The speedy progression of technology and the wide-spread acceptance of these advances are changing every sector of the world and a person’s life. These changes require industries to adapt and change with them or be invariably left behind. The funeral industry is no exception to these rules as funeral homes are having to change things up and adapt to the demands of the modern family, or ship out and fail. It has been found the average American spends about 10 hours per day looking at a screen, meaning that the ways people interact with one another and businesses are also changing. People are starting to look to technology as a source of speedy and convenient communication in which they welcome the minimal hassle that it takes to obtain valuable information. With this in mind, it’s become crucial that the funeral industry embrace technology changes and strive to implement them.
Innovative funeral homes are paving the way for others as they branch out and implement technology in their own practices. These innovative funeral homes offer unique, digital services that benefit the families that they serve in various ways. Some homes are utilizing website and social media pages as a means to reach out to clients and educate the them on the services they offer. The best funeral homes have websites that are interactive and engage the families at their own ease of use. These websites contain information that is easy to find and highly accessible to grieving families that may be feeling rushed and overwhelmed. Leading funeral homes offer technological services to the family to support them during the service itself. Some homes are broadcasting the services to family members who were unable to attend or videotaping the services for the families that would like to re-watch at another time. Some funeral homes also help families create memorial videos containing pictures of the deceased person to show during the services. These small yet significant services are being utilized by innovative funeral homes to better their service and benefit their clients.
Arguably, one of the most important services funeral homes are offering their families and clients is the ability to access pricing options online. While it is a federal law that funeral homes do post prices online, sadly, some still fail to do so. By no posting pricing option they become a major inconvenience to clients and often makes the clients lose trust in that particular home. This is because the home is not following federal law, not caring for the needs of the family, and not demonstrating transparency in their costs, which can be substantial. It becomes vital in this day and age for funeral homes to keep updated pricing options on their website in order to gain the trust and better serve families.
In order to better serve families, funeral homes can adapt to changing times by recognizing and complying with the ways that younger generations conduct business and function. This includes recognizing that most people now turn to the internet to book appointment scheduling or communicate. It is more convenient for most people to send emails or contact funeral homes in chat boxes than call them over the phone. People are also becoming more and more inconvenienced by being told they must schedule appointments to find out simple information that can be easily accessed in other ways, such as on websites. By complying with the family’s needs, the funeral homes can help keep families informed with the best offerings available.
One of the last hold outs against the digital revolution must now adapt to new technologies and offer more digital services to families planning funerals. This is proving to be advantageous to families and benefit them in multiple ways, the biggest being convenience. While it can be difficult to adapt to new traditions, it is beneficial to keep up with changing times as different sectors strive to benefit their clients the most. If the funeral industry doesn’t grow with the digital world it risks being left behind.