Cornerstone LMS Reviews

“Active user community”

Pros

Quarterly updates and ongoing system enhancements keep the platform improving and the user community is active, knowledgeable and genuinely helpful. There are also plenty of options to customize the look and feel which makes it easier to tailor the system to our needs.

Cons

Something that would make a difference is more proactive outreach from support reps, with regular check-ins to help ensure we're getting the most out of the investment. Even as a smaller account, we've committed a lot to the platform and better guidance on optimization could help us build the case for adding more CSOD modules. The VILT tool also hasn't been as useful as we originally expected.

“Has all the necessary core features”

Pros

It covers pretty much all the core features you'd expect from an LMS. The automatic data feed option from an HRIS is really useful and the custom page creation is a big plus. That flexibility lets you handle a lot of needs that aren't covered by the built-in system features.

Cons

Development moves slowly. When something is missing or doesn't work the way you need, CSOD's response is usually just to tell customers to post it in Suggestion City. That sits inside the Connect module, where users can also talk with each other. There are plenty of strong ideas and comments in there but it honestly feels like CSOD barely pays attention to them. A good example is the date format issue, hundreds of users, including me, have asked for the ability to change it and there still hasn't been any response or update after 9 years. There are lots of other requests sitting in the same situation, that's just one example.

“covers a wide range of use cases”

Pros

It covers a wide range of use cases well, including ILT, VILT, e-learning and exams. The e-learning upload tools and data import functions have had some badly needed redesign work over the past couple of years and they're finally becoming much more user-friendly to use. The catalogue gives you plenty of flexibility when it comes to tailoring listings and the LO details page has also been refreshed with a cleaner, more polished layout. Some members of the GPS support team are genuinely excellent and handle interactions really well. When everything is functioning properly, the WebEx and CSOD integration for virtual training performs very well and we've even been able to include WebEx hands-on labs as part of a full end-to-end setup which has been especially valuable in the current environment. The page editors can feel a bit buggy but most HTML behaves as expected and once you get familiar with the system, you start to build a solid sense of how to make customizations and changes effectively.

Cons

At the same time some parts of the platform feel like they've been left behind, with Certifications being a prime example. It's an overly complicated section of the system that, from what I understand, started life as a legacy add-on and hasn't had much meaningful development in recent years. Because of that, when something goes wrong there, it really goes wrong and getting clear answers tends to be a slow and frustrating process. Our setup is fairly complex and over the past year we've run into some major issues that have seriously impacted the system. The team is helping us move away from custom scripts and other likely failure points toward a proper, modern Web Services implementation but that's going to require a lot of time and money and it would be far better if more of that functionality existed in the core product. A recurring response is to log ideas in Suggestion City but there doesn't seem to be much active engagement there and most of the notifications I receive are just someone bumping one of my requests from the past three years. Extended enterprise is another weak spot. At times, it feels like hardly anyone is using it because basic capabilities you would expect to be essential are missing, like end-to-end journey and purchase tracking through tools such as Google Analytics, broader payment gateway support and a more simple way to reconcile Cybersource with Cornerstone. To be fair, not many LMS platforms offer eXe but this whole area still feels like it badly needs to be brought up to modern standards.

“Tons of options”

Pros

There are a ton of options in Cornerstone and I really appreciate how much I can customize based on what we need. The support available through the Client Success Center is also a big plus. I like that so much of the platform seems to be influenced by customer needs and requests. There's also plenty of training material available when questions come up which helps cover the gaps when CSOD support is slower than expected even though that has been improving. It's also reassuring that you can usually get in touch with a real support person. On top of that, I've been happy with the newer feature designs especially Browse for Courses and the Training Details Page. The UI/UX feels like it's moving in a much better direction and I'm excited to see how it continues to evolve.

Cons

lack of visibility into activity logs is frustrating, like being able to review all user actions in the LMS, including failed login attempts. Reporting is another weak spot. It's too hard for non-technical users to pull the information they need so it ends up depending heavily on an LMS admin. I'm also not a fan of not being able to search through settings. Admin settings should really be searchable by typing in what you're looking for. Reporting structures and permissions also feel too rigid. Our company works as a matrix organization but Cornerstone seems much better suited for a more traditional linear structure. There are some customization options but they should be much simpler to use. Assigning learning to people who are not direct reports or even indirect reports, should be much more simple. That's the tradeoff with the system: it's very powerful but also so complex that it loses user-friendlyness. With Security Permissions, it would be much better if the setup could be guided by a questionnaire based on what the person actually needs to do. I also worry that Cornerstone keeps expanding outward without putting enough effort into reworking older features in a meaningful way. I'd really like to see more focus on redesigning parts of the system to make them more user-friendly. As an administrator, I often feel like I have to control everything myself instead of being able to let others handle basic tasks, simply because the system is so complex. Another issue is that several features have to be manually activated. Not every company has highly skilled admins who stay on top of every release note so built-in post-release alerts and on-screen guidance for enabling new features would be very helpful.

“solid way to share learning opportunities”

Pros

Cornerstone Learning has been a solid way for us to share and monitor learning opportunities across our staff. The platform is fairly simple to navigate once you're in it and we regularly use its learning modules as pre-work alongside our in-person and virtual training sessions. It's also really useful for tracking attendance at those events which helps us keep records of who has attended recently and who may need the training again later. On top of that, we use Cornerstone Learning to maintain a catalog of past Marketing sessions and recurring Lunch and Learn events.

Cons

The reporting can be glitchy and slow at times. We also run into quiz issues where they freeze at the end of a training and fail to record that the employee actually finished it which means I have to go in and manually mark the completion. Another downside is that people who don't use the platform often tend to have a hard time learning how to navigate it. Once someone becomes familiar with the layout and terminology, it's not too hard to find things but many of our engineers aren't in the system enough to really understand how the navigation works.

“elevates employee development programs”

Pros

It is a solid platform that can really elevate employee development programs and overall learning strategy. It feels user-friendly to use while still being flexible enough for different needs. We use it for both compliance requirements and development training so employees can complete the training they need while also building the skills they want to grow.

Cons

There are a lot of features and configuration options available. That flexibility is a big advantage but it can also make the system feel overwhelming when you're trying to learn the navigation and set everything up around your business needs. Cornerstone does provide admin learning resources and those have definitely been helpful.

“Easy to get used to”

Pros

Coming in with no previous experience using or managing an LMS, I was able to get comfortable with Cornerstone Learning pretty quickly and the platform feels very user-friendly overall.

Cons

From the admin perspective, though, creating or assigning items can be a bit confusing at times since there are quite a few steps to learn and keep track of.

“Support team responds quickly”

Pros

Whenever questions come up, the customer support team responds quickly and is genuinely helpful. There's also a strong library of self-service resources which makes it easier to get quick answers or complete training on your own when needed.

Cons

The platform is reliable overall but some areas aren't very user-friendly so it takes time and training to really understand the more advanced features. On top of that, the sheer number of ready-made courses available can feel a bit overwhelming.

“learning materials, classes and information under one roof”

Pros

Having all of our learning materials, classes and information housed in one place has been really helpful. The custom reporting is also a big plus because it lets us clearly keep track of learner completion.

Cons

A lot of the tools don't feel very user-friendly to use and there are simply too many different ways to accomplish the same task. On top of that, having separate sites like Success Center, Online Help and Support Central makes everything feel a bit overwhelming.

“Well laid out”

Pros

The interface is very user friendly and everything is laid out in a way that makes it simple for users to locate what they need. Because of that, there's very little training required.

Cons

I'd like to see better canned reports available.

“Brilliant reporting system”

Pros

Appreciate the reporting system, along with the learning assignment tool. Both features are really useful and add a lot of value.

Cons

Some functions still require a mouse since certain actions can't be done with the keyboard.

“Effortless navigation”

Pros

Getting students and end users comfortable with it doesn't take much effort. There are plenty of help guides that make it easier for a new admin to learn the system. Uploading basic content and managing catalog items feels user-friendly and the platform keeps simple tasks refreshingly easy. The CyberU additions to the catalog have also been a really strong benefit.

Cons

Once you get beyond the minor or basic admin tasks, the learning curve becomes pretty steep. It's not always clear why certain features need to be turned on or off until the consequences show up later. The help guides are useful to a point but after you've gone through them all and still need answers, it often means reaching out to a third-party consultant and even they may not always know. The reporting function is also unreliable because it frequently pulls duplicate information which creates a lot of cleanup before sharing enterprise-wide reports with leadership. I'd also really like stronger prerequisite restrictions such as requiring a course to have been completed within the current year instead of counting something taken five years ago. Reporting, evaluations and overall data quality still feel lacking.

“Awesome content quality”

Pros

Navigating the platform has been very simple for our end users and there are multiple ways to reach the same area which helps a lot. The course selection is strong and the quality of the content has been just as solid. I'm still relatively new to the system but I'm learning more every day and introducing it to my employees in phases. Any new program takes time to implement so that part feels expected. My employees have shared very positive feedback about how user-friendly it is and about the courses themselves. They have mentioned wanting more department-specific content for areas like accounting, finance and credit but the offerings for sales, customer service, leadership and managers are well covered.

Cons

From the administrator side, the harder part has been getting comfortable with the system setup, building emails and digest emails and making sure everything is functioning correctly. I would really appreciate webinar-style classes that run 2 to 4 hours and walk through these configurations in more detail. Office hours do help but I've ended up calling in as many as three times in a day before getting a question completely resolved.

“frustrating support”

Pros

It offers some impressive, industry-leading ideas around engagement and the customization options can be very attractive for organizations that want flexibility.

Cons

That said the execution can fall short for companies with complex infrastructure especially large organizations with multiple moving parts. At times, the ideas feel only partially developed and once features are released with issues, it seems like attention quickly shifts to the next big initiative instead of fixing what is already broken. Technical support is probably the biggest drawback. When something goes wrong, resolving it can turn into a long and frustrating process and hearing "working as expected" over and over eventually starts to feel like a running joke.

“Stays approachable”

Pros

Found it user friendly and it's the kind of platform that stays approachable as you build more knowledge. Once the basics click, there's plenty more to learn which makes it possible to keep expanding your skills and bring more value to your cloud setup.

Cons

Like most software, it goes through frequent updates and they don't always roll out without some disruption. Whenever a scheduled update is coming up, I get a little uneasy because changes can sometimes impact functionality. The issues do usually get resolved but there's often something that needs attention afterward.

“Adaptable for different needs”

Pros

The system offers a fair amount of customization with custom fields, data loads and different types of learning objects which makes it adaptable to different needs.

Cons

Reporting can be pretty confusing especially when duplicate records show up.

“User-friendly setup and admin access”

Pros

Getting this module set up is simple and being able to proxy in as an Administrator makes troubleshooting much easier. The platform feels modern and progressive and it's very user friendly overall.

Cons

We rely on Observation Checklists and since they're connected to the Performance module, we're basically locked into that module even if we decide we don't want to keep using it long term.

“Keeps improving”

Pros

Over the years, this tool has continued to improve and consistently meets what we need. It's also very customizable which makes it work well for our setup.

Cons

We do run into technical issues from time to time.

“Clean interface”

Pros

The flexibility in the management tools and interface is a big plus and it works well for managing and delivering learning to our end users. Overall it feels like a solid product.

Cons

Technical support for small business users has been disappointing and some parts of course administration still feel buggy.

“Supports widely used standards in learning industry”

Pros

The learning interface feels very user-friendly to work with and it supports the most widely used standards in the learning industry.

Cons

There are still a few areas that could be improved especially when it comes to updating course versions and distributing them.