are listed above.
Sure, the one you choose will be based a lot on personal preference and specific business needs. However, the list above is filled with solid candidates and this should give you a starting point at the very least.
Try some of them out, demo them, see with one works best for your specific needs. Before you know it you will be training your employees quicker, easier, and cheaper.
