Stop Blaming the Learning Platform - Start Fixing the Strategy🚀
I recently caught up with a former client, a membership association I helped select the right LMS for about 3.5 years ago. Their aim was clear: to scale their global reach and create sustainable income through digital learning.
Fast forward to today: At the end of their initial 3-year deal with their LMS provider, they hadn’t expanded on their initial flagship course that they launched with. The platform’s future is now at risk unless they can demonstrate clear ROI within the year. If the platform is decommissioned, that sustainable income will never be realised. Some modest investment now could make all the difference to turn the corner, whereas the sunk costs already invested, combined with the significant expense of implementing a new platform later, would be huge.
Why did things stall? Here’s what I uncovered with the Training Manager:
Lack of senior leadership understanding that digital learning is a long-term investment
Insufficient financial resources and budget commitment
No dedicated resource for course development
Key staff redundancies (like their learning designer)
Limited marketing support for the flagship course
Unrealistic income expectations from the start
Narrow course portfolio, with only one course launched
Competing organisational priorities deprioritised learning initiatives
As their Training Manager reflected:
“The project struggled because leadership expected quick results and short-term income generation, while digital learning requires sustained investment, dedicated resources, and a strategic long-term approach.”
The Hard Truth About LMS Success
This example highlights just how critical it is that the whole business buys into the idea of sustained investment and a strategic long-term approach from the outset. Success demands a clear, holistic strategy that thoughtfully considers your people, content, and technology, and a mindset that your LMS is an agile, evolving product requiring continuous maintenance and improvement.
A one-off launch won’t cut it. A platform alone doesn’t guarantee ROI. Without an evolving strategy, it’s all too easy to lose momentum.
That’s where getting support to step back and review your strategy holistically, align your stakeholders, and have your hand held by an experienced professional on the journey can be invaluable.
A Deeper Look: Our Former Client’s Background
This former client was a well-established provider of face-to-face training, with an average annual income exceeding ÂŁ2 million from open and in-house courses. Their courses were highly regarded and delivered by subject matter experts.
However, the pandemic forced a sudden shift. With four months of zero income from face-to-face training in 2020 and a much-reduced programme for the rest of the year, they rapidly pivoted to live tutor-led online courses, generating about ÂŁ143K that year.
The shift revealed both an over-reliance on face-to-face delivery and the untapped opportunities of digital learning - including greater global reach, more flexible offerings, and the ability to attract new clients.
Their vision became a central Learning Hub offering digital content, live online courses, face-to-face training bookings, and continuous professional development resources all in one place, accessible 24/7, personalized, and interactive.
But turning that vision into reality requires strategic alignment, resourcing, marketing, and ongoing content development, all of which are vital success factors that were underestimated initially.
🛠️ Action Plan: How to avoid common pitfalls with your LMS implementation
Based on our experience with this client and the proven framework we use at Learn Fox, here’s a clear path to avoid common LMS pitfalls and build a sustainable digital learning strategy:
1. Align People, Content & Technology
Engage all key stakeholders early - from L&D teams and leadership to subject matter experts and learners - to ensure the platform fits everyone’s needs.
Audit existing materials and develop a content strategy focused on modular, engaging learning experiences that can scale.
Choose and configure an LMS that integrates well with existing systems and offers robust analytics to track engagement and ROI.
2. Adopt a Phased Implementation Approach
Launch a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) addressing core learning needs to gather early feedback.
Roll out targeted training programs with strong user support to drive adoption.
Promote a culture of continuous learning, using data to refine content and user experience.
Fully integrate the LMS into your organisation’s learning ecosystem aligned with business goals to demonstrate measurable impact.
3. Secure Leadership Buy-In and Resources
Ensure leadership understands that digital learning is a sustained investment, not a quick fix.
Develop a strong business case to secure ongoing budget and dedicated resource allocation for content creation and platform maintenance.
Sometimes, you might also need support to demonstrate ROI clearly to the wider business and align diverse stakeholders behind the learning strategy. That’s why at Learn Fox, we developed Learn Fox Labs, a collaborative approach designed to help organisations build that shared understanding and create actionable plans to prove value and secure ongoing support.
4. Commit to Continuous Improvement
Regularly update learning content based on learner feedback and changing business needs.
Use platform analytics to make informed improvements.
Stay agile, adapting your learning strategy as your organisation and technology evolve.
This holistic, iterative approach is what drives lasting LMS success, and it’s what we recommend for any organisation ready to turn their digital learning investment into real impact.
If your LMS implementation is under pressure or you want to future-proof your digital learning strategy, message me to arrange a discovery call. I don’t just help you choose the right LMS; I help you put the strategy in place to make it a success and can help engage other parts of the business to bring them along on the journey of lasting training transformation too. Let’s make sure your investment delivers the impact you want. 💥