Consumer Satisfaction with Funeral Homes

The funeral service industry has gotten a lot of negative press in the past few years, but several recent studies and a US government report indicate customer service satisfaction levels are very high when it comes to funeral service-one of the highest of any industry.




A 2000 survey by Wirthlin Worldwide gave the industry a 69% across the board positive rating and a 5:1 ratio of positive to negative comments (the report says 3:1 is considered healthy for an industry). Funeral directors also received positive commendations in a Gallup poll, where they ranked in the top 15 professions for honesty and ethics. According to the 1,028 adults surveyed in the 2000 poll, funeral directors possess higher standards of honesty and ethics than business executives, building contractors, journalists, real estate agents, and insurance salespeople.

The Better Business Bureau reports it receives few complaints about funeral service as well. 1999 complain statistics rankings released by the BBB-a total of 197 complaints rank the industry 298th overall in complaints received, and individual funeral directors rank 345th with a total of 149 complaints. Adding cemeteries and cremation service providers brings the industry total for 1999 to 413. Since nearly 2.4 million deaths occurred that year, that means approximately one complaint was filed for every 5,800 deaths. Contrast this to franchised automobile dealers, who received 17,686 complaints in the same time period.

The US government notes the number of complaints for the funeral service industry is "generally low compared to complaints about other types of consumer issues," and a General Accounting Office analysis shows funeral homes across the country with a very high rate of compliance with the Federal Trade Commission's Funeral Rule.

Family Advisor--State-of-the-Art Funeral Arrangement System in Action

No question about it. Family Advisor, a first in the funeral industry business, is making it easy for families to plan funerals for their loved ones. With the touch of the keyboard and a 36-inch color computer monitor, the bereaved can choose a casket and make funeral arrangements. They need not walk with the funeral director through a roomful of caskets, which can be forbidding.




This groundbreaking approach, called Family Advisor, is the brainchild of Chris Barrott, executive vice president of operations at Aurora Casket Company, a 110-year-old family business based in Aurora, Indiana, a tiny town where the company turns out 500 caskets a day--caskets of every style, price and color. Name it and they have it-bronze, copper, stainless steel, carbon-steel.

How it works? Family Advisor allows funeral directors to present funeral plans to families in a comfortable and relaxed setting. Instead of marching through the traditional showroom, with maybe 30 caskets, the bereaved family members sit around a small conference table and view the caskets and other related products on the computer monitor. They see all the options in front of them and they can ask questions, which the funeral director can answer or point to to a specific video presentation addressing the issue.

And talk about options. Lance Larkin of Larkin Mortuary in Utah, one of the first funeral homes to use the Family Advisor, says he's able to show more than 120 caskets and 200 varieties of urns with the push of a button. Plus related products such as guest registers, floral pieces. No need to check all over town for a florist. This indeed is one of the biggest benefits of Family Advisor- to have a "virtual inventory" of all products available from the service center. Maggie Volski of Staley-Crowe says the system offers everything from caskets to vault liners to flowers-everything needed for a funeral. "Yes, we're even able to type the obituary right there and then." It makes funeral arrangement conferencing go more smoothly, according to Volski, who says they are so pleased with the system -the options, the sharper images-as well as the families they serve.

Rick Sadler, at Poway-Bernardo Mortuary in San Diego, who was reluctant to move away from a traditional selection room but has now elected to use the system, says that families are pleased with the interactive approach to looking and selecting merchandise on the computer monitor. Adds Theresa Dias of Poway, "It makes the families deal with the reality of the death of their loved one at their pace in the process of making funeral arrangements."

Most families know they have to make the arrangement-go to a showroom of caskets and make a selection. Which many dread. Says David Reinbold of Jens, Reinbold & Pfeffer in Manitowoc, WI. "I can't believe how difficult the casket selection process is for most families. The Family Advisor keeps it neat and clean and in the family's control."

Planning a Funeral Ceremony

1. Determine the type of service.

• large or small ceremony
• traditional ceremony or creative expression Today, many families plan funerals that reflect the contributions and accomplishments of the deceased.

2. Determine the final resting place. Do you want a cemetery plot? Mausoleum? Do you want to be cremated? If you choose cremation, what do you want done with your ashes?

Weighing the options in advance is better than making a rushed decision on this personal topic. What best fits your lifestyle and feelings?

With the help of your family-owned funeral home funeral director, you can create a funeral that will be a personal and dignified tribute.

Funeral Planning

When a loved one dies, grieving family members and friends are often confronted with dozens of decisions about the funeral-all of which must be made quickly and often under great emotional duress. What kind of funeral should it be?

What funeral provider should you use? Should you bury or cremate the body, or donate it to science? What are you legally required to buy? What other arrangements should you plan? And, as callous as it may sound, how much is it all going to cost?




Each year, Americans grapple with these and many other questions as they spend billions of dollars arranging more than two million funerals for family members and friends. The increasing trend toward preneed planning-when people make funeral arrangements in advance - suggests that many consumers want to compare prices and services so that ultimately, the funeral reflects a wise and well-informed purchasing decision, as well as a meaningful one.

There are two stages to arranging a funeral. In the first stage, work with your local funeral director to explore the options. Once you've made your choices and arranged the ceremony, the second step is to arrange the financing.

Dem Bones!

My Husband's Grandmother,
who had reached the grand old age of 98 years,
died one 23rd of December,
and as her funeral couldn't be organised
until the 6th of January, the following year,
her Son asked the Funeral Director,
to explain what was happening to his Mother
over the Christmas period.


The Funeral Director in his severe black suit, with a face even more severe, placed a hand on the Son's shoulder, and said, 'Don't you worry, Mr Taylor, we have a Skeleton Staff in over Christmas'.This is a true story, but we found it to be so hilarious.

Ernestine Northover
www.poemhunter.com