Funeral Industry Under the New Normal

JULES GREEN’S 5 BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR THE

FUNERAL INDUSTRY UNDER THE NEW NORMAL

FrontRunnerPro.com/Resources

INTRODUCTION We’re living in unprecedented times right now. The last four months have transformed the way our society works, lives, and interacts with one another.

No one really knows when this will end as we continue to see spikes in cases and second waves in some areas. While areas are slowly returning to a sense of normal, we’re not fully back yet. Who knows if we’ll ever be?

Looking ahead, expect certain changes made during the pandemic to last. What at first many people saw as a temporary disruption could very well be the start of a new normal. After all, our mindsets and beliefs have shifted. We’ve adopted new technology and changed our business’ practices. Even how we greet each other and say hello is different. Lining up to get in stores, relying exclusively on the internet to collaborate and meet; the list goes on.

The idea behind this eBook is to get you thinking about the long term. You’ve likely had to adapt your business quite a bit the past few months. Studies are already showing how consumer preferences are changing. Many of the temporary changes you introduce, could very well become long term solutions. This eBook will look at some of the different areas you might see a shift in consumer expectations and offer up solutions for how you can meet them.

1

1

ONLINE PRICING AND TRANSPARENCY During the course of the pandemic, internet usage has surged. Giants like Amazon and Facebook have both reported substantial increases in website traffic. With millions of people stuck at home and stores closed, it makes sense why this is happening.

Internet shopping isn’t new. Each year, consumers spend billions of dollars buying things online.

As the pandemic began, many businesses needed to find online solutions. Zoom for instance saw their user base grow from 10 million daily users to over 300 million daily users. According to Geekwire, 42% of Americans bought groceries online in March 2020. This is up from 22 percent just two years earlier. Now while this could be a temporary spike in usage, what if it’s not? In the same report, nearly half of online shoppers reported that they’re more likely to continue shopping online after the pandemic. So instead of a temporary spike, what we are really seeing is a shift in mindset among consumers.

As things start to return to a sense of normal, expect online shopping to continue. As we move forward, it’s more important than ever for funeral businesses to have tools available for families to plan online. The Foresight Companies recently released a survey on how consumer preferences have © FRONTRUNNER PROFESSIONAL. 2020.

changed during the pandemic. In the study, they found that 52% of consumers expect online pricing to be available when they visit your website. In fact, these consumers expressed that they would only do business with a company that has pricing available.

People like transparency and being able to get the details they need easily. According to Statista, 63% of people who abandon carts when shopping online is due to extra shipping costs when checking out. That’s just further proof that people don’t want surprises. They want to know how much the product (or service) is going to cost, and everything it includes.

As we move forward, expect this demand for transparency to continue. One such way to meet these expectations is by having tools available to help your customers make informed decisions. Our Quote Builder tool for instance is the perfect solution for this.

With it, families can easily visit your website and begin to build a quote by comparing your different service packages and products. The tool lets them plan the service they want by making informed decisions and comparing their options.

2

2

SERVING FAMILIES REMOTELY Funeral service has a rich history of tradition dating back generations.

During this time, making service arrangements have been almost exclusively done in-person. But when a global pandemic occurs, not everyone is able to make their way to the funeral home to meet. Instead, many funeral homes have begun to use video conferencing services like Zoom to meet with families.

While many funeral professionals are hoping that this is only a temporary solution, it may not be. Recent research has found that 46% of consumers say they like completing arrangements virtually. For something that’s historically taken place in person for so-long, the pandemic has forced funeral homes to grow and adapt.

Now consumers are enjoying the convenience of remote arrangements and won’t necessarily want to go back to the old way.

As we go forward, expect families (not all, but some) to ask about remote planning options. With families spread out and travel not being easy (or recommended right now), it can be hard for families to get together to meet with you and plan. Fortunately, we offer two powerful tools to help with this.

© FRONTRUNNER PROFESSIONAL. 2020.

Arrangement Aide lets you work with families from anywhere on any device. It makes funeral arrangements easy by letting you manage records, help families complete paperwork, and work from anywhere on any device. You can also give families a venue with which to work together, regardless of physical location — so that everyone can have their say and make a contribution to the process.

Recently we released a new tool called EasyID. With it, families have one less trip to make to your facilities. EasyID provides a safe and secure solution to identify a loved one’s remains. Using a secure internet portal, you can email the family a photo of the loved one and a link to confirm the identity. It’s a very helpful tool as it lets the family member complete this important task from the comfort and privacy of home – when they’re ready to do so.

Going forward, expect this growing trend to continue. While many families will still want to come into your facilities, expect others to seek out online solutions. Just like with online pricing, consumers will visit your website looking for solutions to begin immediate need planning as well as preplanning.

3

3

HOLDING SERVICES IN-PERSON AND ONLINE As areas begin to reopen, we’re starting to see funeral attendance increasing.

Areas are reducing restrictions on gathering sizes and how many people can be present in-person to attend services. During the height of the pandemic though, we saw many funeral homes utilizing webcasting to live stream the service for those in attendance at home.

In the Foresight Companies’ consumer preference survey, they found that 40% of consumers expect live streaming to be available permanently. In fact, only 26% of respondents said it’s important to attend the funeral in person. This is down from 42% previously.

© FRONTRUNNER PROFESSIONAL. 2020.

As you can see, people’s perceptions and mindsets have changed. If the option to watch a service online is available, people will use it. We’ve heard from so many clients that have adopted this technology and are seeing positive results. Many have said that families have been amazed to see hundreds of people tuning in to pay respects to their loved one.

While the traditional funeral service isn’t going anywhere, expect to see a demand for live streaming increase. Now that the technology is more popular and being used frequently, families will be less opposed to having the option available. It just makes things easier, especially for those who live out of town and need to travel to attend the service.

4

4

5

SAVING TIME WITH E-TECHNOLOGY Are you starting to sense a trend with these predictions? There is a common theme among each of these – convenience. People love convenience.

If you can make something about their life easier, they’ll be more receptive.

One of the biggest conveniences you can offer your families is electronic solutions. With the solutions above, families can build a quote and then move forward completing their arrangement. All from the comfort of home. But what about signing the documents and making them official?

Everything else can be done online, but now they must visit you to sign the documents and make a payment.

Offering electronic signature or online payment options is the solution.

With these technologies, you can save a significant amount of time in your day while offering the utmost convenience to your families. Did you know that the average time to have a document returned and signed is about 5 days? But, with electronic signature technology like our integration with DocuSign, documents are returned in an average of just 37 minutes. It’s just more convenient for people when they can get an email on their phone, sign the document, and return it in a matter of seconds.

Likewise, online payments make it easier to pay bills. In fact, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, consumers pay nearly half of their bills online (and this number is growing). As eCommerce continues to grow, expect families to seek out these options. If someone can plan a service from home and sign all the documents, the next logical step is entering their banking details to complete the payment.

KEEPING YOUR FACILITIES SAFE For the foreseeable future, keeping your facilities safe will be a top priority.

No one knows how long this pandemic will last. Throughout all of this though, making sure your facilities, staff, and guests are safe cannot be overlooked.

With cases surging in different areas, outbreaks can be unpredictable. With that in mind, it’s important to have tools and protocols in place to mitigate any risk.

© FRONTRUNNER PROFESSIONAL. 2020.

Tracking attendance and who is coming and going from your facilities is one such way to help minimize the spread. But how do you do that – sign in sheets for all your guests?

What happens if someone doesn’t sign the sheet? Furthermore, how do you manage attendance? The last thing you want is to be at capacity and have guests show up to pay their respects.

5

One of the most important features of the tool is the contact information. Each guest that plans to attend will need to offer their contact details. The reason behind this being if someone tests positive for Covid-19 after a service, you can easily assist with contact tracing and notifying other guests that they may have been exposed.

Our new RSVP tool is the perfect solution for this. All guests need to do is visit their loved one’s online memorial to reserve a seat at the service. If capacity is reached, it won’t accept the reservation and instead displays a message that you can set. This could be used to pass along a link to live stream the service from home instead.

© FRONTRUNNER PROFESSIONAL. 2020.

As we go forward, expect businesses to continue practicing strict operating requirements to keep everyone as safe as possible. Having solutions like this not only helps but provides guests with a sense of security that your firm is going above and beyond to keep everyone safe.

6

LINKS & RESOURCES COVID tools: EasyID:

https://www.frontrunnerpro.com/covid-19-tools

https://www.frontrunnerpro.com/easyid

Arrangment Aide:

https://www.frontrunnerpro.com/funeral-arrangement-software

RELATED BLOG POSTS: - Family Expectations - https://blog.frontrunnerpro.com/covid-19-new-family-expectations/ - Reopening Tips - https://blog.frontrunnerpro.com/covid-19-reopening-tips/ - 5 Lessons - https://blog.frontrunnerpro.com/5-business-lessons-we-can-learn-from-covid-19/ - Cash Flow - https://blog.frontrunnerpro.com/cash-flow-insurance-assignments/ - Live Streaming - https://blog.frontrunnerpro.com/funeral-live-streaming-professional-equipment-options/

© FRONTRUNNER PROFESSIONAL. 2020.

7