eFront Has an Attractive Back End, If You're Into That Kind of Thing
Updated September 02, 2021
eFront Has an Attractive Back End, If You're Into That Kind of Thing
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
Enterprise Edition 3.6.14
Modules Used
- Admin - Organization, Users, Reports, Administrative Tools, Maintenance, Messages, Themes, System Settings,
Overall Satisfaction with eFront Learning
eFront is being used across the organization. We went from nothing to fully launched in about 3 months. It reduces training needs, and at the same time provides a framework for Human Resources to evaluate the competencies of our employees. We are using it to enforce company policies with mandatory training in several areas, and also to teach new software to a large user base who is being asked to adopt the software.
- eFront has a great deal of flexibility, allowing us to customize certain requirements, the look and feel of the web interface, the overall user experience.
- It keeps very good track of user progress throughout lessons, and allows us to quickly identify users who may require more personalized training.
- The reports module has a great selection of standard reports, and allows us to build certain custom reports as well.
- SCORM compliant, with the Tin Can API means that we will be able to share data with parts of the organization that are not using eFront as their primary LMS.
- Support desk is geared towards back-end programmers. As an Administrator, I am reliant on the User Interface to accomplish everything I need to do. When I get stuck, they occasionally come back at me and ask me to send a copy of a file buried somewhere in the server, only accessible to someone with SCP access to our server. I end up having to refer the response to a PHP programmer - and so far, the solve rate for those issues is 0%
- The Courses are not clickable, and they are much larger in the display than the clickable lessons. I get a lot of support requests where people believe they cannot access the course because they clicked on the 24 pt. course name and nothing happened. I write back and tell them to click on the 12 pt. Lesson, and they get in. It's just an ergonomic nuisance really. Not mission-critical.
- Most of the test question types do not work in a lot of browsers, so we are limited to T/F and Multiple Choice. There may be a way to remedy this, but I haven't figured it out.
- Increased employee efficiency
- Adoption of misunderstood and maligned software that is essential to our company
- Lots of pats on the back from upper management
- Impressively easy to sign up new users through a self-registration process - went from 0 to 2,000 in three weeks.
- None
I inherited eFront from an employee who chose the product and left before the project got started. I can't fairly compare it to anything else.
Do you think eFront Learning delivers good value for the price?
Yes
Are you happy with eFront Learning's feature set?
Yes
Did eFront Learning live up to sales and marketing promises?
I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process
Did implementation of eFront Learning go as expected?
Yes
Would you buy eFront Learning again?
Yes
eFront Learning Feature Ratings
Using eFront Learning
7000 - Everyone across the entire organization has to be certified in Quality and Security. Everyone uses EFront to earn a certificate, which must be renewed yearly. The renewal reminder process is automated and it's easy to see who is in compliance and who is not. EFront issues printable certificates, which can boost morale in employees at all levels.
There are only two people besides myself who have the skill set to support EFront Learning. I actually lack some of the skills and must rely on IT personnel to help with the most technical parts of EFront. It's not cloudware - it must be configured locally on a local server.
- Certification
- Lifelong Learning
- Knowledge Transfer
- Easy renewal reminders
- SCORM compliant
- We were able to use one system to train and certify worldwide staff
- We were able to include health, safety, sensitivity and government-mandated training in the curriculum
- We used the security features within EFront to create courses that contained the "secret sauce" for some of our products. This training could not be hacked - it was very secure. Only the employees who needed to learn these subjects were able to access the training. (And the Admin - me).
- Quality of life training materials (breathing, yoga, etc.)
- OSHA Certification
- Corporate announcements with an automated viewing certificate at the end.
Evaluating eFront Learning and Competitors
- Product Features
Certification ensured a consistency and helped to improve corporate culture as a whole.
Knowing what I do about cloud-based learning systems, I might consider something that doesn't require a local installation on the services. A more "plug and play" solution would be ideal. It would also help if the software did a better job importing courses created in CAMTASIA. I found CAMTASIA extremely easy to use, and it had features that work with many LMS but they didn't work very well with EFront. Ideally, the LMS should not need the level of IT support that EFront requires...it should be user-friendly for the Admin.
eFront Learning Implementation
- Implemented in-house
Yes - The first installation was the free trial, which was used to evaluate the software and its functionality. The next phase was to evaluate security. After that, we purchased the full version, and a very long phase of course creation and population took place. Until I was given the role of Admin, the process was being done by people who were too busy to get it right. So in the second part of the creation phase, I cleaned up errors and finished implementing the most mission-critical courses. Last phase was launch - we sent out an email to the entire organization asking them to certify in Security and Quality. Eventually all but a few stubborn employees were certfied.
Change management was a small part of the implementation and was well-handled - I had to read a book called "Our Iceberg is Melting" in order to understand why so many people were refusing to comply with the process. That book opened my eyes to the politics and personality issues that make change difficult. Once I identified the right "penguins" I was able to get the whole company certified.
- Learning curve for IT and Admin roles was steep
- Time management - we had to devote a full-time person to managing the system
- Some SCORM-compliant courses didn't import as expected
- The LMS wasn't accessible to a lot of people until we fixed an internal problem
eFront Learning Training
Configuring eFront Learning
Make sure there are people on staff who know how to install the LMS on a server. Also be sure to use style that matches the brand of your company. Black makes a very nice background. Include company logo. Design your certificates with the proper logo and make them look impressive so the learner feels a sense of accomplishment and pride.
Some - we have done small customizations to the interface - We changed colors and implemented a branded look. I didn't do it - the IT engineers I worked with did most of it. For the most part, the interface itself seemed well-designed and didn't require additional customization beyond the graphical enhancements I mentioned.
Besides the graphics/sleeve changes I mentioned, no.
eFront Learning Support
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed No escalation required Support understands my problem Quick Initial Response | Difficult to get immediate help |
Yes
We need knowledgeable programmers to share with our Applications staff so we can maximize our use of the online learning system we have built. In a few years, we may SMEs who are able to take over this role, and we will discontinue premium support. For now, it is a learning curve for all of us.
Yes, we were having issues with our certificates not reflecting the correct grade, and Eleftheria, one of the support staff, provided a really great workaround to the problem so that the most perfectionist users of our system could have their 100% reflected on the certificate. The system shows 100%, but we would have to manually input the grade if they had passed the course with a lower score.
Using eFront Learning
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using | Requires technical support Lots to learn |
- Reporting and Score Cards
- Importing SCORM content
- Copying Course Evaluations to maintain consistency across the board
- Self-instruction videos come with the trial version - it is easy to teach yourself and become an expert end user
- Anything that requires programmer knowledge. I'm not an IT Guy.