Absorb LMS Review

Product:
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Absorb LMS
Absorb Software
2002
Calgary, Alberta

Ownership:
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Deployment Model:
Free Trial:

Private
1,100+
Cloud
Yes

Product Overview

Absorb LMS is a cloud-based learning management system with an intuitive interface for both administrators and learners. It can be customized to a company’s specific training requirements, whether they need to onboard new hires, provide professional development opportunities to current employees or generate revenue from selling courses. Absorb LMS is available on all devices, so learners can access their courses at any time.

There are several benefits to Absorb LMS, including

• Streamlined repetitive administration tasks
• The ability to create different interfaces for targeted groups (e.g., location, department, job role)
• A content library with prebuilt courses in a variety of topics
• Social learning features that keep employees engaged
• Availability in multiple languages
• Integration with human resource management systems (HRMS) and other applications
• Personalized support from a Client Success Manager (CSM)

Note that Absorb also offers an enterprise product, Absorb Infuse, that’s embedded within a company’s existing platform so that learners can access training materials while they work. For instance, the sales team can get professional development tools straight from Salesforce rather than using a dedicated training platform. Absorb Infuse scales as a company’s needs grow and includes key features like custom configuration and reporting.

Features

Administrators can customize their learning interface to fit their company brand and workflows using over 1,500 terms and templates (e.g., using medical terminology in the healthcare setting) and up to 25 languages. Administrators can also set each interface for different learner groups.

Absorb LMS automates many workflows based on predefined triggers, such as sending reminders to learners about course completion. Since it integrates to HRMS software, there’s no manual data entry involved. For example, once a new hire is entered into the HRMS database, Absorb LMS automatically enrolls them into any onboarding courses.

Additional modules and features of Absorb LMS are:

Public Dashboard – This feature is similar to a home page where learners can see various content (FAQs, featured courses, videos and more) before logging into their accounts.

Content library – Absorb LMS integrates to multiple content providers so companies can choose from over 1,000 courses. Some of those providers include BizLibrary, Skillsoft, LinkedIn, Whil, Skillpill and Trailant, and the vendor plans to partner with additional providers in the future. The library includes various learning formats (e.g., videos, microlearning, quizzes) in many topics that cover different industry verticals and business skills. In addition to using the library, administrators can also create their own content.

Reporting – The reporting feature includes prebuilt and customizable templates on various metrics, such as learner progress, course summary and instructor-led course activity. Users can sort and filter metrics, hide specific columns or reorganize data. They also can share reports via email manually or by setting up a schedule.

eCommerce – Absorb LMS offers an eCommerce module for companies that wish to sell their courses. The module is PCI compliant and has an integrated shopping cart with over 70 payment gateways. Users can set flat pricing rates, offer discounted bundles and provide coupons. The Enrollment Keys feature allows a company to sell bulk courses to a single purchaser.

Engage module – With the Engage module, companies can create engaging social learning content for their learners. The billboard feature serves as a welcome banner when a learner logs into their portal and can be used to promote upcoming courses, offer class discounts and more. Administrators can get learner feedback with the Poll feature, publish news article to a learner’s dashboard and encourage learner engagement on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. Finally, learners can compete for points and badges, and the leaderboard feature ranks learners by the number of point they’ve earned.

Analyze – Analyze is the business intelligence module that offers ad hoc reporting and dashboards for companies looking for more advanced analytics. It provides a library of dashboards and reports, however, users can also create their own from scratch. The ad hoc reports display the company’s brand and can be exported and shared in Excel, PDF and other file formats.

Absorb Intelligence –  Absorb Intelligence uses AI features to automate administrative tasks, as well as recommend new content to learners. Intelligent Assist lets managers and administrators manage their daily tasks more efficiently by using natural language search. Then, there’s Intelligent Recommendations that can predict and recommend popular or curated content to learners based on their interests. Finally, the Intelligent Ranking feature arranges and displays search results based on historical learner behavioral data and continually adjusts the results as new leaner data comes in.

Absorb Pinpoint – This feature lets learners find specific clips rather than sit through a long video. It uses AI to automatically add transcription and timestamps to the video and make them easily searchable for learners.

Target Market

Absorb LMS targets organizations of all types and sizes in most industries, including retail, technology, health care, finance and government. The variety, depth and configurability of Absorb’s features empowers organizations to deliver effective, high-quality training experiences for every type of learner.

We’ve listed 10 companies that use Absorb LMS below.

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Implementation/Integration

The Absorb onboarding process consists of five stages: project kick-off, scoping, configuration, testing and approval. The length of onboarding varies by customer depending on portal design and system integration complexity. Absorb has turnkey integrations with a host of third-party software solutions and can collaborate with customers on more specialized needs.

The vendor receives high customer grades for its customer support, which begins with attentive onboarding and continues until customers are assigned a Customer Success Representative to be their main point of contact post-launch. Absorb also has a Professional Services team to assist with special projects and course design, if needed.

For clients that want to implement their training program quickly, the Absorb Quick Start process gets them up and running within a few hours. They’ll work with a dedicated Absorb Onboarding Specialist and they’ll also have access to preloaded course content. Absorb offers additional implementation options and a Quick Content program where the Learning Solutions Services team creates a micro-module from older training materials, provides LMS best practices and more.

Customer Service & Support

To ensure customers are set up for success, Absorb offers three support packages: Premium, Elite and Enterprise. Customers can choose a support package that fits their precise business needs. Regardless of the package selected, every Absorb customer gets access to a 24/7 in-house help desk and phone support, a comprehensive Knowledge Base, Absorb Academy and ample online resources.

Organizations seeking additional support to drive and manage business growth through their training and learning programs can opt for the Elite or Enterprise support packages. Some additional benefits of these packages include a dedicated Client Success Manager, regular business reviews to track progress towards goals and an SSL certificate for their custom URL.

Pricing

Absorb has distinct pricing models based on companies’ unique use cases that cater to individual needs and allow for scalability. For more specific pricing information, please contact them directly for a quote.

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Shortcomings

Absorb LMS users would like to have additional functionalities to the built-in assessment features. Also, it may be too robust for companies that has small training programs or has less than 100 learners.

Screenshots

About

Absorb Software sets new standards in learning technology and support, fueling companies that believe their people are their greatest asset. They exceed expectations across enterprises, industries and continents, helping people learn at the speed of now and preparing companies for the future of work.

Absorb aims to pay attention to the details and go deep where it matters, turning a culture of learning into a revenue engine for large companies worldwide.

Absorb has won over 35 awards, including Training Industry’s 2021 Top 20 Learning Portal, Alberta’s 2022 Top 75 Employers and the 2021 Silver Brandon Hall Excellence for Best Advance in Talent Acquisition Process. It has also been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Small & Medium Employers.

Absorb continues to grow its operations and acquired both Torch LMS and eLogic Learning in 2019.

It’s headquartered in Alberta (Canada) and also has offices in Boston, Tampa, Salt Lake City, London, Dublin, Sydney and Shanghai.

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