Custom learning management system development

  • No limitations with custom features
  • Pay once & use forever with no per-user fees
  • No lock-in – freedom to move your system away
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About us

We are Plume.

We are designers, developers, marketeers and consultants specialising in designing and developing custom e-learning platforms and membership websites.

Our clients come to us because they feel frustrated by the limitations of off-the-shelf technology, which hinders their ability to grow, innovate and scale.

We’re only of the few specialist agencies of our kind and stand out to our clients for our attention to detail, rigorous planning phase and intuitive designs.

As an agency we are highly collaborative and seek long term partnerships with organisations who resonate with our values and want to scale their offering and revenue.

Our Services

We specialise in designing and developing learning management systems and membership websites for organisations across multiple sectors. Our platforms are built to be flexible and future-proof to help you scale and grow.

  • E-learning

    Learning management systems

    Custom e-learning platforms for clients who feel frustrated by the limitations of off-the-shelf systems.

    Find out more
  • Subscriptions

    Membership websites

    Create and sell subscriptions through a custom membership website.

    Find out more
  • Scalability

    Scale and grow

    Prepare for massive growth with scalable infrastructure for LMS and membership sites.

    Find out more

We specialise in creating custom e-learning platforms and membership websites:

  • Full Case Studies

    Improving mental health with an LMS

    Creating a bespoke LMS with integrated therapist booking and self-help e-learning courses

    See project
  • Key features

    A collaborative and community-driven LMS

    Adding contextual comments to promote student discussions

    See project
  • Full Case Studies

    Personalised learning experiences and B2B tools for an employee soft skills platform

    Increasing engagement through highly personalised experiences

    See project
  • Full Case Studies

    Live webinar-based e-learning platform for 3D design school

    Creating a classroom experience for students across the globe

    See project
  • Key features

    Netflix-style video library for a mobile dog training LMS

    Purpose built video training library, taking inspiration from Netflix and App Stores

    See project
  • Full Case Studies

    Collaborative learning in lockdown – the community-driven LMS

    Designed for developers-to-be during the COVID-19 lockdown

    See project
  • Key features

    Facebook-style Group Forums for LearnDash

    All the functionality of a Facebook group integrated inside your LMS

    See project
  • Full Case Studies

    Intuitive NHS learning management system

    Eliminating the barriers to health service e-learning

    See project
  • Full Case Studies

    The custom built LMS for past papers, exam prep and more

    Instant access to past papers for students, teachers and parents

    See project
  • Full Case Studies

    Improving mental health with an LMS

    Creating a bespoke LMS with integrated therapist booking and self-help e-learning courses

    See project
  • Key features

    A collaborative and community-driven LMS

    Adding contextual comments to promote student discussions

    See project
  • Full Case Studies

    Personalised learning experiences and B2B tools for an employee soft skills platform

    Increasing engagement through highly personalised experiences

    See project
  • Full Case Studies

    Live webinar-based e-learning platform for 3D design school

    Creating a classroom experience for students across the globe

    See project
  • Key features

    Netflix-style video library for a mobile dog training LMS

    Purpose built video training library, taking inspiration from Netflix and App Stores

    See project
  • Full Case Studies

    Collaborative learning in lockdown – the community-driven LMS

    Designed for developers-to-be during the COVID-19 lockdown

    See project
  • Key features

    Facebook-style Group Forums for LearnDash

    All the functionality of a Facebook group integrated inside your LMS

    See project
  • Full Case Studies

    Intuitive NHS learning management system

    Eliminating the barriers to health service e-learning

    See project
  • Full Case Studies

    The custom built LMS for past papers, exam prep and more

    Instant access to past papers for students, teachers and parents

    See project

Get more inspiration from our work

Private tuition and online courses

Improving mental health with an LMS

MyPersonalTherapy provides real online therapy combined with self-help courses, designed to help millennials cope with and improve their mental health. MyPersonalTherapy came to Plume because they needed a bespoke learning management system with impenetrable security, integrated therapist booking and self-help e-learning courses, all packaged up into an affordable weekly subscription.

Full case study

Contextual comments

A collaborative and community-driven LMS

Social E-learner was created for a client who needed a community-driven and collaborative learning management system. This level of engagement brought the social aspects of traditional classroom based learning to the online space, increasing engagement and completion rates.

Full case study

Personalised learning experiences and B2B tools for an employee soft skills platform

Career Masterclass is a career development platform, helping people in the UK, Nigeria, US, and Canada to advance their careers. With a successful ‘version one’ learning management system already thriving, they were keen to elevate their offering in order to cement their position in the market and enable future growth plans. With Plume at the helm we were asked to create a highly engaging learning experience through rich personalisation using custom content and learning paths, provide self-user management and progress reporting tools for B2B client users and optimise the platform for a Nigerian user-base.

Full case study

Live streaming lessons

Live webinar-based e-learning platform for 3D design school

To guarantee students get the best opportunity to learn, Cave Academy has adopted a model that mimics classroom teaching, accessible on a global scale.

Full case study

Video on demand

Netflix-style video library for a mobile dog training LMS

Absolute Dogs is the leader in online dog training with thousands of customers around the world. One of their core products is a library of videos designed to help dog owners better manage their dog’s behaviours. This library was previously shoehorned into their existing LMS which was initially designed for a structured, linear course – our task was to purpose build a new system, taking inspiration from Netflix and App Stores.

Full case study

Social in isolation

Collaborative learning in lockdown – the community-driven LMS

This LMS was designed to help people learn to code; an audience who predominantly use Reddit for their social media fix. Grounded in the principles of the 70 20 10 model, we designed the forum around the structure of Reddit to promote social learning and ensure that new users are instantly familiar with the interface. The more familiar we can make it, the better the adoption will be.

Full case study

Group forums

Facebook-style Group Forums for LearnDash

Light-weight and built for social learning, our Facebook-style Group Forums plugin for LearnDash and other frameworks will give you the best functionality of a Facebook group without having to leave the comfort of your LMS.

Full case study

Healthcare

Intuitive NHS learning management system

The learning management systems used by the NHS aren’t known for their sleekness. In the case of one trust, typical NHS staff needed to log into around 15 systems per day. With so many accounts, staff had to try and remember multiple passwords (or more likely use the same password for all of them which compromises security). In this concept, logins are fully automated, using NHS Digital’s single-sign-on technology.

Full case study

Custom past papers

The custom built LMS for past papers, exam prep and more

In advance of an expected surge in users, SchoolExams had a tight deadline in which to create a scalable system that could help students across the UK prepare for their exams. Aimed at KS2 and GCSE students, this past paper library needed to be built from scratch on a flexible framework stable enough to host over 1 million users. During this project, we created a library of past paper questions that could be used for revision with video lessons and a custom past paper builder for all users.

Full case study

Not sure if we’re going to be a good fit? Learn what it’s like to work with Plume.

  • WHAT YOU GET
  • OUR PROCESS

    • HYPERFOCUSED EXPERTS

      We are not a full-service agency. Our specialists are grounded in their niche. We build, manage and support successful membership sites. That’s it.

    • COLLABORATION

      You’re experts in your field, we’re experts in ours. Success comes when we work together, to bring your vision to life.

    • ONGOING LOVE & CARE

      Once you’re in the family, we’ll look after you, with ongoing support, maintenance and specialist hosting/server management.

    • PERKS

      Along with free monthly consultations, our clients get access to an exclusive library of technologies that you can’t get anywhere else.

    • DISCOVERY

      Following your Exploration call we should both be on the same page and ready to proceed with discovery. This stage brings in our e-learning experts who will work with you to create a detailed technical breakdown and Build Strategy for your LMS.

    • DESIGN

      We always create high-res mock-ups before starting any development work. You’ll see every screen as your users would see them on the site, and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to provide your guidelines and feedback.

    • DEVELOPMENT

      Finally, working in 2-week sprints, we’ll begin developing your site using the Build Strategy and designs to bring everything to life. You’ll receive regular updates throughout so you can oversee and comment on the progress we make throughout this phase.

    • LAUNCH

      With your launch date approaching, we set time aside for you to receive any training you need and give you the time to familiarise yourself with the platform ahead of your scheduled launch date.

    • ITERATE

      Following the launch of your site, we’re on hand to help you develop and refine new features and functionality.

Our experts are here to support you, long into the future. As much (or as little) as you like.

  • Support
  • Development
  • Consultancy
  • Hosting
  • Our UK-based team is on hand to answer questions throughout the design and development process of your e-learning platform or membership site. Each client is assigned a dedicated account manager who will oversee your project from beginning to end, and beyond.
    No time-zone differences. No long response times. No need for concern.

    Joss Hutton

    Project Manager
  • We have a highly-skilled, diverse team of developers each with their own specialities across WordPress, Open edX and other frameworks. We assign specialist developers to your project based on your specific requirements, ensuring streamlined development from beginning to end.
    Our developers offer a unique pool of expertise that can be tapped into at any time, allowing for seamless collaboration and problem-solving.

    Igor Mitic

    Lead Developer
  • We’re proud to bring our 10 years of design and development experience to the table. We know what’s possible. We know how long work takes. And we’re not in the habit of overpromising and under-delivering. Our advice is data-driven, allowing us to make decisions and recommendations on your LMS that saves you time and money.
    Additionally, we have a solid understanding of the key principles of web design, copywriting, sales and marketing – putting us in a unique position to offer our expert opinion on your e-learning platform or membership site, regardless of its development stage.

    Kaine Shutler

    Managing Director
  • We take the hassle out of hosting. Our specialist servers are built to handle the complex needs of a membership website or learning management system and its user’s demands. Where your average server may only be able to handle a website, ours are able to fulfil the demands of your learning environment.
    Our global content delivery networks (CDN) is a must for fast video delivery, no matter where your learners are based.

    Kelly Newcomb

    Digital Marketing Specialist

Trusted by 4872388 users across 182 systems

  • “Very pleased with the service – it was great to work with a team with specific expertise in what we were trying to do (rather than us making it up in-house!), and the output was certainly better and more cost-effective than what we would have achieved ourselves.”

    Dave Ranner

    Commercial Director, CameraForensics

  • “Our old platform felt like it was stitched together, and nothing really felt like it matched our brand. We could have never imagined our platform looking like it does now. Our long-time users have commented on just how impressive it looks and feels.”

    Matt Rouse

    Director of Learning Management and Technologies, Absolute Dogs

  • “From the initial proposal to the delivery of the outcomes we have felt listened to and understood, challenged and guided as needed… But most of all we actually felt like partners – not new customers.”

    Andy Pearce

    Managing Director, On Track Learning

  • Matt Bramble

    “I was incredibly impressed. The Plume team knows their stuff, but most importantly they know how to listen to a client’s needs and translate those needs into an actionable plan.”

    Matt Bramble

    COO, Leverage Lab

  • “Very pleased with the service – it was great to work with a team with specific expertise in what we were trying to do (rather than us making it up in-house!), and the output was certainly better and more cost-effective than what we would have achieved ourselves.”

    Dave Ranner

    Commercial Director, CameraForensics

  • “Our old platform felt like it was stitched together, and nothing really felt like it matched our brand. We could have never imagined our platform looking like it does now. Our long-time users have commented on just how impressive it looks and feels.”

    Matt Rouse

    Director of Learning Management and Technologies, Absolute Dogs

  • “From the initial proposal to the delivery of the outcomes we have felt listened to and understood, challenged and guided as needed… But most of all we actually felt like partners – not new customers.”

    Andy Pearce

    Managing Director, On Track Learning

  • Matt Bramble

    “I was incredibly impressed. The Plume team knows their stuff, but most importantly they know how to listen to a client’s needs and translate those needs into an actionable plan.”

    Matt Bramble

    COO, Leverage Lab

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Are there any running costs with a custom build?

    Yes, there are some fees such as hosting, maintenance and third-party licensing. You may leave Plume and find alternate providers for these at any time.

  • What if we need support?

    For the first 3 months, we’ll be providing you with maintenance and support in the form of development hours, project management, training and site updates. After this initial period, you will have the option to continue with this support.

  • Will you charge licensing fees at a later date?

    We’ll never charge mandatory licensing fees for the products and services provided to you under a zero-licensing-fee agreement, although in some cases you may opt-into licensing in order to receive new versions. We will soon be launching new products that will be subject to licensing fees, but these products are optional.

  • Do I need a host?

    Your system will need to be hosted somewhere. Of course, as membership site specialists, we have a range of dedicated hosting packages specifically for membership websites. Find out more about our hosting packages here: https://plume.co.uk/lms-hosting/

  • Can you help with content?

    Clients are responsible for creating their own content and adding it to the system. Our platforms include a comprehensive range of course creation and quiz building tools in order for you to do this. On some occasions we may add some content for you to get you going, but at Plume, we focus on enabling our clients to be self-reliant, encouraging you to use and manage your system without needing to contact us.

  • Where are you based? Can I come and see you?

    We are based in Bristol, UK with offices in the city centre. We have a number of platforms in place so that we can serve our international clients with any support requests and training. Given the current climate, we are discouraging anyone from visiting the office.