I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people utter the phrase, “I hate my LMS.” Industry research indicates that about 15% of companies switch their LMS each year, a number that has held steady for the past several years.

In talking with clients this year, I determined that the trend is continuing—about 30% of our customers indicated they were dissatisfied with their existing LMS. During these discussions, I probed a little deeper into the “I hate my LMS” statement and found that the majority of companies do not have a problem with their LMS features and functionality, but with the support from the LMS vendors. Some believe this is typical of the software industry. Case in point: I read a Wall Street Journal article that was discussing Oracle’s reputation for aggressively selling software and then ignoring the customers who bought it. Oracle is trying to solve this problem by assigning each customer a senior customer service representative who telephones the customer as often as once a month to talk about how the software and the support are working.

LMS vendors are doing the same thing with different levels of support that you can purchase. The premier service provides you with a dedicated account manager. This account manager is supposed to bridge the gap between sales, customer support, and professional services so action can be taken when needed. In addition, the account manager should understand the history of your LMS to better address your issues. So if you’re one of the dissatisfied LMS customers, maybe it’s time for you to try the premier service option and see if it works. I know that it does not make sense to pay extra for an expected level of service, but it is a lot cheaper than switching. Bottom line, my advice is to always try and work it out with your existing LMS vendor before making the decision to switch. Otherwise, in the not too distant future, you might find yourself saying, “I hate my new LMS.”