December 2021

Page A4 DECEMBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A Time may be only a moment so keep a memory Necklace Urn Pendants for an Everlasting Keepsake. Urns hold a portion of the cremains. Sterling Silver and Gold pieces in stock. orders or catalog : www.cremationkeepsakes.com cremationkeepsakes@comcast.net 877-303-3144 CREMATION KEEPSAKES By Nancy Weil Funeral service has always been about providing the families we serve outstanding customer service in a compassionate way and doing our best to say, “yes” whenever possible. The COVID-19 pandemic changed our habit of saying, “yes” when safety regula- tions limited our ability to provide what they wanted. It has been uncomfortable for those of us accustomed to doing all we can to accommodate a family to sud- denly have to deny their reasonable requests. Although there is nothing you can do to get around these pan- demic requirements, there are many ways that you can give a customer what they are asking for. This can be as simple as responding to an outreach in the way requested. If someone sends an email and asks that you email them back, send them an email. Don’t pick up the phone and call or, worse yet, ignore their email. Try to respond as quickly as possible, certainly within 24 hours to any non-urgent email received. On the other hand, if you receive a phone message, be sure to return the phone call. This may sound too absurd to even mention, yet there are times when emails and calls are left unreturned. There are times when you let business slip away because you did not get the mes- sage or check your inbox. Be sure you have a system in place so that these things do not get missed and that you respond in whatever way is requested – be that email, phone, text, Facebook Messenger, Linke- dIn, etc. Another way you can accommodate requests is to lis- ten to what your families are asking for when it comes to the products and services you offer. Be willing to special order that unique urn or have a cremation Random Musings jewelry display. At the cemetery, pay attention to their requests. Do they want to add personal items into the niche? Do you have a protocol to review a request for an unusual monument design? What about personalization? Do you suggest ways that a funeral service can be personalized? What informa- tion do you share with the family about options to make their service unique? How well does the staff accommo- date these requests? Do you set up a special altar at the cemetery for the committal service with photos and other items provided by the family? It takes time to go this ex- tra step, but to some families it can make all the differ- ence in their experience of the services you provide and take a funeral from “nice” to “amazing.” Let’s talk money. Do you post your GPL on your web- site? If not, how simple is it for a consumer to access it if they contact your funeral home? Of course, if they walk in your door, you are required to provide this, but what if it is a price shopper who wants to compare options within your area? Do you use this as an opportunity to connect with the shopper and let them know why select- ing your funeral home is about more than just the cost? Do you ignore these requests and put up hurdles to pre- vent the consumer from easily receiving this information? There is a way to provide your pricing while still connect- ing with the consumer and letting them know the value of what you provide and how you deliver on your prom- ise of extraordinary service. Finally, do you take the time to share information that they didn’t even know they had to ask? Planning a funeral or burial is something we do every day, but to most peo- ple it is something they rarely, if ever, have done. How can you “give them what they ask for” if they don’t know what to ask for? By taking the time to listen to their story, their concerns and their wishes, you can then make suggestions that will guide the family and allow them to plan a service that truly reflects their de- sires. All it takes is the willingness to give them what they want (even if they didn’t know what they really wanted). Give Them What They Ask For Serving as Member Resources Director at the International Order of the Golden Rule, Nancy Weil brings her years of experience working in the funeral industry to funeral directors across the globe. Her professional experience includes serving as Director of Grief Support and Community Outreach at Veterans Funeral Care in Clearwater, FL and at eleven cemeteries in Western New York. Nancy travels throughout the country offering presentations on how to reduce stress, combat compassion fatigue and offer support for those who are grieving through her company, The Laugh Academy. With certifications as a Grief Services Provider and Grief ManagementSpecialist, FuneralCelebrant, Soul InjuryAmbassador and Laughter Leader, Nancy is uniquely qualified to bring new perspectives into how to best meet the needs of the families you serve. For more information on how Nancy can help you and your company grow, visit her website: www.TheLaughAcademy.com or email Nancy@TheLaughAcademy.com. F U N E R A L H O M E & C E M E T E R Y N E W S w w w . N o m i s P u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m Monthly Columns online at round table type format. Speaking with Putrino, he mentioned that their goal with this episode was to bring in the experts in cremation liability to discuss their experiences and to educate their lis- teners within death care. “Poul, Chris, and Michael are three very respected names in the legal side of death care and brought with them an immense wealth of knowl- edge on the episode’s topic. I was so hon- ored to have them on the show,” Putrino said. He also said the topics of the episode included cases the three guests have been involved in, different ways in which a fami- ly could bring a case against a funeral home in regard to cremation, and the ways a fu- Rollings Funeral Service’s Podcast Hosts Cremation Liability Legal Round Table Chris Farmer Poul Lemasters Michael Elliott TYRONE,GA— Rollings Funeral Service is excited to announce that their podcast, A Grave Affair, recently host- ed their first legal round table episode focused on cremation liability. Umberto Putrino, the show’s host, was joined by Chris Farmer, founder of the Farmer Firm and general counsel for the National Funeral Directors Association, Poul Lemasters, funeral director and attorney with Lemasters Consulting and cremation counsel for the International Cemetery, Cremation & Funeral Association, and Michael Elliott, senior legal counsel and CCO with Carriage Ser- vices. The episode was focused on cremation liability. Greg Rollings, president and CEO of Rollings Funeral Service, commented “When Umberto came to me and said he wanted to do a legal type episode, I immediate- ly thought of turning this into a round table. Crema- tion liability is such an im- portant topic in our indus- try, and I wanted to bring in some of the best names in funeral service to discuss the issues surrounding it.” Rollings also mentioned that with 15 episodes in the podcast so far, this episode marks their first- neral home can protect themselves against any cremation issues, and more. This episode can be listened to on A Grave Affair’s Spotify and Apple Podcast channels. With 70 locations, Rollings Funeral Ser- vice is one of the largest private funeral home owners in the eastern United States. With each of their firms operated on the local level, their managers work directly with Rollings Funeral Service to establish budgets, pricing, and best practices. They also pride themselves on being a great al- ternative to selling to a publicly traded company and they continue to search for firms that will be a great fit to their grow- ing family of funeral homes. @Nomis.Publ ications Like us on XL industries inc. Call: 661-250-1507 • Visit: www.XLIndustries.com Available Through Quality Suppliers Made in USA Unique items found only at xl industries Providing the Best-Designed Tools for Your Services Since 1926. Dozens of products that give you years of service and store compactly when not in use. Lightweight and easy to take to gravesides or churches. Pole Rack with Shelves extends from the floor to the ceiling Combo Expansion “B” Rack “J” Casket Floral Rack Sets down on top of casket Platform Shelf O-1 additional display surface for many XL large stands