Funeral Words

"Legacy" Costs

A point to ponder:

How long will it be until a funeral home opens up and advertises the fact that they DO NOT have to carry the cost of old pre-arrangements?

For many, those weak "investments" in the future only drive up the cost of providing new at-need calls.

Someone will try to exploit that gap. I wonder who will do it be and where it will happen.

Thoughts? Comments? Have you by chance seen this already in your area?

Subaru's "Boring" Approach

I pass along the following article as a reminder that sometimes "slow and steady" does indeed win the race. Despite the horrible economy, Subaru has seen a sales increase this year. They've done it by providing consistent quality to a consumer base which is solidly affluent, rather than trendy and flashy.

I think funeral service deserves a reminder that many consumers want and need quiet, consistent, reliable, quality service from a company they know and trust. No doubt we have to keep up with the current needs of consumers, but slow and steady change can be a very effective solution.

Here's the opening paragraphs. Follow the link below for the remainder of the article:

Who says you have to be big or global or green to survive? A handful of car models, such as the Jeep Wrangler and the Smart, are maintaining their sales despite the general auto collapse. But the only full-sized companies that are holding their own are Korea's Hyundai and Kia, and Subaru, the Japanese automaker that builds cars in Indiana.

The Koreans have the advantage of a sharply declining home currency against the dollar. That leaves plenty of room for incentives. Plus, they've been pushing fleet sales.

But how is Subaru doing it? It has no hybrid or electric car. Its fuel efficiency is nothing special, and Subarus are definitely not the darlings of Hollywood stars. The company sells only 600,000 vehicles a year worldwide, making it maybe the 20th largest automaker.

MSNBC/Forbes: Subaru’s boring approach works in tough times

NYTimes.com -- Same Old Stuff

Follow the link below if you care to see an article about funeral service which appeared in the New York Times over the weekend.

I say "if" because "if" you have read one of the dozens of other articles written the last several years which talk about price and personalization and the same half-dozen "alternative providers" we've heard about over and over again, there's nothing new or particularly interesting to read.

I'm surprised the Times would do such a rehash.

Follow the link "if" you care to know more.

NYTimes.com: The Funeral: Your Last Chance to Be a Big Spender 

Funeral Home Software

My greatest pet peeve in funeral service??? Funeral service software.

A few minutes ago I sat down to look at a demo of one "leading" software package (it will remain un-named for the moment as I may very well need to purchase the product and I don't want to burn any bridges before I've made a final selection), and with one glance at the screen, I know this company doesn't pay attention to details. And if they cannot even take the time to line up the fields and the lables neatly on the work screens, I have to wonder what kind of shortcuts they've taken "under the hood" where this software actually has to keep up with the details of my business.

I know software can be devilishly difficult to design and develop. At one point I worked with a couple of developers who had the talent to pull off a world-class design, but the world-class cost of developement kept me from getting past the discussion phase. I didn't see how this industry would ever support those development costs.

Still, we could use a true technology visionary in our industry who could help us move beyond current methods and into a system which not only organizes our basic data and helps pump out a little bit of paperwork, but onto a system which enables smoother workflow within the funeral home and perhaps even internet collaboration with the family.

Funeral One certainly has the eye for detail I'm talking about. I strongly recommend their video software, but so far they haven't looked at the broader funeral home management market.

We will have to see if they (or a company like them) will step in and make something cool and truely effective happen for funeral homes.

Of course there may be someone out there I haven't met yet. If you have any recommendations, drop me a line.