If you’re currently seeking a Learning Management System for your company, you might have come across the term ‘white-label LMS’ – but what exactly is it?
A white-label LMS is a specific kind of eLearning software that allows you to universally brand it with your company colours, logo, copy and themes, meaning the original vendor’s branding is nowhere to be seen.
In a nutshell, it’s an excellent investment if you’re looking for an off-the-shelf eLearning product that also offers numerous routes for customisation. A white-label LMS is the next best thing to a custom-built LMS but without the set-up expense or need for technical expertise to run it.
Why Choose A White-Label LMS?
Custom Branding Boosts Learning
By opting for a fully branded LMS, you’re offering an online training experience that feels familiar to your staff. Recognisable branding that communicates your company’s look, language and atmosphere will help them connect with their training, and see online learning as a process developed by you, rather than some outside entity. An eLearning platform which seamlessly dovetails with any other online presence your firm may have (for example, your website, internal portals or e-commerce site) will feel far more accessible and attractive to your learners.
Ordinarily, building a custom LMS requires a sizable budget, specific technical resources and time. When adopting a white-label LMS, you’re investing in tried and tested software instantly, the ability to roll out courses quickly without the need for platform development and the white-label vendor will be on hand to troubleshoot when it comes to the tech side. Even with all the customisation options available, your white-label LMS will still come in at a lower price point than a bespoke job, and your users will perceive the end result as an in-house production.
Branded Online Learning Creates Assets
Any LMS you adopt will require you to create content for your learners – be it video courses or gamified unit modules. The advantage of a white-label LMS is that this original material can be branded with your company’s look, and establishes your organisation as the originator of the course. If it fits with your business model, you can offer this training to other companies and build on your reputation by establishing yourself as creators of authority in your sector.
White Labelled LMSs Come With Extra Features
Another bonus to plumping for a white-label LMS is that they tend to come with more features than your average off-the-shelf LMS. This increased functionality means you can offer a more varied learning journey to your employees. This usually includes things like easy integration with apps or software your teams might already be using, thereby boosting engagement with your training content.
Getting Started With A White-Label LMS
So, assuming we’ve convinced you to go for the white-label option, how do you get started with the customisation process?
We suggest starting off with getting the address right. One of the differences between a white-label LMS, and a regular LMS platform, is that most of the latter products send users to a site under the vendor’s URL. A white-label LMS will allow you to route to your own domain name, which might seem like small beer, but really helps cement your company as the originator of the training content, and additionally helps users recall the location and log into their courses from anywhere.
Next up, get going with branding. By making your eLearning courses look like they are part of your organisation, you’ll make online training more familiar, and more a part of your company landscape. This leads to increased user engagement and better results overall. Ensure you take advantage of all the possible options to insert your logo, your company colours, any special fonts, as well as other familiar elements, right across the learning material. It’ll absolutely help learners navigate and immerse themselves in their training.
Add Your Company Voice
Branding isn’t just limited to the look of something but includes tone of voice too. The way you communicate internally within the company, and externally to clients is likely to be unique, so make sure this is carried over to your eLearning content. A great white-label LMS will allow you to edit all types of headings, subheadings and instructions on its dashboard. The more your natural company voice is present, the easier it will be for your learners and admins to engage with the LMS.
Don’t Forget To Brand Your LMS Homepage
The most viewed page on an LMS is the homepage – so do use your white-label LMS features to make the most of this space. Great branding here will build familiarity. Using multimedia elements such as video to connect with your users, adding custom menus, and a welcome or company mission statement will help focus learners on their goals too.
Target Your Audience Or Event
By selecting a white-label LMS, you have the freedom to link the look and feel of the online learning interface to a specific audience or event.
For instance, if you’re launching new training to support your folks as you roll out a new product, you can brand their eLearning to help them connect these new skills to the new service or offering. Likewise, if a big new client requires a different approach, rebrand a segment of online training to reflect the look and voice that is necessary to successfully navigate your new customers.
Create And Customise Sub-Portals
White-label LMSs will often also allow you to create custom branches for different users. By creating sub-portals for different departments in your company, you can offer tailored courses which are specific to each team, and brand them to better connect directly to these learners. For instance, Accounting will need different training to Customer Service, and while there may be some common ground, you can ensure the fundamental skills are delivered to both in the best way.
Integrate Apps With Ease
Another fantastic possibility available with white-label Learning Management Systems is the easy integration of apps. Whether native or external, you can use the app of your choice for video conferencing, or web messaging apps that your employees are already comfortable with using. Plus, if you’re making killer eLearning courses, you can link them with your eCommerce app of choice and offer them to the world.
Multiple Language Choices
Language options are critical if you have a multi-lingual workforce, and a white-label LMS should support online training in the languages you require. You can set default languages for different groups, sub-portals and courses, or allow users to choose. Your multi-lingual learners will feel more comfortable if they can select courses in their preferred tongue: great learning outcomes rely on great communication!
Gamified Elearning Engages Trainees
The more fun something is, the more memorable it can be. Leverage gamification features in your white-label LMS, or make use of its plug-in functionality to boost the entertainment factor in your online training programs. Most quality Learning Management Systems allow you to include elements such as leaderboards and badges these days. These points-based add-ins to online courses introduce a little healthy competition which works to improve user engagement and strengthens knowledge retention. Plus, you can link scores to social media so successes can be shared and celebrated.
Thoughtfully tailored eLearning courses are the bedrock of great learning experiences. While custom Learning Management Systems are one way to achieve this, a white-label software product can do a similar job at a far lower price point.
If you pick well, you’ll have a swathe of customisable options, and skilled tech support on hand to boot. No bugs, no bumpy testing period – just a world of opportunity within which to create dynamic, branded learning paths.
What’s not to love?