"Who moved that information?" "Where did you find that number?" "Which version did we work on last?!" These can be universal phrases in an organization that has information silos. Inventory, bookings, customer relationships, mapping and marketing – perhaps they're all managed in different systems right now. Some records may even be paper-base...

Unhealthy Fears About Death and Technology The funeral home industry is no stranger to myths and rumors that perpetuate our collective fear of the unknown. Often the death care industry falls prey to superstitious beliefs or campy depictions that just aren't true.  Those of us working in the funeral and cemetery business take these presumption...

For many, the opportunity to work from home used to be an elusive dream. In the face of the global pandemic that is COVID-19, when so many of us are now forced to work from home, the reality of trying to 'get things done' whilst working remotely from our work colleagues and meeting rooms is perhaps more challenging than we may have envisioned....

Anzac Day 2020 is unlike previous years, in that we will not be able to join in the dawn services and community events that usually mark the day of remembrance. With respect to those soldiers fallen, we present a piece noting a Victorian Cemetery's community Anzac Day preparation in 2019. Remembering All Fallen Soldiers ANZAC Day 2019 and the groun...

Do you ever find yourself wishing you had remembered to acknowledge a special day or milestone, but the moment passed before you could arrange to get an email or correspondence written, designed, and sent out in time?  Juggling the many anniversaries, holidays, key moments, and business events one at a time can create an endless cycle of hurry...

The cemetery and crematoria business have seen rapid change in the last decade, and changes will continue. Customer expectations are different, a much more personalized service is expected, and there are no more 'rules' when dealing with a death. Cremations are increasing, putting pressure on cemeteries to increase revenue with reduced burials. Mem...

Cremation numbers are rising and have been since the 1960s in most of the United States. Below we will look at the reasons for this and the trends that are impacting the cemetery, crematoria and funeral home industries today, and into the future. The growing popularity of cremations has seen revenue fall for many cemeteries which are now struggling...

Some of these changes might surprise you. Our society has seen rapid change in the last few centuries, all aspects of our lives have been impacted, and the cemetery and funeral industry is no different. As customer expectation changes, and the 'traditional norms' are no-longer restricting how we chose to do things, and our increasingly secular soci...

Recent changes brought about by social shifts are predominantly driven through the way in which the millennials or more broadly Gen X/Y/Z view and engage with the world around them.Cemeteries and funeral homes (and the broader death care industry) will be substantially impacted by these changes and so need to prepare their busin...

Established in 1905, Carr Villa Memorial Park (CV) is the main cemetery servicing the Launceston area in Tasmania. With the addition of an on-site crematorium, the first cremation took place in 1939; CV now facilitates a variety of burial offerings. From a lawn cemetery and a monumental cemetery to a limited monumental section, as well as various a...

Geelong Cemeteries Trust (GCT) operates over 20 cemeteries in and around Geelong. With so many sites spread over such a large area, GCT was looking to streamline their operations. The Changing Plot  Formed in 1985 with the amalgamation of four sites, GCT grew to ten sites in the early 2000s. Now in 2019, they manage 20 sites, taking on new loc...

As Australians, we're searching for both our individual and national identities. By looking into our past, we discover the characters our national stories are built on; finding out how they lived, and what they achieved. The local Gordon Cemetery is a great place to start your discovery. Beyond the Graveyard  Depending on your outlook, a buria...

Ongoing education and training are essential for any business to remain competitive and capitalize on opportunities. While we may be stating the obvious, professional development often competes with other day-to-day priorities and may not get the attention it deserves. Yet keeping skills sharp and staying ahead of new trends, tools, technology, and...

Cemetery mapping is essential; for visitors, it allows easy access to the graves or memorials they are seeking, and for the cemetery or crematory it provides a clear list of their inventory (used and available) and helps manage operations. However, mapping a graveyard or any site can come with some challenges; the complexity of these can ...

Wellington, New Zealand – May 2019: "Recreation Aotearoa (representing the New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective) has partnered with OpusXenta, the leading global provider of cemetery and crematoria management solutions, to further strengthen the capabilities of the Cemeteries and Crematoria industry in New Zealand. With a changing marke...

This is our second blog looking at famous Australian and where they are buried. After the public mourning and responses to famous dying rarely do we think about what happened next, where are they buried, or were they cremated - do we even know? For some people their interest in cemeteries can see them visit many cemeteries, some famous and some not...

Memorialisation is being redefined – as the popularity of cremations continues to rise so do the options as to what can be done with the ash remains. The challenge that the cemetery faces is to ensure that the ashes are returned for memorialisation so that the cemetery can drive service and revenue opportunities. So what can your business do to inc...

We all have our special Christmas traditions to celebrate the holiday and spending time with our family and friends - but some countries seem to have very interesting traditions - terrifying even! FINLAND - VISIT A CEMETERY In Finland, the family is very likely to take a trip to a cemetery. The purpose is to light candles in remembrance of dec...

Managing gardens and plants in cemeteries is a complex task often involving many different species and locations throughout the cemetery grounds. It requires a huge effort to keep track of information about these plants, their location, and the maintenance schedule. Imagine having a Gardener's Register to assist cemetery horticulturists, and your g...

November 2018 Local and international partners join Australian software company to accelerate international growth in providing technology solutions to the death care industry Sydney, Australia: OpusXenta, the leading cemetery and crematorium management software solutions provider to the Funeral and Death Care industry, announced the successful com...