From live-streaming to online memorialization, the last few years have proven that the future of funeral services will see Funeral Directors’ reach enhanced by technology.
As well as enabling people to gather physically for a funeral, we can include more people from remote places digitally, through streaming services.
Capturing the thoughts of event attendees in a hard-copy remembrance book, we can now capture the sentiments of all family and friends — including those who can’t be at the event, but want to share condolences and messages of support from all over the world, in a digital remembrance book.
Once, we memorialized people with headstones and plaques alone. Now, we can add to that experience with online tribute pages and full-scale memorials that involve story-telling, conversation, rich media and more.
Fear of the future?
Research shows that 70% of customers believe digital arrangements should be part of the funeral planning process, while 74% feel comfortable to attend a funeral service digitally.
And of course, the pandemic saw a significant uptick in the number of digitally-based funeral services.
So, while some still believe that funeral services is a traditional industry that's slow to embrace technology, we know that family-focused providers large and small are thoroughly leveraging digital service inclusions to improve customer experience in the pre- and at- need stages.
But perhaps the greatest advantage lies in using technology to modernise and improve the quality and efficiency of aftercare.
Streamlining for better aftercare
With staffing and time constraints hitting the industry hard at present, gaining efficiencies is an obvious way to reduce costs.
Digital services like ours provide a single, complete package to hand over to the family after the funeral, including digital remembrance book, event recording, obituary and video tribute, depending on the service inclusions selected.
But we also provide automatic, empathetic communications on the deceased’s date of birth and date of death, for example, as well as lasting online memorials branded with your logo.
So, whenever friends or family feel the pull to reconnect and reminisce over their loved one, they’re reminded that they made the right decision in choosing you to celebrate that person's life.
