Little offerings make great impressions
Customer service is the most common differentiator between marinas, and one easy way to improve how customers view your level of accommodation is with lagniappe, a southern Louisiana term meaning something extra and unexpected that can be applied to your customers.
At the 2011 Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, Larry Halgren of Halgren & Associates characterized lagniappe as something that should be random and unexpected, goes beyond the norm and invites the customer to play, such as a free meal at the marina restaurant.
By providing unexpected service, marina operators are reminding their customers how much they value their business.
“In a competitive environment, it is important to remember the little things make the difference, but the difference is no little thing,” Halgren said.
The important distinction between lagniappe and customer service is lagniappe only works for 90 to 120 days before the customer will come to expect it, which transitions the offering to typical customer service, not an above-and-beyond gesture, according to Halgren.
Marina-applicable lagniappe ideas include handing out newspapers at random to people at their boats on Sundays, giving lessons on how to tie up a boat, delivering food and flowers to new boat owners, and cleaning someone’s boat at random.
During a busy Saturday morning, Halgren said one marina manager utilized lagniappe by handing his business card with a free drink token attached to customers waiting for assistance, asking them to have a free drink at the marina’s restaurant while the staff caught up with the rush.
“Customers melt in your hand when things like this happen,” said Halgren.
