Flow of Work, Learner Engagement, and Learning Culture were the words we heard often in training forums and discussions. Since early 2020, these words have become more significant in the workplace. The reason you have been hearing more of these words lately is that they are used to describe an LXP and how it has contributed to the evolving changes. 

What is an LXP? 

A Learning Experience Platform is a learning platform adopted by organizations to infuse learning to their employees by putting the learners at the front and center. It is often touted as one of the modern approaches to delivering corporate training today, to make corporate learning an essential part of everyday life.

From enhanced content discovery and recommendations to custom learning paths, mobile-first platform experience, and valuable analytics, the capabilities and merits of deploying an LXP to deliver training are immense. Through this article, we will draw your attention to all things LXP and the reasons that make the platform a must-have for every organization today. 

With the basic question of “What is LXP” addressed, you might be immediately drawn to similarities with a learning platform that we are already familiar with, the LMS or Learning Management System. 

Yes, an LMS is a platform that delivers training just like the LXP. However, the similarities more or less end there. The reason the platform is coined as a Learning Experience Platform is because of the experience that it provides to a learner. An LMS manages learning while an LXP delivers experiences. Industry analyst Josh Bersin coined the term “Learning Experience Platform” and estimated the market opportunity at $300 million, and also projected an annual growth rate of over 50%. Did you know that an LXP is referred to as the ‘Netflix of the Training & Learning World”? Why? Answers to this and more fascinating insights will be revealed over the course of this article.

To go back to the three often used words, Flow of Work, Learner Engagement, and Learning Culture, these are some of the synonyms used to describe an LXP and not an LMS. These three factors are becoming increasingly crucial with each passing day, as businesses continue to evolve, and dynamic market conditions and severe competition defines every organization’s strategy and operation. We are truly living in an era of “survival of the fittest”. Employees, now more than ever, are constantly challenged to deliver results, adapt to such changes and perform quickly at the pace of business. These expectations are not taken lightly, and organizations are doing their very best to support employees constantly. One of the front-runners to support employees’ knowledge and skills, and elevate performances is to deliver consequential training. 

With no time to pause to attend a traditional training course, training that encapsulates the immediate need quickly, and is application-based is the need of the hour. With the impact of technology in our lives, learners are seeking experiences – opportunities that kindle their interest, enthusiasm, and engagement, and this holds true for workplace training and learning too. This article explains how and why the LXP hits the bulls-eye in these aspects that are dear to the learner and to the organization. 

To better understand what is an LXP and how the modern LXP stacks up against a legacy LMS, do read this article here. 

Additionally, this video here captures the salient features of both learning platforms

Through the course of this article, we will draw your attention to the reasons that make a Learning Experience Platform superior in every way to deliver training and learning to your employee learners, how it benefits the organization, and how an LXP is an ideal choice for your customers too. Simply put, an LXP is a single unified platform built to drive results across avenues and audiences.

Let us start from the top and address why LXP?
The next section will give you insight into the key factors of the LXP that hit the jackpot. 

Learner Experience: 

This is no Eureka moment. It is as simple as the reason the platform is coined so and is the epitome of creating positive and viable learning experiences with your audience. The LXP is often spoken about as the “Netflix of Learning” by L&D gurus, and we couldn’t agree more! Have you paused to assess why and how Netflix has managed to revolutionize our entertainment experience? Possible answers could be: intuitive interface application provides easy access to great content, a single platform for globally generated content, neatly nested categories, indicates new releases and what’s trending, understands our profile and viewer preferences, and recommends content, device agnostic and dynamic access, and so on.

Enter, LXP – the “Learning Netflix”:

• Modern LXPs are a digital learning platform built to view learning like channels, recreating a TV experience or environment; Corporate Learning, TV Style. 
• The LXP is an app with login credentials, to access varied training content at the touch of a button.
• Training content is available in nested categories. Click on a course, and access the entire course material and content – in multiformat, to choose a medium that appeals to you.
• Based on your user profile, job role, and areas of focus, find recommendations. Imagine the app recommending “Seven ways to ace your performance appraisal” or “New Sales Pitch? Brush up on these latest product features”. Or, how about “Preparing for a Leadership Role” Simple, accurate, and caters to your immediate need.
• A Learning Experience Platform is cloud-based and functions outside the firewall too. Access training content from any device. Or even, start your training on your office computer, pick up from where you left off on your drive home (perhaps, an audio debate on the topic by experts?), and finish on your mobile while at home. LXPs offer dynamic access to learn on-the-go, and access content anytime, anywhere. 
• View integrated content on one platform, easily discover great content, and access quickly in minimum clicks. Modern LXPs are also enabled with best-of-breed integration apps like Zoom, YouTube, eCommerce applications, and more.

LXPs are agile, intuitive, current, and caters to your every training need to make learning an enjoyable experience. It is completely driven by the learner to create memorable learning experiences. An organization benefits immensely when learners develop a healthy attitude towards learning. They are able to constantly churn content and push towards completion, thereby constantly improving knowledge and skill levels of the workforce, to equip and prepare employees for the future. It becomes a learning organization and an organization that imbibes a culture of learning.

Similarly, deliver critical product updates and uses for your customers. Train your customers to uncover the true value of your product, to make it an integral part of their life. Train your customers to use your products better, and more often. Long-term success with your product will ensure brand loyalty and greater customer retention.  

Learner Engagement

With the intuitive interface aspect, as extensively discussed above, a learner’s engagement is immediately spiked. To add to the innovation, an LXP sustains engagement too. Did you know that LXPs support multiformat content? 

• Take Google search engine as an instance. Search and browse content or topics just like you would search on Google. The various results would be in different formats – a blog article for you to read or an animated video to explain concepts, or an expert speaking video for additional POV, an audio podcast, an infographic as a quick guide, and so on. From this, choose the format that appeals most to you. This is receiving training that suits your strengths and plays to your advantage. Once you find a format that is comfortable to you, you are immediately engaged in receiving training. 
• Microlearning, gamification, virtual reality, augmented reality are just some of the intriguing tools deployed to make training engaging on an LXP. To learn more about how these tools contribute to learner engagement, articles here and here are resourceful.
• Training is results-driven and scores high as it provides for the application of the learned topic. Any new learning that can be immediately applied by the learner in their daily work is of greater relevance and is positively engaging.
• L&D Gurus and Training organizations are fixated on this aspect much more than any other. And rightfully so. Unless the training content resonates and engages with the learner, will organizations be able to achieve success in the training program and ensure superior learning outcomes. 
• LXPs generate fantastic reports and analytics that detail granular information on the content provided – the popularity of a topic, medium of choice, feedback generated, and so on. Organizations can bank on such data and metrics to further fine-tune their training offerings to deliver effective training to the workforce.
• Similarly, engage your customers with great variety in content about your product. Usage tips and tricks, hacks, best features, optimum usage, special offers, and more such interesting content can be delivered in a variety of formats using innovative tools to suit your audience. Notifications can nudge the customer and lead directly to the latest product info. Engage your customer with great content about your product and improve the value proposition. Customer satisfaction is guaranteed.

ROI

• An LXP is a single unified platform that integrates the best of content and apps from across mediums and eLearning content providers. It becomes an aggregated platform for the learner and a one-stop shop to access training. Organizations need not subscribe to multiple channels, and learners too will find it easier rather than switching between platforms. 
• On the LXP, custom learning paths will deliver appropriate training to the learner, directly to their fingertips. Track progress of learners, nudge learners to complete through notifications, and assess their learning. The LXP trains learners and measures effectiveness too. A single platform with multiple benefits and uses.
• While an LXP’s responsive design and intuitive interface already score higher than an LMS, there are LXPs in the market that are mobile-first too. Capitalize on delivering training to your learners onto the most preferred device, without shelling out more to fix issues related to device compatibility. 

As discussed in the previous section too, while content discoverability is made easy and analytics provide insights, an LXP delivers outcomes that are crucial to every organization. 

• A single unified platform to deliver training to the employees and extended enterprise of customers, partners, and vendors. Read our case study here about the power of ROI when using LXP. Discover how the client deployed an LXP to provide effective training to drive product adoption and save millions of dollars. Do you want to know more about this solution? Reach us here to discuss.
• Deliver training for specific challenges – employee onboarding, drive product adoption, improve customer experience, hands-on product training to the vendors and partners, improve sales efficiency, and much more – the LXP is your oyster. Opportunities are plenty and business-aligned results are guaranteed. Training that addresses pain points and assures learning outcomes in an organic and seamless manner. 

The above aspects are some of the key factors that define an LXP. It is beyond any doubt that an LXP delivers value to solve organizational challenges at every step. The outcomes are transparent and effectiveness is measurable. More importantly, an LXP satisfies the training needs of diverse audiences – from employees to customers. 

We recommend the below articles as further reading to capture the world of opportunities:

• Customer Onboarding with LXP
• Employee onboarding with LXP
• Sales training with LXP
• Product training with LXP
• Product Adoption for Customer Success
• Training Infrastructure & L&D 
• L&D’s ideal ally, the LXP
• Sales enablement training with LXP

While “What is an LXP” is an exhaustive topic, we would like to leave you with some quick FAQs:

• How does an LXP help sales in the flow of work? What are the key deliverables?
  From training the sales team, product training, prospecting tools, and resources, market analysis, and metrics – the LXP covers a gamut of offerings that would appeal to any selling organization. This video here has insights and the articles mentioned above are educational.

• Is LXP best suited for employee training only?
  Absolutely not! LXP is a unified platform to effectively train employees and the extended enterprise of customers, partners, and vendors. The LXP addresses varied pain points across diverse audiences. It addresses organizational challenges for specific outcomes and provides enterprise-class solutions. LXP is for the entire learning ecosystem in an organization. 

• Is LEP different from LXP?
  LEP and LXP are the same – Learning Experience Platform. However, they are different from an LMS, which is a Learning Management System. An LMS is best suited to manage learning and training and is completely managed or driven by the HR/Training department in the organization. Custom learning paths, role-based training, analytics, aggregated content are non-existent on an LMS. This article from industry analyst Josh Bersin is a good read. 

• What are the best features of an LXP?
  LXP is AI-driven and offers API integration. Cloud-enabled, dynamic access, and content integration on an agile, intuitive interface are just some of the best features. Automated workflow, white labeling, easy migration, and the ability to go-live quickly without any disruptions are added USPs of certain brands of LXP.

• What about security – which scores higher, LMS or LXP?
  Most LMSs are open-source and are extremely vulnerable to security threats and breaches. However, many LXPs are built on a secure framework, and the LXP company will provide 24/7 support services too. A few LXP brands now pride themselves on added layers of defensive technology towards data security – the ISO 27001 or SOC2 technology. It would be best to opt for an LXP provider who holds industry-acclaimed data security credentials.  

Do you want to know more about the LXP? Do you want to explore Fractal LXP – a multiple award-winning LXP that drives results for businesses? Are you ready to transform your training?
Watch this quick product tour of Fractal LXP. 

Discover more, write to lxp@originlearning.com