Emerald Group Publishing benefit from more efficient learning on a global scale

Founded in 1967, Emerald Group Publishing today manages a range of digital products, a portfolio of nearly 300 journals, more than 2,500 books and over 450 teaching cases.

More than 3,000 Emerald articles are downloaded every hour of every day. The network of contributors includes over 100,000 advisers, authors and editors. Globally, Emerald has an extraordinary reach with 12 offices worldwide and more than 4,000 customers in over 120 countries.

The Challenge

Although very much a global business, Emerald’s headquarters are in Bingley, West Yorkshire, and therefore close to our Totara Partner Webanywhere in Leeds. When Emerald approached Webanywhere to help build its LMS, they helped provide Emerald with a system that works not only on a global scale but made the user experience considerably better.

The goal was to replace Emerald’s existing LMS, as few users engaged with it and it was difficult to edit and use. Its reliance on outdated software meant that any changes that needed to be made were difficult, and users got frustrated with the antiquated system. Emerald’s LMS wasn’t fit for purpose for the expanding organisation, and so it looked to Webanywhere for a proposal.

The Solution

Emerald’s new LMS is built on Totara Learn, and works with more modern e-learning editing systems that are SCORM compliant. It’s fully branded, with the colour scheme and image components matching Emerald’s brand guidelines, and Webanywhere provided training to help Emerald’s staff become proficient in managing the LMS.

Since installing the new system, the feedback from staff has been extremely positive, with induction into the business being observed as greatly improved. The ability to instantly create reports on who is using the system and their progress in courses has proven more useful than anticipated by the HR team, and Emerald is now examining further expansions for use in other HR areas.

Key Benefits of using Totara Learn

• Easy to use interface allows users to get the most out of the system
• Full branding keeps the product within Emerald’s online presence
• SCORM compliant, allowing for easy editing of e-learning modules
• Totara Learn allows for expansion into further areas of HR management.

The Results

• 16 full e-learning modules online
• Reduced editing process from being a day’s work to half a day
• Capacity for 1,000 registered users

“Webanywhere has been extremely helpful in making our LMS, the user interface, so easy to use and has increased staff engagement considerably. The delivery process was fantastic, and support has been great throughout. ”
– Katy Snell, Head of HR