A significant majority of Americans now choose direct cremation over traditional funerals and burial, a trend set to continue growing for at least another five years. Learn how modern funeral home software helps deathcare professionals and their businesses adjust.
Cremation is now preferred over burial for the majority of Americans (61% as of 2023) and this trend is on track to continue growing–projected to reach 80% by 2030(1). Many families are choosing direct cremation–either foregoing a memorial service altogether, or planning one that occurs weeks or months after cremation–for both financial and logistical reasons.
This marks a significant cultural shift around deathcare in North America, where previously cremation was chosen only by those who could not afford a traditional funeral with visitation/viewing followed by memorial service and burial.
Funeral homes, many of which are run as family businesses, have had to adjust to the significant decrease in traditional funerals and increase in lower-cost (often direct) cremations.
Here are three considerations to explore that will help you make the most of funereal home software to make smart business decisions in this new era.
Essential Direct Cremation Information for Funeral Home Clients
When a family makes inquiries about cremation to your funeral home, they will expect straightforward access to the following information:
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- Full scope of all cremation services offered, including direct cremation and ceremony/memorial options.
- Proof of licensure as a cremation provider.
- Availability of facility tours.
- Specifics about how you conduct the cremation process, including who supervises it and ability to adhere to rituals or procedures to meet cultural or religious requirements.
- Complete, transparent price list including fees for optional services.
- Time frame for each step of the cremation process, to ensure timing coordinates with factors like memorial services and deceased estate handling.
- Procedures to ensure remains are handled correctly, including protocols to ensure the family receives the remains of their loved one.
- Options for personalizing a memorial service after direct cremation, including selection of specific music and displaying photos or slideshows.
That’s a lot of information, some of it very specific, that must be kept updated and easy to provide to potential clients! The Director’s Assistant Web (TDAW®) funeral home software platform stands out for its features built on decades of experience that cover all these bases and then some.
Pre-planned Direct Cremation Services
While funerals and cremations are typically planned and conducted in a short amount of time following death of a family member, some individuals and their families choose to think ahead and pre-plan both cremation of their remains and a memorial service or celebration of life as part of the grieving process.
Offering preneed services, including customizable packages with clear pricing, is one way to support families. When designing and putting together plans to present to clients who inquire about pre-planning, keep in mind the reasons why families are likely to think ahead and plan for cremation:
Ease the grieving process for surviving family by making end-of-life wishes ahead of time in a relaxed, thoughtful way to truly reflect preferences, values, and traditions of the individual and their family.
Reduce the often burdensome cost of a funeral by having remains cremated immediately after death, and forgoing the expenses involved with a burial and a formal ceremony.
Flexibility to plan a personalized, private or public memorial service weeks or months after death, allowing far-flung family and friends to participate in person or remotely.
With TDAW® funeral home software it’s easy for your business to offer pre-planning services. The software is accessible from any internet-connected device, so setting up a preneed case can be done from a variety of locations; this information is kept on file for easy access once the family member dies and it’s time to put the plan into action. You can also list your pre-planning services on the ArrangeOnline®, where families can find participating funeral homes in the web directory and start the planning process on their own before contacting you.
Value-Added Funeral Home Services for Direct Cremation Clients
Another way to support families–whether they choose direct cremation or not–is through thoughtful, modern services that address logistical and emotional aspects of deathcare in the 21st century. Here are two.
Use of technology such as a virtual live-streamed service for far-flung family and friends, recorded service for those who cannot attend live, or tribute videos viewed during in-person visiting hours or online. The goal with any of these services is to make it easier for geographically dispersed families to remember and commemorate their loved ones.
Bereavement support such as in-person or videoconference grief support groups, or recorded videos made available online exploring how to navigate the grief process. The goal with these services is to help surviving family and friends cope during the difficult time following their loved one’s death.
TDAW® funeral home software provides trend reporting tools in order to market and cater to customers with services that support families who choose direct cremation, or to identify where to market traditional funeral services. Just as in any business, connecting with the appropriate target audience is an important aspect of a funeral director’s job.
Learn more about TDAW® or contact Continental Computers anytime to explore how our funeral home management software can help you run your business effectively and support families with compassionate funeral planning services.
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This blog post is co-authored by Mae Kowalke and Wes Johnson.
Mae Kowalke
Digital Marketing Lead, Continental Computers
Mae grew up in rural Washington State and Vermont. In high school, she worked in public libraries and during college began her career in journalism before segueing into digital marketing. Mae holds a B.A. in Communications and has spent over two decades applying her writing superpower to help businesses communicate the value they bring to customers. Mae’s life experiences provide her with a broad and deep understanding of researching, organizing, and communicating meaningful information to both businesses and consumers.
Wes Johnson
President/CEO, Continental Computers
Wes grew up in the southern United States as an underprivileged child, and went on to serve active duty in the U.S. Army for a decade. Wes holds a B.S. in accounting and an MBA, and is a practicing licensed funeral director. These life experiences provide him with a unique perspective in the death-care industry. He understands the dynamics between the family and the funeral director, including the difficulty families face to pay for funerals. “Let’s solve problems together,” he says.
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