|
INDUSTRY NEWS Cemetery Consumer Service Council Announces Results of 2005 Activity Survey Today, the cemetery industry's volunteer consumer assistance group, the Cemetery Consumer Service Council, published its complaint and inquiry survey for 2005. A total of 237 complaints and inquiries were received during the year and 192 were resolved. Fifteen complaints and inquiries were pending at the beginning of the year while another 21 remained at year's end. These figures are based on the responses provided by 21 of the 40 state CCSC committees and state agencies where no CCSC committee exists. CCSC is now in its 27th year of operation and continues to improve its effectiveness to assist consumers. An increasing number of calls originate as referrals from Better Business Bureaus and similar organizations. The CCSC also contacts members of Congress to advise them of the assistance and information the Council can offer to their constituents. Among the various types of complaints and inquiries received during 2005, 42 dealt with improper cemetery maintenance, 91 with questionable sales practices, six with Truth in Lending matters and other contractual issues, 38 with cemetery rules and regulations, and another 38 with a variety of other issues including simple inquiries into cemetery practices. Not all agencies track the types of inquiries they receive so a precise breakdown of activities is not always possible. CCSC is a non-profit organization created in 1979 and is funded by the International Cemetery and Funeral Association, the Cremation Association of North America, the Central States Cemetery Association and the Southern Cemetery and Funeral Association. Recently, new sponsors include the Western Cemetery Alliance, the Illinois Cemetery and Funeral Home Association, and the Cemetery & Mortuary Association of California. The sole purpose of CCSC is to assist consumers, without charge, in resolving complaints or answering inquiries regarding cemetery services or policies. Participation in the complaint resolution process is voluntary for both the consumer and the cemetery. Industry members volunteer their time and experience to serve as CCSC representatives in their respective states. The Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, various state consumer protection agencies, and offices of attorneys general are periodically notified of CCSC activities and are among the major sources for consumer referrals. CCSC is listed in the Consumer's Resource Handbook, a U.S. government publication that is circulated to public libraries and consumer assistance agencies throughout the nation. For more information on the 2005 survey report, please check the ICFA web page at www.icfa.org/icfanews.htm#ccsc. ICFA NEWS Register Today for the 2006 Fall Management Conference! Trade your business suits for blue jeans and head to Albuquerque, New Mexico for ICFA's 2006 Fall Management Conference on October 4-7. The conference offers cemetery and funeral service CEOs educational sessions addressing top-level concerns. Important: All suites in the ICFA room block at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa have already sold out. The remainder of the room block is more than a third full. Make your reservation as soon as possible. All hotels in Albuquerque fill up quickly during the International Balloon Fiesta, taking place the same week as ICFA's Fall Management Conference. To reserve your room at the Tamaya, call 1.800.233.1234. This year's format takes the best elements of previous conferences and combines them to incorporate both general sessions and breakout sessions designed to facilitate discussion and idea sharing. The breakout sessions will be repeated on each of the three days, allowing you to attend them all. Session topics include:
It's Not Too Late! Register for 'Advanced Quality Funeral Care' The ICFA is still accepting registrations for Todd Van Beck's Advanced Quality Funeral Care Seminar at the Sheraton Airport Hotel in Portland, Oregon, June 23-25. Todd Van Beck, a funeral director and highly demanded speaker, will help you achieve new levels of quality service at your funeral home, resulting in better service to families, strengthened relationships with families and higher visibility in your community. Attendees of the first two meetings in Chicago and Atlanta raved about the program's value and its effectiveness in providing them with the direction and the knowledge to improve their management style and exceed families' expectations. Both seminars received 100 percent "excellent" ratings for the overall seminar on post-conference evaluation forms. The three remaining seminars are:
ICFA University Classes Filling Up Quickly Classes are filling up quickly for ICFA University at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee, July 21-25, 2006. To ensure the class placement of your choice, register today! ICFAU is a five-day intensive academic program offering cemetery and funeral service professionals more than 24 hours of classroom learning time and exceptional networking opportunities through on-campus housing and dining. With five colleges encompassing every area of the cemetery and funeral service profession, ICFAU has something for everyone, whether you are new to the profession or looking for new ideas to improve upon your business. Here is just a sample of what you will learn at each college: (For the complete class schedule, visit www.icfa.org/icfau06.htm.) College of Cemetery Administration and Management: Learn ideas for leading your team, capitalizing on change and developing effective action plans at your cemetery. Topics include:
OSHA Training CDs For Cemeteries, Funeral Homes, Crematories Now Available The International Cemetery and Funeral Association now offers a series of 10 OSHA compliance training CDs to enable business owners to present a consistent message on important safety topics and satisfy their OSHA training requirements. The CDs make it easy to document training efforts through user-friendly forms, quizzes and employee handouts. Each module comes complete with an audio-visual presentation on CD-ROM, a user's guide, instructor notes, student handouts, a quiz and completion certificates. Each module costs $80 for ICFA members and $95 for non-members and can be purchased by calling the ICFA at 1.800.645.7700. Modules included are:
Call for Presentations—2007 Wide World of Sales Conference As preparations begin for the ICFA's 2007 Wide World of Sales Conference, January 17-19 at Treasure Island in Las Vegas, Nevada, the ICFA Sales & Marketing Committee invites ICFA members and attendees who wish to speak at this event to submit proposals for presentations. Interested candidates should submit their proposed presentation to ICFA headquarters no later than June 30. The Wide World of Sales Conference draws 400+ sales managers and counselors, as well as company owners, suppliers, insurance agents and others. The committee is looking for practical, "how to" presentations related to preneed sales, at-need sales, family service, marketing and sales team management. Instructions for preparing your proposal are available by downloading them at http://www.icfa.org/docs/call_for_presentations.doc or by calling the ICFA at 1.800.645.7700. CLASSIFIED ADS Territory Representative Two regions are now open in upper Midwest for individuals to serve our existing client base and open new markets. Tribute's precast concrete products are well known in the Industry. Technical knowledge is not required, but professional sales skills are. Minimal overnight travel. Excellent compensation, benefits and incentive package. Email resume to timh@tributeinc.com. Computer Software Do you know where all your information is? Are you tired of the same old options out there? Are you looking for more from your computer system? MACCSTM, from FPA Software, is the complete mortuary and cemetery solution, providing all the functionality and features needed to effectively manage and operate a memorial park and mortuary today. From pre-need sales prospecting all the way through interment (and everything in between!), MACCSTM provides an easy to use, flexible, and completely integrated system for a memorial park and mortuary providing funeral services. Consistent with our approach of providing a completely integrated solution, the MACCSTM Mapping module provides GIS mapping capabilities integrated in real-time with information in the MACCSTM cemetery property database. Mortuary case management, service tracking, cemetery property management, integrated mapping, accounts receivable, pre-need trusts, serialized casket inventory, complete reporting and forms management - MACCS has it all. Please feel free to contact us at 818-501-3390 or visit our website at www.fpasoftware.com/maccs to learn more about MACCSTM. Reach Thousands of Cemeteries and Funeral Homes With Your Classified Ad!
And more ... For a limited time, ICFA members can purchase the McQuaig Job Survey, the McQuaig Word Survey and the McQuaig Self-Development Survey for just $100 per assessment, a savings of up to 50 percent off the regular price. The member discount offer expires December 31, 2006. Companies assessing more than 100 candidates per year are eligible for additional discounts. For additional information, visit http://www.icfa.org/pdf/mcquaig2.pdf and http://www.icfa.org/pdf/mcquaig.pdf. For questions and to sign up for the program, contact Michael Gravelle at The McQuaig Institute at 1.800.387.5455, ext. 361, or mgravelle@mcquaig.com. Join today! The 2006 Music Licenses are available for just $220, no additional fees. Covers ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Any U.S. funeral home, cemetery or related business is eligible for membership as a Music License Member. Join today! The ICFA Store allows members to purchase the latest ICFA resources and training products online. Some products are available for immediate direct download, including the newly released Wirthlin Report on consumer attitudes and article packages on cremation, cemetery and funeral home valuations and trust funds. The ICFA News Page takes you to sources throughout the world for industry news and updates. It brings you the most comprehensive selection of funeral service and cemetery news available anywhere, along with frequently updated general news items related to national and world events. The News Page reports the news before anyone else and is one of the most visited page on the ICFA Web site. Stop in each day and you'll see why. The Network is an online e-mail service that offers ICFA members an easy, free way to share questions and answers to everyday on-the-job challenges. Recent discussions have examined issues such as working with the Muslim community, distance between burial sites, direct mail marketing, the growing popularity of geocaching at cemeteries, recruiting staff and more. Ideal for smaller companies with smaller budgets. Join today! The ICFA Internet Expo is the largest online exposition in the cemetery and funeral service industry. Cemetery and funeral home owners and operators will find 300+ providers in more than 100 product and service categories. Exhibit space is provided as a free, exclusive benefit to all ICFA supplier and professional members. Check it out today! Need a labor relations and employment law attorney? Check out ICFA's HR Law Benefit program offering members no-cost telephone legal consultations, paid for by the ICFA via an exclusive retainer agreement. ICFA members now also have access to an attorney for tax-related questions regarding trust earnings, care fund allocations, capital gains, investments and more. The ICFA has retained Leslie Schneider, CPA, a tax attorney with Ivins, Phillips & Barker in Washington, D.C., for telephone consultations for up to 20 minutes with no obligation. To take advantage of this member benefit, call Schneider at 202.393.7600. The ICFA and Applied Merchant Systems of Chicago, Illinois, currently offer members a Credit Card Processing Program with a special low discount rate of 1.75 percent, with no per transaction processing fee. This new benefit makes it less expensive for cemeteries, funeral homes, memorial designers and related businesses to accommodate customers who wish to pay via credit card. For more information, call 1-800-675-6573. The ICFA Insurance Program, administered by Driver Alliant, allows members to purchase commercial property and casualty insurance -- including general liability, commercial property, automobile liability and physical damage, umbrella liability, professional liability, workers compensation, employee benefits and more -- at rates they probably would not be able to afford on their own. To advertise in the ICFA Wireless: The ICFA accepts limited advertising in the ICFA Wireless newsletter, a bi-weekly newsletter e-mailed to all ICFA members that are current on their dues and have provided a current e-mail address. For rates and to place your insertion, contact Kim Ferguson at kferguson@icfa.org or 1.800.645.7700. To unsubscribe from the ICFA Wireless: Send an e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the subject line to: wireless@icfa.org. Please include your name and company name in the body of the e-mail. International Cemetery and Funeral Association 107 Carpenter Drive, Suite 100 Sterling, VA 20164 1.800.645.7700 703.391.8400 Fax: 703.391.8416 www.icfa.org Copyright 2006 International Cemetery and Funeral Association. |
