Due to larger than expected enrollment this spring semester, one of the courses in my IT Leadership program requires a new section to be opened to support the number of students wishing to take the course this spring. I found a great instructor to teach the course and was in the process of contacting the publisher to obtain copies of the textbook we used for this course. This is where the frustration begins.
I searched the textbook publisher's website looking for the text by title, then author, and finally ISBN. No luck. Then, I used the account representative contact information to contact a representative to inquire about the textbook. The response I received from the account representative simply stated the ISBN did not exist in their database so either they are not the publisher or the book was no longer in print. Since I have my own copy of the book I know they are the publisher and the ISBN is correct so I came to the conclusion the book is no longer in print.
Here is the frustration. First of all, the account representative was not able to tell me the book was not in print. Secondly, the representative failed to suggest an alternative text since obviously I would need a new text option in the future. I am aghast at this lack of customer service offered by the representative. Due to the difficulty of the lack of information on the website and obtaining useful service from the account representative I am going to try to avoid working with this publisher in the future; if I can find alternative texts with other publishers I will choose another publisher.
Are we so reliant on our technology and self-service that we miss out on the true value people add? This publisher relied heavily on the website and failed offer knowledgeable support for their products. This is both a systems failure as well as a human resources failure. I'm sure everyone can all relate to similar customer service experiences.
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