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 presumptions with a grain of salt, knowing that most of the notions are embellished, fabricated, (or altogether far-fetched), and too easily accepted by those who are simply uncomfortable or uninformed about the topics of death and dying, and letting their imaginations fill in the details.
Similarly, technology is also prone to false conclusions and unfair raps, from those who either fear it or do not fully understand its power to improve workflow.
Just like the death care industry, technology has many perceptions to overcome – but the more you understand the truth about it, the more confident you become about its place in the world, and its place in YOUR world.
Here we set out to bust some common myths about technology and clarify what actually happens when introducing Automation and software solutions to your funeral home or cemetery business:
Myth 1: “Robots take over human jobs”
Fact: Machines do what humans cannot
Robots actually take over the tasks that humans couldn’t possibly do effectively. The humanly impossible tasks of instant, on-demand computing, tracking and measuring, reporting, and communicating with precision are only possible with the help from modern technology and software systems.
Manually generating the kinds of detailed, up-to-the-minute reports, calculations, trend analysis, and rhythmically timed correspondence to various audience segments would require supernatural ability or a large dedicated team at the very least.
Technology and software systems enable the kind of reliable, consistent outputs that your business can not only rely on but scale up with ease – even small businesses.
Relying on human power alone means that your ability to scale activities is limited by the volume of work your staff can produce each day. The best approach is to empower your staff to use technology to their advantage and work alongside it to ensure goals are defined and achieved.
Myth 2: “Automation forces me to give up control”
Fact: The last time we checked, humans still tell the robots what to do
Marketing Automation allows you to set the pace or frequency of your communications, establish “events” that will trigger a specific follow-up correspondence, and eliminate the need to chaperone a continual process. Everything about how you connect to prospects and clients, including how you choose to engage with your customers, what you say, and when you say it are within your control.
Marketing activities such as email journeys can be started, paused, or stopped at any time, and their content can be updated in real time. Automatically generated reports can be tailored to deliver the specific data and insights you need from one or many departments – all configurable to your needs. Access to reports can be restricted to individuals or granted to departments, depending on your preference.
Moving to a digital system that includes automation lets you stay in the driver’s seat and maintain full control of your activities.
Myth 3: “The human touch gets lost”
Fact: Human interactions with your customers actually increase and deepen.
With technology and a full CRM system to centralize information and take care of the time-consuming tasks of record-keeping, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and error-free communications, it frees up staff to provide better levels of personal care and attention to your customers.
For example, a staff member need only glance at the intake screen to access detailed notes about a customer in order to address their needs. Imagine being able to access the following information, all from a central location:
- Communications – A history of every interaction that occurred – each email, phone call, or correspondence that goes out gets recorded and chronicled in a central location
- Relationships – family relationships including ownership and authority rights
- Schedule availability at a glance – services already scheduled and times still available, read more
- Financial Records – all sales-related information, whether pre-need or purchased on site, with easy generation of billing and receipts
- Documents and Certificates – Tracks documents such as burial transit permits, and other required certificates
The quality of care and personal attention shown to customers is deepened when your staff have easy access to every detail needed, and the tools to be efficient. The right technology creates confident stewards of your brand and a deeper human experience.