The other day, I visited my friendly local dentist for my
six-month checkup. As I was leaving, I received not only
the traditional toothbrush, but also some floss and, wow, a
little supply of toothpicks in a carrying case. This might
not sound like much to you, but consider this: Have you
ever been driving along on your way to an important
appointment only to discover you had something stuck in a
tooth?
As I was contemplating this generosity, I ran across a
wonderful word – lagniappe. Pronounced
“lan-yap” or “lanny-yapp,” the word
means “a little something extra, a bonus.” You
could also say it’s something thrown in for good
measure. The 13th donut in a baker’s dozen is
lagniappe. If you are a fan of Wheel of Fortune or
Jeopardy, you’ll remember the phrase, “Lovely
parting gifts.” These are lagniappe (unless you
don’t have a hankering for press-on nails).
The word has Creole or Cajun origins, and the custom is
believed to originate in the Spanish quarter of New
Orleans. Certainly the spelling is French in origin. Mark
Twain ran across the word “lagniappe” while
traveling to New Orleans, and he called it “a word
worth traveling to New Orleans to get, a nice limber,
expressive, handy word” (in Travels on the
Mississippi).
In the modern world of customer service, the concept of
lagniappe is a useful one to remember. Giving your clients
or patients something extra has several benefits:
• Receiving lagniappe makes people feel special. Ask
a child what he remembers about the doctor’s office
and most likely he’ll tell you it was the sucker he
received on the way out.
• Giving lagniappe differentiates you from your
competitors.
• Giving lagniappe helps people remember your
practice and your services, like the pen you give with your
practice name on it.
• Giving lagniappe helps tie you to your customers.
When people receive something for nothing, they feel a
sense of obligation to the giver. This could make them
more likely to give back to you, possibly by referring
others or just making them feel obligated to come back. A
perfect example is the little gifts given by charities, to
get you to feel obligated to donate to them. There’s
nothing evil in this concept; it’s just human nature
to want to give back in return; it’s called
“reciprocity.”
The possibilities for lagniappe are limited only by your
imagination. Here are some possibilities, just to get your
creative thinking process started:
• When a new patient fills out paperwork, give
him/her the pen to keep. Of course, it has your name on
it, but it is still a nice thought.
• If your new patients have a lot of things to take
home with them, give them a folder or canvas bag to carry
everything in.
• Give a cookie to clients who fill out a
satisfaction survey.
• Provide a coupon for a free ice cream cone to every
patient on “patient appreciation day.”
Some tips for using lagniappe:
1. Keep it small and simple. You don’t need to spend
a lot of money to make people feel special. That pen you
give to new patients should work, but it doesn’t have
to be expensive.
2. Don’t do it all the time. If you gave out
presents every time a client came into the office, it
wouldn’t be lagniappe. People don’t value what
is expected. Only give once in a while. The exception to
this is children; they expect that lollipop every time they
come in, and you and their parents won’t have a good
day if they don’t get it.
3. Give on unexpected occasions. Avoid the traditional
holidays and celebrations and find a meaningful day on
which to give lagniappe. One doctor I know sends
Thanksgiving cards instead of Christmas or Hanukkah cards,
to express his gratitude to patients who have been with him
for a year.
4. Finally, the best lagniappe is a sincere “thank
you,” which costs nothing and gives huge payback.
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Copyright 2007 Jean Wilson Murray, MBA, PhD.
Dr. Jean Murray has been advising small business owners
since 1974. As the founder of Planning for Practice
Success, she specializes in assisting health care
professionals with business plan construction and startup
details. She can help you gain the knowledge to act and the
confidence to begin. Learn more at
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