Onboarding Learning technologies

11 minute read

LMS for Customer Training: Boost Onboarding, Retention & Loyalty

Claudia Buckley

Claudia Buckley

In today’s competitive landscape, businesses must do more than just acquire customers—they need to educate, engage, and retain them. A learning management system (LMS) helps businesses create structured, scalable customer training programs. A well-structured LMS for customer training helps companies onboard new customers efficiently, ensuring they understand the value of your product from day one.

Customer onboarding is the first critical step in building trust and long-term relationships. A seamless experience can increase product adoption, reduce churn, and boost customer satisfaction. But without the right tools, onboarding can be inconsistent, time-consuming, and difficult to scale. This is where a learning management system comes in.

By using an LMS for customer training, businesses can automate onboarding, create interactive learning experiences, and track customer progress while reducing the strain on customer support teams.

In this guide, I’ll explore how an LMS enhances customer onboarding, the key benefits of customer training, and the best LMS platforms to ensure customer success.

Why customer training matters

Customer training goes beyond onboarding—it ensures that users fully understand and engage with your product or service. A well-trained customer is more likely to continue using your solution, leading to higher satisfaction, reduced churn, and long-term loyalty.

Customer onboarding sets the stage for how customers perceive your product or service, and can determine the longevity and quality of your relationship.

Once customers complete the initial onboarding phase, they often face new challenges that require continued learning and support. Training helps bridge this gap by offering ongoing education, reinforcing best practices, and enabling customers to maximize the value of your product.

What customers need to learn for success

To ensure long-term customer satisfaction and retention, an LMS for customer training should cover key learning areas that help users feel confident and capable.

1. Product knowledge and features

Customers need a deep understanding of your product’s functionality to use it effectively. Training should include:

  • Step-by-step tutorials on product features
  • Interactive walkthroughs and guided lessons
  • Troubleshooting guides and FAQs

2. Best practices and use cases

Customers benefit from learning how to apply your product in real-world scenarios. This can include:

  • Industry-specific use cases
  • Case studies showcasing successful customers
  • Tips and strategies to improve efficiency

3. Workflow integration and customization

Your product may integrate with other tools or offer customization options. Training should guide customers through:

  • Setting up integrations with CRMs, analytics tools, and communication platforms
  • Personalizing settings to fit their workflow
  • Advanced configuration options for power users

4. Compliance and security guidelines

For industries with strict regulations, customers need to be aware of security protocols and compliance standards. Training should include:

  • Data security best practices
  • Compliance requirements and industry regulations
  • Internal policies for team-wide adoption

5. Troubleshooting and self-support

Reducing reliance on customer support improves the user experience. An LMS can help by providing:

  • Knowledge base articles and video tutorials
  • Self-paced troubleshooting guides
  • AI-powered chatbots for instant answers

Best LMS for customer training: Choosing the right platform

The right LMS should offer mobile-friendly access, interactive content, and automated tracking to measure engagement and success. Below, I'll compare three top LMS platforms—GoSkills, LearnUpon, and TalentLMS—to assess how they support customer training needs.

1. GoSkills LMS

Best for: Businesses seeking a customizable and easy-to-use LMS for customer training.

GoSkills LMS dashboard

✔️ Suitability as a customer training tool – High; meets all criteria and more.
✔️ Accessibility – Excellent; offers SSO login options into a cloud-based, mobile-optimized platform.
✔️ Course authoring tools – Robust; supports various content types (including SCORM and xAP). Companies can also use pre-built templates and an AI-powered authoring tool to build customer onboarding modules quickly and easily.
✔️ Engagement & interactivity – Excellent; includes features like quizzes, surveys, multimedia content, and gamification elements to boost learner engagement.
✔️ Tracking & analytics – Comprehensive; includes automated progress tracking, reporting dashboards, and customer engagement insights to refine onboarding strategies.

🔹 Key benefit: A flexible LMS with interactive features, perfect for customer training at scale.

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2. LearnUpon

Best for: Companies looking for an LMS with built-in customer onboarding and branding features.

LearnUpon dashboard

✔️ Suitability as a customer training tool – High; designed to deliver scalable and engaging customer training experiences.
✔️ Accessibility – Solid; cloud-based platform offering mobile-optimized access and Single Sign-On (SSO) integration.
✔️ Course authoring tools – Good; supports various content types and features AI-powered course creation tools.
✔️ Engagement & interactivity – Strong; supports interactive elements such as quizzes, simulations, and video tutorials to keep customers engaged.
✔️ Tracking & analytics – Comprehensive; offers detailed reporting and analytics tools, including progress tracking, performance metrics, and customizable reports to monitor learner outcomes.

🔹 Key benefit: A scalable platform with a strong focus on automation and brand customization.


3. TalentLMS

Best for: Companies looking for an affordable, self-paced LMS for customer training.

TalentLMS dashboard✔️ Suitability as a customer training tool – Good; supports various training needs, but is more general-purpose than specialized for onboarding.
✔️ Accessibility – Solid; cloud-based with mobile-friendly access and SSO support.
✔️ Course authoring tools – Solid; allows for easy course creation with multimedia content, quizzes, and an AI-assisted tool, although customization options are somewhat limited.
✔️ Engagement & interactivity – Good; includes gamification features like badges and leaderboards, along with interactive quizzes.
✔️ Tracking & analytics – Good; offers sufficient reporting and tracking tools.


🔹 Key benefit: A cost-effective LMS with self-paced learning and easy deployment.


Benefits of using an LMS for customer training

Now that the idea of using an LMS for customer training isn't quite so foreign, let's talk a little about how your company stands to benefit. After all, just because you can do something, doesn't always mean you should. Here's why you should.

1. Improved customer satisfaction

So you built a great product. Fantastic. But does your customer know how to use it? How long will it take them to figure it out? An intuitive LMS helps customers get the hang of your product without feeling overwhelmed. Through a mix of tutorials, how-to videos, and quizzes, customers can explore features at their own pace. This hands-on approach builds confidence, making them feel comfortable and satisfied with your product much faster.

2. Increased customer retention

Customers are far more likely to stick around when they feel empowered and understand the value of your product from the get-go. A well-chosen LMS ensures customers are not only learning but actually seeing results—creating a deeper connection with your brand and reducing the chances of churn. Using an LMS also guarantees that all your customers get the same high-quality onboarding experience, as opposed to simply having a conversation with an account manager. As customers learn at their own pace and become more proficient, they’re more inclined to stick around for the long haul.

3. Enhanced customer loyalty

Customer loyalty isn't just about liking or even loving your product—it’s especially about trust and long-term engagement. By offering advanced how-tos, certifications, and insider tips through your LMS, you keep customers invested in their journey, giving them reasons to continue investing in your brand.

4. Reduced need for extensive customer support

A solid LMS can reduce the number of calls to your customer support lines by empowering customers to troubleshoot on their own. With self-paced learning modules and FAQs integrated into the LMS, customers can get quick answers without reaching out to your help desk. This not only reduces the burden on your customer service department but also provides customers with a sense of independence and control.

5. Better tracking and assessment of customer progress

LMS reports and stats allow you to track a customer’s progress throughout the onboarding journey. Detailed insights show you what content they’ve completed, how well they’re performing on quizzes, and how engaged they are, helping you identify areas where they might need extra support.

5 reasons to use an lms for customer onboarding

So while LMS platforms are often used for employee training, they can also be a game-changer when onboarding customers. Customer onboarding familiarizes new users with your product, ensuring they understand its value and can use it effectively.

Using an LMS to onboard customers allows you to balance the demand for personalized service with the need for lower support costs.

As businesses grow increasingly digital, the need for efficient customer onboarding has never been higher. Today's customers expect a seamless introduction to the products they purchase. It isn't easy to balance the demands of a highly sophisticated customer base with the need for lower service costs. By leveraging an LMS, companies can deliver personalized, interactive onboarding experiences that make it easier for customers to get the most out of their purchase without breaking the bank.


How to use an LMS for customer onboarding

Once you get on board with the idea of an LMS for your customer training, next comes the crucial part: how exactly do you go about doing it?

Step 1: Identify onboarding objectives

Before implementing an LMS, clarify what success looks like for your onboarding process. What do you want customers to know by the end of their onboarding experience? Defining clear objectives will help guide the content you create and ensure it aligns with your customers’ needs.

Step 2: Select the right LMS for your needs

There is no LMS that is perfect for every organization out there. It's important to compare your company's priorities with the capabilities and features of the platforms you're evaluating to narrow down your shortlist. Are you most concerned about pricing? There are many free or low-cost LMS options available, the caveat being that features will be limited. On the other hand, the priciest options may be complex, difficult to use, and require significant investment of time and technical expertise. 


corporate training session    See: 8 Reservations stakeholders have when investing in a new LMS


It's usually best to focus on these top things to consider when choosing an LMS. Once the decision is made, you can get on with the business of rolling out training.

Step 3: Develop engaging content

Your content is the heart of your onboarding program, but the mode of delivery matters too. Translation: variety is key. Try mixing things up with videos for a visual walk-through, quizzes to test their knowledge, and real-world scenarios they can interact with. The more dynamic the experience, the more engaged they will be. Ensure that the content is digestible (using elements of microlearning) and directly addresses common challenges customers face when using your product. The GoSkills Course Builder, for example, allows you to add text, upload videos, embed YouTube content, and more in your lessons. This makes it easy to create customized, interactive courses that meet the unique needs of your customers.

Step 4: Personalize the learning experience

One of the key benefits of using an LMS is the ability to tailor the onboarding experience for different customers. Not all customers have the same goals. Using learning paths and course recommendations, you can create a more personalized experience, guiding users through content based on their needs, usage patterns, or previous knowledge.  

Step 5: Provide progress tracking and support

Offer milestones and checkpoints to track customer progress through the onboarding process. Consider adding a dashboard where customers can see their completion rate, upcoming lessons, and certifications. Gamification makes learning fun, so features like learning streaks, daily goals, and custom rewards can help incentivize learners and improve outcomes.

Step 6: Gather feedback and iterate

Customer feedback is crucial for improving your onboarding process. The best LMSs allow you to gather feedback through surveys, assessments, or even post-onboarding interviews. Use this data to continually refine the content, delivery methods, and user experience, ensuring customers receive the best onboarding experience possible.

Which LMS is best for customer training?

The answer to this question depends on a number of factors, including your customers, your product, and your organization's objectives.

  • GoSkills LMS is best for businesses needing custom, interactive training tailored to their product and customer needs.
  • LearnUpon is ideal for scalable, brand-driven customer training with automation.
  • TalentLMS is a cost-effective solution with strong self-paced learning features.
  GoSkills LearnUpon TalentLMS
Best for Customizable interactive training Scalable onboarding & branding Affordable, self-paced learning
Customer onboarding suitability High; meets all criteria and more High; designed for scalable customer training Moderate; general-purpose LMS with onboarding capabilities
Accessibility & security Excellent; SSO login, cloud-based, mobile-optimized Solid; cloud-based, mobile-friendly, SSO support Solid; mobile-friendly, SSO support
Onboarding course authoring tools Robust; AI-powered authoring, SCORM/xAPI support Good; pre-built templates, AI-powered course creation Basic; multimedia content, quizzes, AI-assisted tool
Engagement features Excellent; various quiz types, gamification, leaderboards, badges, multimedia elements Strong; interactive elements like quizzes, video tutorials Good; gamification, badges, leaderboards, interactive quizzes
Tracking & analytics Comprehensive; progress tracking, engagement insights Comprehensive; detailed reporting, compliance tracking Good; sufficient tracking and reporting tools 

GoSkills LMS stands out for customer onboarding because of its focus on ease of use. The platform’s interactive course builder allows businesses to create engaging and tailored onboarding content in no time. Here are some reasons why GoSkills LMS is the perfect fit for your onboarding needs:

  • Customizable learning paths: Create personalized experiences for different customer segments, ensuring that each user gets the most relevant training based on their unique needs. Alternatively, allow the course recommender to queue up learning content based on learners' interests or history.
  • Robust analytics: Track customer progress, completion rates, and engagement with powerful analytics. This allows for continuous improvement of your onboarding process.
  • Interactive courses: Keep customers engaged with multimedia content, quizzes, and certifications that not only teach but also test their knowledge. No prior course creation knowledge is required.
  • Ease of setup: GoSkills LMS has consistently been rated #1 for ease of setup, ease of admin, and ease of use by customers on G2. This reduces downtime and eliminates the need for lengthy familiarization with the learning platform. People can start focusing on the content right away.

GoSkills 3rd party badgesBy using GoSkills LMS, you'll streamline your customer onboarding process and provide a high-quality experience that sets your customers up for success. The combination of interactive content, personalized learning paths, and powerful analytics is what drives customer satisfaction and retention.

Conclusion

Providing high-quality customer training is essential for product adoption, customer retention, and long-term success. An LMS for customer training helps businesses create structured, engaging, and scalable learning experiences that reduce support costs and improve customer satisfaction.

By selecting the right LMS—whether it’s GoSkills for customization, LearnUpon for branding, or TalentLMS for affordability—businesses can build a customer training program that drives engagement and loyalty.

Onboard with ease

Onboarding is easier than ever with GoSkills LMS. Get started in minutes — no credit card required!

Get your free account now
Claudia Buckley

Claudia Buckley

Claudia is a certified Microsoft Office Expert (Excel Specialist), project manager, and business skills instructor at GoSkills who has spent over 20 years in employee professional development. Claudia has a Masters Degree in Business Administration and a Diploma in Educational Psychology. In her spare time, she listens to audiobooks and is an amateur genealogist. View her profile here.