Hi Ben! The LMS OmniNotify Training Reminder sounds fantastic. To kick things off, can you tell us what sparked the idea to build this automated training reminder tool and the technology that powers it?
Sure, sure! I noticed that nearly everyone in the company is on a certain messaging platform every day. That got me thinking—why not bring training reminders directly to where employees already are? Let’s be honest, people don’t log into the LMS that often, so learners can easily overlook important updates or training reminders.
Efficient Sync and Timely Training Alerts
That’s exactly why the LMS OmniNotify Training Reminder was created. To make scheduled reminder possible, the tool is powered by a cron job—a time-based scheduler. It automates repetitive tasks by running commands at specific intervals, using a special syntax called a “cron expression” to define the schedule. Think tasks like daily backups, sending newsletters, or clearing caches.
I used cron job scheduling to build the LMS OmniNotify Training Reminder, so we can sync data and send training reminders to learners more efficiently.
The process of Cron Job
That makes perfect sense. So, for our Learning & Development (L&D) team, how does the LMS OmniNotify Training Reminder help simplify their job and drive learner engagement?
The biggest benefit for L&D teams is that they can engage learners more efficiently. Many learners often don’t check their LMS or open reminder emails, so they overlook important updates. By using cron job scheduling, we push notifications directly to messaging platforms like Microsoft Teams, which we currently use, ensuring messages reach learners instantly in the workspace where they are already active.
This saves L&D teams a huge amount of time because the LMS OmniNotify Training Reminder ensures no one misses crucial updates and reduces the time teams previously spent chasing learners with manual follow-ups.
Notifications pushed via Microsoft Teams
Console Log showing Status of Notifications
What made you decide to develop the LMS OmniNotify Training Reminder to send messages specifically through Microsoft Teams?
There’s a practical reason behind this: cost-effectiveness. Most companies already subscribe to Microsoft Teams, so L&D teams don’t incur any extra cost when using it to send training reminders. Since everyone is already active on the platform, learners enrolled in a course start receiving scheduled training reminders without any additional setup or the need to pay for a separate messaging service. We leverage the company’s existing communication tools to drive engagement more efficiently.
That’s a huge benefit. Does that mean the training reminder interface can be integrated with other messaging platforms besides Microsoft Teams?
Right, right. That’s the idea behind OmniNotify, and honestly, the possibilities are wide open. Of course, for this to work, you’ll need an LMS with API capabilities, like the SkyPrep LMS API.
Right now, we’re using Microsoft Teams as our main messaging platform. But the nice thing is, the cron job works like a universal engine. We can easily set the interface to send training reminders through other platforms the company prefers—like WhatsApp, email, or even SMS. However, L&D teams need to bear in mind the cost—platforms like WhatsApp and SMS usually come with telco charges.
No matter which platform you use, the scheduling logic remains the same—we’re just pointing the engine to a different destination. That’s what makes LMS OmniNotify Training Reminder a scalable, long-term solution that can adapt to how teams choose to communicate.
Various messaging platfroms can be used
It sounds like a very powerful bridge. For an L&D team looking to implement the LMS OmniNotify Training Reminder, how much control do they have over managing the interface?
The L&D team has complete control over their messaging. We’ve designed the interface settings so they can directly customise their own message templates—whether it’s for an enrollment, a commencement, or a course completion. The interface even supports placeholders like username and course name to ensure every scheduled training reminder feels personalised.
Messages can be customised
This has been eye-opening, Ben. Before we wrap up, any ‘inside scoop’ on the next blog? Are more integrations coming?
(Laughs) I knew you’d ask! But for now, my lips are sealed! You’ll just have to wait for our next chat—I promise it’ll be worth it.