Thursday, January 18, 2007

Book- Embrace the Oxymoron: Customer Service in Higher Education

Recently I have been getting calls and emails from folks who wish to get a copy of my book Embrace the Oxymoron: Customer Service in Higher Education. I am alsways thnakful for the calls by the way. Call or email anytime. 413.219.6939 nealr@greatservismatters.com

It seems it is tough to find out where to buy it since the publisher LRP Publications only lists it on its own website As a result, it is hard for potential buyers to locate. Sometimes it surprises me that over 47% of all schools have acquired it what with it being so tough to find. From what you tell me, they would sell many more copies if they were on say Amazon or B+N. Oh well, here's the link. http://www.shoplrp.com/product/p-31075.html

If you go to Amazon, you may find it but at ridiculous prices from resellers and used book dealers. My mother thinks the book is great, but she wouldn’t even pay over $120 for it from a used book seller.

The book is good and would save schools thousands in retention and enrollment costs but it can be obtained for less. Frankly, I think most books are over prices now-a-days especially texts but that's another topic.

By the way, a really good book for thinking about customer service is How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market (HBS Press)by Gerald Zaltman. Zaltman is a Harvard prof of marketing. Zaltman explores the intersection of brain functions, mind and consumer action. His focus is mainly on the retail and service markets but the insights can be correlated to our academic worlds as well. I think his observations are quite good and interesting. They also let me use my doctorate in neurolinguistics and that makes me believe the years I spent working on it have some value - even for an ex-college president. Presidents are rumored to lose their real brain functions to budgets and sometimes egos after all.

It is a good book and worth the read. I will be glad to recommend books on customer service and even consultants who can help you improve if anyone wants. Just let me know the issue and I will be delighted.



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