Cornerstone LMS
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4,2 /5 (120 reviews) Write a Review!Cornerstone admin user for two years, great product!
Pros
The thing I like most about the software is how easy it is to learn, and how quickly somebody with no experience can pick up on things.
Cons
There really isn't an overarching con that turns me away from the software. We run into hiccups with support from time to time, but that's about it.
An on-demand one-stop solution!
I am always excited to use Cornerstone OnDemand Suite for all industries. It fits very well with Life Sciences and Banking industries. This application is scalable, robust and user-friendly.
Pros
Cornerstone OnDemand is one of the best suites available in the market. I like the user-friendliness of the product. It does not require much technical knowledge. It has unique features such as Learning Admin Console (very detailed), Content Uploader, Edge Import, Data Load Wizard and the impressive Reporting Dashboard. This application can be integrated with any 3rd party applications. This application has all compliance features such as CFR 11, GDPR, etc.
Cons
Edge Import is still in evolving stage hence does not have all the fields as required. Custom Reports in CSOD application should accommodate all the fields included in Learning Objects. Otherwise, there are no specific issues that affects the performance of the software. I highly recommend this solution.
Not impressed
I have not been happy overall. I expected a lot more being from Idexx but unfortunately, overall, it’s been a huge disappointment. Many hidden cost after initial consultation
Pros
Reports, readily available information on searches, paccs, able to link blood machines on and offsite lab
Cons
Price, not easily to maneuver without training, not user friendly, customer service has not been up to par
LMS with a lot of Capabilities
We want to drive users to go into the LMS so that they can utilize all of the learning thats offered. With Cornerstone releasing Learner Home it was a great way to get users into the system because it reminds them of Netflix which is fun.
Pros
I like that Cornerstone is constantly releasing new tools and features to enhance the LMS. They really listen to their customers and take in all advice to make necessary upgrades.
The software is easy to navigate and use. Making ILT sessions and events is straightforward. I also like how you can add badges to a learning object so that way learners feel good when they accomplish something. Also, the reporting capabilities are great and there are a number of reports you can generate to analyze how the system is being utilized.
Cons
The Quiz functionality of the system is not good and not easy to use.
Its not modern and every test you make has to be out of 100. Also, you can drag and drop questions in whatever order you want them to be. The tool is limited and needs to be upgraded for easier use.
A powerful LMS with lots of integration points, catalogue customisation but room to improve
We are providing training to thousands of external users. We have a second implementation for internal users. The platform is far easier to handle/use outside of an eXe environment - if they could assist with end to end tracking of browsing > purchase, it would level the playing field.
Pros
The catalogue is very customisable, there are countless fields that can be changed to cater for nearly all use case scenarios.
e-Learning tracking generally works as expected.
WebEx/VILT integration is good.
A fairly high degree of customisation is available for web pages/custom pages etc.
Cons
We've been bounced between several GPS reps in recent years, some of whom have been more committed to our cause than others.
When we have downtime, particularly in an eXe environment, it feels like our concerns just drop into a queue even if users are unable to register/make payment.
Some areas of the platform are in desperate need of improvement (e.g. Certifications). When you raise these, you are encouraged to file a thread in the Success Centre, but you end up just replying to yourself or other frustrated users.
Cornerstone LMS not great for complicated builds
My experience is both good and bad. Good in that I have gotten used to the way the product works and can maneuver well. Bad in that its tedious work and there are areas where streamlining is needed.
Pros
Cornerstone was an improvement over the LMS platforms we were using 5 years ago. It handles large amounts of learning objects and dynamic assignments well if its simple. It doesn't like complicated assignments. The system works well with a simple set of learning objects assigned to a simple group with a due date. If you need to build a complicated group (one with many parameters), it may not work as well. Also the removal of items is a challenge when you are removing from a large number of transcripts.
Cons
the administration of cornerstone is not straight forward. There are a lot of nuances that come up when you are completing various activities. There is also the inconsistencies with various screens throughout. In some areas you can click check all or uncheck all to select multiple objects. In other areas you cannot and have to click individually, which is time consuming.
Cornerstone OnDemand
Our business use for this was tracking regulatory training for roughly 12 trainers in the health care field. This is also where people could sign up for in-person training whether that was a leadership class, CPR, etc. We were starting to use it for succession planning - although I feel we could have just used PowerPoint. We didn't use it for performance although we looked into it.
Pros
This is a flashy LMS. It looks great to the user. For a large organization, this was helpful with tracking regulatory trainings and more. It has all the bells and whistles.
Cons
The reason I would never recommend this to a colleague is because of the price and admin functions. First, the price. We were shown from the beginning, everything the system could offer, which we obviously loved, but shame on us for not asking additional questions. What we saw and what we got were different. For additional pricing, we could add on. Even customer service hours were charged. In the end this costed triple what we originally thought.
Furthermore, my second issue was the admin functionality. It was extremely complicated. We had 12 trainers working on the back end to get it implemented, on top of that we eventually hired 3 full time employees to work on the admin part for upgrades, running reports, etc. That is obviously another cost.
As much as the system was user friendly... It wasn't worth the cost when there are plenty of learning management systems that are user and admin friendly, for less.
Top notch Learning System For Our Premium Needs
Cornerstone Learning has been firmly a part of training and development workflow for as long as I have been a art of this organization, and it has served us well. The UI is easy to the train for both our end users and administrators/educators. Yet, we have just only cracked the surface with the modules that we have employed.
Pros
Cornerstone Learning is intuitive to learn with a mostly clean interface. Some newer systems have more modern and updated features, but Cornerstone does the job for us. I love how relatively easy it has been to engage our users and deliver quality learning objects.
Cons
The content development tools are growing, but find external authoring applications is still essential.
Adding and tracking attendance for our training courses is easy to maintain with Cornerstone.
The main benefits are being able to track on report on which customers attend our courses and how they evaluated our courses.
Pros
What I like most about Cornerstone is that I can add and track our courses and customers who have attended our courses. A majority of our courses are offered virtually so being able to effectively track attendance for these courses in a simplified way is very beneficial to us. We also have advanced courses that our customers need and since we do not allow customers to take an advanced course with the pre-requisite course is extremely valuable to us. We do not want out customers to get frustrated when they attend a training that overwhelms then when they should have take a introductory course first. Cornerstone makes this easy to implement our protocol. I also like they customer can easily receive email confirmation when they locate and register for the course. They also can get in their email the Student Manual for the course and also integrate the date/time of the course in the email application.
Cons
Sometimes, our customer don't know exactly where to go to launch a course they are scheduled to attend. They have to go to their User Profile and look at their transcript. Although most customers to locate this, some can not. We wish it could be easier so that our customer attendance is high and we can continue educating our customers on the products we offer.
Quality product, poor support, costly price tag
We use Cornerstone LMS to manage our global employee training. It supports SCORM tutorials, videos, and materials, as well as robust reporting.
Pros
Full functionality for an LMS. Can integrate with many other Enterprise systems. New learner experience features are bringing a modern approach to corporate learning. They have started to support xAPI.
Cons
Their Global Product Support has had issues for several years. Response times on tickets are bad.
The cost can be quite high compared to other LMS companies. They demnd a certain percentage increase each year even if it isn't justified.
Cornerstone OnDemand is my new best friend
Pros
Cornerstone OnDemand is a great product to use for learning.
The specific way I use the product at this time is to deliver, track, and record keep all the compliance training that is provided to each employee.
The new Reporting 2.0 tool has an amazing functionality called Exception Reporting.
This allows you to ensure that all persons required to take a training have in fact been assigned the training. This is extremely helpful to ensure that no employee is missed and everyone meets their annual training requirements. Additionally, Cornerstone has an amazing group of individuals that are available when you have a question. There are multiple ways to get assistance, from online Help Center to over the phone Office Hours to topic specific training with their trainers.
I highly recommend using Cornerstone OnDemand as your next LMS.
Cons
I don't like that when you 'page back' you have to re-enter your criteria. It would be great to be able to go back one page and have your selections be there and not have to start over. I'm sure they are working on a fix though.
A quality LMS and performance management product
I've been an administrator for Cornerstone (CSOD) for about 2 years now. We use the Learning and Connect modules and we have added Observation Checklists from the Performance module. I've previously managed 5 other LMSs in both corporate and education settings. I can honestly say that CSOD is one of my favorites, however, it's not without frustrations at times.
Pros:
-There's been little to no unscheduled downtime.
-They have a quarterly release schedule, which is packed with useful features and updates and then bug fixes/maintenance windows EOW.
-The LMS module works well with most SCORM compliant courses. An issue I struggled with while managing another competitor. We mainly use Articulate Storyline 1 & 2, but it also works well with tutorials that we've purchased from third parties.
-Reporting is powerful and available real-time.
-The enrollment tools allow for a single enrollment or dynamic/scheduled enrollments.
-I really like the customization offered in the portal. Welcome and custom pages have just enough flexibility to allow for creativity, yet are still easy to use. There are also settings for the menu and branding, which allow you to create a unique experience for you audience.
-The system has played well with our nightly user feed from SAP.
-I manage several user roles that allow me to effective manage the rights of various users throughout the system.
-CSOD has revamping several areas of the system to give them a more modern look and feel.
-Additionally, they have a mobile app that just recently received an update that updated its UI.
-Their user conference is one of the best I've ever attended.
Cons:
-Their Global Product Support is sub-par and has been ever since I started managing the system, despite what they call "growing pains" within their structure that they are supposed to be addressing. Not a very good excuse and it is tiring working with them at times.
-Although their mobile app is decent, they seem to introduce a new bug with every release and they only update the app quarterly, so my users have to live with the bug for 3 months before it is patched.
-Their integration with WebEx for vILT just broke last year and it took them 8-10 months to patch it.
-There overall message is that they are a tech company that is fun and nimble like Google or Facebook, however, with their fast growth, they feel like they are moving the direction of SAP and Oracle.
CSOD Review
We have been working with CSOD for almost two years. Of all the modules CSOD has to offer, the LMS is probably the best. CSOD offers some great resources to get your questions answered however, their Global Product Support for more technical questions/issues is terrible. They have made an effort to improve that team recently however, it has a long way to go. I mentioned it above in the cons section - if you plan on using multiple modules be aware that each module seems to have been developed in a silo effort & there is no consistency throughout.
Pros
1. Quarterly releases with a transparent road map
2. Offers a Client Portal to connect, ask questions & make suggestions, which actually gets used & is useful
3. Scheduled down times are limited
4. Recent updates have added a more modern UI/UX
Cons
1. Global Product Support
2. Global Product Support
3. Global Product Support
4. If you plan on using CSOD's other modules (e.g. Performance, ATS, etc) keep in mind that there is no consistency & the UI/UX will be different depending on where the user is in the system. Although you cannot consider this a con of their LMS.
Easy to use for the Learner and Administrator
The best part of the product is reporting functionality. I love the custom reporting function that allows me to gather and analyze specific data. It is easy to organize my reports and run them time and again. I also love that it has the ability to send my reports directly to my e-mail. The reporting has been especially helpful for when auditors request training records and managers need full reports of their direct reports' training. In addition to the reporting functionality, Cornerstone as a vendor has been great! I have an amazing team that I can rely on to provide me with the answers and solutions to my issues and initiatives.
When evaluating a Learning Management System, I think that the support you receive after implementation is just as important as the product itself. Of course, you wish to receive a product that meets all of your business needs, but it's important to also look for a company that provides ongoing support. Cornerstone provides that to their clients.
As an administrator, I found the system to be very easy to learn and use. It's logical and provides a clean look. Users require very little training on how to use the system. It's intuitive for them and for someone like me, saves time from needing to train users.
Thus far, I have been able to implement all business initiatives through the Cornerstone system. There have even been a few requests that I have been able to accommodate using a work-around that Cornerstone helped me create.
The system is well designed. I have never logged onto the system and have it be unavailable (unless during scheduled maintenance). You can trust this product and its team to fix system issues quickly and efficiently.
Cornerstone consistently provides support to its clients. In the beginning stages, the sales person helps you to purchase the right product for your business needs. You are then paired with an implementation specialist who makes the process easy! After implementation, you are assigned a client success manager. My CSM always makes time for me and returns my e-mails/phone calls. In addition, I can always reach out to global product support and take part in webinars with other clients and CSMs to get answers to my questions.
Customizable and User-Centric
The use of Cornerstone has been instrumental in changing the training culture of our social services agency, which relies on flexible training delivery to staff who's time is limited and most often needed elsewhere.
Pros
Cornerstone has created and outlet for users across varied companies to collaborate and advocate for new and/or improved features. I have seen requested features come to fruition in their regularly scheduled feature updates that are rolled out several times a year.
Cons
In regards to training and support, Cornerstone definitely prioritizes some functionality over others. When working in the Certification Management area, I have rarely communicated with anyone who I would call an expert. I have often gotten the odd look and the blow off when I expressed my need for assistance in this area.
CSOD Client Services Structure Is Great!
Cornerstone OnDemand's Learning Cloud is a robust LMS that provides all of the necessary functions to properly administer an organizations training operations. Our training department manages hundreds of simultaneous training sessions every week, from self-paced elearning and webinars to ILT sessions and third party vendor training, CSOD has helped us keep accurate training records and produce valuable reporting data integral to our business strategy.
There are many helpful functions within the Learning Cloud, but one in particular that has been a time-saver is the Test Engine. The Test Engine within CSOD has helped us reduce the cost of administering and maintaining tests. We constantly test our employees for job proficiency. After much thought and planning, although we had the option of building tests using authoring software like Adobe Captivate or Articulate Quizmaker and then uploading them to the Learning Cloud, we instead decided to use the Test Engine. The Test Engine allows us to build a database of test questions and categorize them. This makes organizing, updating and create new tests simple and faster than using authoring software.
In addition to the useful functionality within the Learning Cloud, CSOD's client support team has been outstanding. I can't rave enough of how valuable it is for any company it is to have a DIRECT relationship with their LMS vendor. CSOD provides us with a dedicated client support representative and a whole team of troubleshooting partners that are available to answer questions or resolve issues. CSOD's client support is amazing. In addition to having actual people you can talk to over the phone, CSOD hosts several live webinars that touch upon different functionality within the software. There are even office hours where a CSOD specialist is available for discussions about LMS administration or strategy.
With so many useful features and an absolutely fantastic client support structure, CSOD should definitely be in the conversation when discussing the top five enterprise level LMS applications in the market today.
Best LMS/LXP out there
Excellent- we are consistently improving automation and reporting, and continue to win national training awards with CSOD in the background.
Pros
I have been in the HRIS world for awhile, and touched many different products. CSOD has been one of the best, the logic and function makes sense, it is intuitive, and the improvements always bring excitement and enthusiasm to the group.
Looking for amazing dynamic software - that can handle either a push or a pull type learning experience, you have found it.
Cons
GPS - struggles. Developers tend to QC live with the early adopter and client community... they are truly Agile in that sense.
GPS is undergoing change, and it has improved drastically in the past 2 years- there is a lot of work left to do.
Worst LMS System I've Ever Worked With
Absolutely frustrating, frequent data errors, terribly slow customer support, the reporting tool will randomly report inaccurate data and then "fix" itself.
Pros
It has a lot of functionality, it is basically a jack of all trades that doesn't do anything particularly well.
Cons
Everything takes over 5 or 6 clicks to get completed. An endless number of interdependencies between permissions can leave you troubleshooting why something won't open for days. Frequent glitches with reporting scores regardless of format, you can try SCORM, xAPI, uploaded videos, you name it, it glitches. The compression for video uploads is absolutely absurd, you can upload at 1080p and the 'Auto' quality setting will play so blurry that you won't be able to read a single word on the screen.
This is my 3rd LMS system and as exciting as all the functionality available is, it doesn't compare with the countless hours you will have to spend troubleshooting for users. Unless you have a dedicated person on your team to make learning and managing this system a full-time job, stay away. A wide range of functionality is useless if it creates more work than the solutions it provides.
Their customer support is slowwwwww and they want to charge you for everything. Want to upload records from a previous LMS? there is a charge for that. Want to have them upload a new image to the login page? There is a charge for that.
My suggestion for you is to spend some time upfront and meet with multiple vendors. Unless you need all of the bells and whistles included in Cornerstone go with a company that is focused on being a good LMS and not a jack of all trades.
An excellent way to organize and provide employee training.
We have used the Learning module for a few years and added in the performance and recruiting modules. My focus is on the Learning and Core modules.
Pros
There is so much we can do to improve our employee education / training with the system.
Cons
We are not using the software to it's full extent so there is a lot of clean up to do. We are also part of a larger corporation so I'm not able to use some of the new features without assistance from the lead organization.
Really need a reliable LMS for company needs
I would enjoy more training on every functionality that we may not know that we are using.
Pros
We hold all learning transcripts on the LMS. We build courses and assign all learning to every employee. We love the reporting function and constant updates.
Cons
It is hard to get the right information when you need it immediately. If you join a call for questions, most of the times it is full and you have to wait until the next day. The person who sells it to you doesn't support you after.
Great LMS for Larger Businesses with Extensive Training Needs
Pros
The ability to create groups and assign training to those groups systematically.
Cons
This may just be the way our company has set it up, but for me, reporting is not always intuitive. When you assign training as part of a bundle such as "New hire", "Annual recertification", ect. the individual class inside the bundle doesn't pull in report by that course name. You must select every bundle in which the course is assigned to get an accurate report of completions.
A great Talent Mgmt Portal
Lets you assign complex training (curriculums) to a complex organization and groups. Reporting is basic.
Pros
LMS, onboarding, performance management, collaboration and communication, social - everything you need for talent management in a corporation/
Cons
The admin side is very difficult to use. Also, Cornerstone has the habit of halfway launching new features without fully "baking" them. They push out "flashy" features to gain new clients but dont execute well at all.
High Quality, Dependable LMS...Without Costing a Fortune
Have been a customer with Cornerstone for 6 years, and definitely a big supporter of the project. I have used many other LMS platforms in the past, and Cornerstone is unique in that it provides much of the customization ability directly to the customer...meaning little to no extra customization fees. On top of that, very little outage or technical issues overall. Excellent product which I'd highly recommend.
Pros
Administrative capabilities and overall ease of use for end users.
Cons
Learning curve for admins
Awesome LMS and Company--definitely a leader in the business
One of the things that helped Cornerstone stand out from other LMS vendors was the company itself. Their culture was very similar to our own company culture, which was a plus. However, I think we were most impressed with their communication, support, and resources. Once we decided to go with Cornerstone, we were given ample time to learn how to administer the LMS and test things in a pilot environment before moving to production. Even 1 year later, we are still checking in quarterly with our support specialist, Jamie. In addition to our support specialist, there are tons of resources in the Cornerstone community--help topics, discussion groups, webinars, and release emails that tell us about new features that roll out every quarter. You definitely don't feel like you're alone when you go with Cornerstone--they have an excellent product and excellent support.
It also looks very user friendly! I love the Cornerstone branding and colors.
As with any LMS, there's a lot to learn and manage--so the ramp-up does take a lot of time. I still feel like there's a lot for me to learn in just the Learning Cloud! Our team has also tried to figure out a couple of workarounds for certain issues, like SCORM 2004 reporting. There was a custom report we wanted to create, but could not do within the current platform. Turns out, there are some things that require an additional back-end cost.
If you're looking at different LMS companies, definitely have a pretty detailed idea of the types of things you want to do in the LMS, so you can figure out if it's possible in the Cornerstone platform. Have some goals in mind and make sure they align with what Cornerstone can do.
Growing and Innovating
It has transformed our Learning and Development department and we'd be lost without it.
Pros
I've been using Cornerstone for 4+ years and in that time they have grown by leaps and bounds - as a company and as a software solution. I like they they are innovative and updating the softward to meet our needs.
Cons
That you cannot edit groups. We create many groups for our assignments and there needs a way to be able to edit them.
Our overall experience with cornerstone's LMS has been great. As I previously stated, it's fairly easy to pick up on as an admin and end user, and it's a great tool to deliver training.