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Best practices from start to finish
(Editor's note: This material adapted from part of a presentation by Ernie Heffner, CFuE, at the ICFA Annual Convention & Exposition in Las Vegas, Nevada, March 13-16, 2006. An audiotape of Heffner's full presentation, "Best Practices from Start to Finish," can be purchased by calling the ICFA at 1.800.645.7700.)
by Ernie Heffner, CFuE
Heffner, a second-generation funeral director, is president of Heffner Funeral Homes & Crematory, which includes 12 locations in Pennsylvania and one in New York. He is active in the Pennsylvania Cemetery Funeral Association and the Cremation Association of North America and has served on the board and as a vice president of the International Cemetery and Funeral Association. He is dean of the ICFA University College of Cremation Services. He is frequently invited to speak at meetings of funeral and cemetery professionals.
It's not what we say, it's what we do for our customers that counts. You'll find this session frustrating if you do not perceive yourself to be about gracious hospitality, or if you believe you can cut expenses without cutting service to the customer.
Let's consider some important opportunities for customer service from the moment you receive the initial death call to after the service.
How you look, how you act, what you say and what you do from transferring the person who died to the arrangements and planning process with the family to the execution of the planned tribute all matter to customer satisfaction, which is measurable.
At the beginning
Are you prepared to receive that initial death call? Some of this is basic, and maybe you're running a perfect operation, but we're not, and I seem to have to remind people of these things on occasion. We go over things like:
· Is prepacked information in all the transfer vehicles and provided on house calls?
· Is your staff professionally attired at all times?
· Is a signed sympathy card left at the site of the death--regardless of whether it's a nursing home, a residence or a hospital? (I got this idea from ICFA Vice President Mark Krause, CFuE, Krause Funeral Homes & Cremation Service, Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
· Are we asking whether the deceased is a veteran?
How does your firm demonstrate special recognition to veterans and their loved ones? We have locations that serve over 40 percent veterans, and I figure that over 80 percent of our customers are either veterans or the loved ones of veterans, spouses.
When we receive the initial death call, we ask if the deceased was a veteran. Our special recognition for veterans starts on the first call. Every one of our stretchers has a flag on it. When transporting the deceased, we drape a flag over the stretcher.
We ask permission on a home removal - which has never been refused and has gotten only positive feedback.
We automatically drape the flag over the stretcher on a nursing home or hospital removal. And if you don't think everybody at the hospital and nursing home notices that. ... It makes an incredible impact.
As coordinators of a commemorative service, cemeteries and funeral homes have a very serious responsibility to honor the memory and pay due respect to those who have served our country. For example:
· Near the entrance of Prospect Hill Cemetery in York, Pennsylvania, Jack Summer placed a flag for every American soldier who's died in the Middle East. The site is truly a profound and sobering statement about commitment and sacrifice.
· The patriot's walk final tribute for veterans is an idea I got from ICFA Board Member Clift Dempsey (Dempsey Funeral Services, Cartersville, Georgia). We keep 48 flags on each of our coaches. When the coach delivers the flowers to the cemetery ahead of the graveside service, we take the flags out and mark a pathway to the grave that everyone will walk through.
Best practices for arrangements
· We don't think anybody should sit behind a desk.
· Refreshments should be served, not offered. Say, "Would you like sugar and cream in your coffee or would you prefer it black?"
· Be prepared and organized. I think we are doing our customers a great disservice if we have to look for anything.
· Take your time to present all options. Someone who's making funeral arrangements in an hour is doing a gross disservice to the customer. Somebody who's done in less than two hours is probably on the way out. Really, two to three hours is what it takes us to do any kind of arrangements if you're going to offer people all of the options.
· The Federal Trade Commission requires that we present a General Price List before discussing any service or merchandise, but we need to make sure it looks professional. There are firms handing out photocopies that aren't even straight.
Though not required, we provide the merchandise price list for the customer to keep. We use a statement of goods and services selected with prices preprinted. We're not writing prices on as if we're making them up as we go, eliminating any doubt that every customer is treated fairly. The GPL is printed on the back of the statement of goods and services selected, so we know everyone receives it.
· After presenting the GPL and having learned how the deceased touched the lives of other people, having listened for the customer's likes and dislikes, we present graphics of options to consider via our compendium, a 100-page color catalog. Everybody in the room making arrangements receives one; we tell them to keep them. The first 16 pages of this catalog do not deal with merchandise, they deal with creating a meaningful tribute service.
· Packages offer value and simplified purchases. We have three packages: the classic, contemporary and select. There are four categories: funeral, cremation; veteran and non-veteran. That sounds like it might be fairly complicated, but it's really pretty easy to simplify through asking questions to narrow down what people are interested in.
How well are packages received? It depends on whom you ask, but from a value meal at McDonald's to a $65,000 Lexus, consumers are oriented toward choosing packages at all price points.
True personalization; measuring customer satisfaction
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Copyright ICFA 2006
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