Likelihood to Recommend As I mentioned earlier, it's best used for "presentations," rather than bona fide "training." That's why we tend to use it when the information is relatively simple and/or doesn't need to be fully internalized or mastered (which would require providing opportunities for practice and feedback and a more engaging, interactive learning experience). However, it can be used as part of a blended-learning solution, with some information provided via an Adobe Presenter module first, and then some kind of instructor-led session as a follow-up, which would include more role-specific info, as well as practice and feedback opportunities. Also, as I mentioned earlier, Adobe Presenter Video Express is great for creating quick overview demos about a new system -- more of a "see what it can do" type thing than a "here's how you do it" thing (unless the "it" is very simple and the video is used more as a microlearning/performance support type of offering).
Read full review Very good for learning and development and training of employees. For Applicant tracking, recuirement, onboarding, and enablement, I prefer
SAP SuccessFactors or Skillate. I also found that the SumTotal app is not very friendly on android and crashes sometimes and it is not optimized for mobile. Hence I end up never using it.
Read full review Pros Because it integrates with PowerPoint, it is possible to go from planning outline to storyboard to final output withing a single document and as part of a seamless and logical design process. Its ability to create videos that capture screens along with web-cam recordings, then edit them within the solution means higher level training recordings can be created versus, say a recorded WebEx training session. Presenter's ability to create quiz elements similar to Adobe Captivate, add interactions, and interface with Adobe's LMS means it is capable of functioning as a complete e-learning development environment. . If up front cost is a consideration, Presenter wins hands down over many better known training development and e-learning solutions. Ronald Ray Sr. Instructional Designer, Training Coordinator and Client Services Manager
Read full review Assign complete learning plans to users so they don't have to spend time searching for courses. Export learner's transcripts so managers can easily see their employee's progress. Embed Social Media feeds that are relevant to their business. Read full review Cons E learning news server could be more intuitive Numerical indicator for updates is confusing Organization of updates could be better organized Read full review Reporting Mass importing of manual checks to be issued in California Ability to fund pay cards immediately Perform gross-up calculations within the payroll system automatically Read full review Likelihood to Renew My company is pretty invested in the Adobe ecosystem and is unlikely to change that in the foreseeable future. Also, Adobe Presenter is a very valuable tool and, with the new subscription model and the pricing we have, a relatively modest expense now. It's also fairly easy to learn and use, so it is starting to spread beyond the sphere of the various Learning & Development departments.
Read full review I have transitioned from a position who supported the product to a position where I use the product. I continue to be impressed with the robustness of the product and how efficient it is. It is a user friendly software that can be used to navigate and accomplish tasks to meet organizational requirements.
Read full review Usability It is easy to learn and use, but is frustrating if you begin to run into error messages concerning Flash as you are in the publishing stage.
Read full review I do not find SumTotal to be intuitive. I feel we need to adjust our needs to meet the functionality available in the tool.
Read full review Reliability and Availability It is easy to access since it is an added tool to the Powerpoint program. We have not had complaints from faculty members regarding not having it available when they need it.
Read full review Performance Due to the aforementioned issues with Flash, it can be discouraging to get to the publishing stage and begin receiving error messages. Once we are able to move past that issue, we have great success with the performance of Adobe Presenter.
Read full review Support Rating I think I pretty much answered this earlier....premium support is extremely expensive and online support can be difficult to navigate. Although, to be fair, when it comes to Presenter (compared to, say, Captivate), there isn't too frequent a need for support, since Presenter is a rather simple tool to use
Read full review We have our own IT support to assist in SumTotal issues, however, we have had to log in cases directly. Support is mediocre at best.
Read full review Alternatives Considered LMS365 and Adobe Presenter are not that much different, the major issue that we faced with LMS was that we had to integrate that with the SharePoint, for accessibility and that cases whole lot of confusions and keeping things clean as SharePoint was being used for file store and sharing within the company. Moving to Adobe Presenter was taken as it was independent platform and didn't have any dependency.
Read full review When I came to my company, they had been using a "light" LMS called Articulate. It was cheap and bare bones; i.e. not a lot of features, really just a platform to launch eLearning from and not real interface for student to utilize. When I began to overhaul the training department, this was one of the first things I changed. Articulate would only run courses built in their software, and the software was not 508 compliant. In addition, we had no ability to create learning plans, house transcripts, customize the interface, or manage the students. I made the choice to select and LMS that was a true LMS with all of the features that were critical to our clients' needs. Thus far, SumTotal has been able to support all of our needs, except one; mobile learning that is media rich
Read full review Scalability The program still seems to rely heavily on Adobe Flash even though the online community is moving away from it. When publishing, users will experience error messages regarding Flash, which can make it difficult to complete your work.
Read full review Return on Investment It will be safe to say that overall impact had been positive in regards to ROI Training costs have been reduced by a huge margin since we started using this tool. Time consumed in training staff is also decreased, as with Adobe Presenter training can be done remotely and are able to train different groups at the same time. Read full review Clean front-end user interface for easier course catalog management. Reporting has been more difficult than previous LMS. Audience building has more variables making it more difficult to manage. Slower overall client turnaround due to admin side interface. Read full review ScreenShots SumTotal Talent Development Screenshots