Directors’ Choice, the funeral industry’s most highly awarded answering service, is pleased to announce their Premier Partnership with Select Independent Funeral Homes, a worldwide professional association of independent, locally owned funeral homes. This partnership positions Directors’ Choice as Selected’s exclusive partner and preferred supplier of answering services.

 Directors’ Choice’s funeral director CEO and founder, along with his staff, uphold the same trust and principles that are held by Selected  members. This exclusive Premier Partnership allows all member funeral homes to have preferred access to this award-winning service. This will enhance the exceptional level of quality service that they provide to their client families during those families’ time of need. The empathetic, caring Directors’ Choice staff is dedicated to helping families get through some of the most difficult times in their lives. Working alongside member funeral homes, Directors’ Choice aims to live up to, and continue, the traditions that members of Selected Independent Funeral Homes’ reputations are built on.

 In today’s funeral industry, technology and tradition work hand in hand to enrich service to families.   Directors’ Choice is pleased to offer their innovative technology to this Premier Partnership with Selected Independent Funeral Homes. “DC to Go” smartphone apps, Online Monitoring, and live “Web Chat” have all been developed to elevate the level of communication required to provide excellent service to the funeral homes and their client families.

Directors’ Choice staff, training, technology and award-winning service all are contributing factors to this new exclusive Premier Partnership with Select Independent Funeral Homes.

About Selected Independent Funeral Homes

Founded in 1917 as National Selected Morticians, Selected Independent Funeral Homes (www.selectedfuneralhomes.org) is the world’s oldest and largest association of independently owned funeral homes. All Selected members have been hand-selected for membership and have agreed to uphold the professional and ethical standards of our Code of Good Practice. Member firms are operated by trusted, local professionals, often from funeral-service families who have been helping people for multiple generations, and operate according to a set of best practices that aim to provide the public with the highest quality funeral services and funeral-related information.

About Directors’ Choice

Directors’ Choice is the premier provider of funeral answering services in North America, and the only answering service dedicated entirely to funeral professionals. Handling more than 80,000 calls per year, it offers comfort and assistance to families and accurate, timely information to clients. It was founded by Gary Darychuk in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1997. Visit dchoice.com for more information or call 888-920-1900.

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At Directors’ Choice, we believe the best service we can give a grieving family member is to listen when we are responding to their call. You’ve probably discovered the same with families you serve.

Listening can actually be harder to do than it sounds. We are living in a society where we are conditioned to the 10-second sound bite. We’re all busy people so it is natural to focus for a brief moment then turn our attention elsewhere or onward to the business at hand.

Grieving people want and need to tell their story, though, as they process this drastic shift in their lives. None of us can, of course, spend hours comforting a grieving spouse or family member, but we can spare a few minutes to help them feel that they have truly been heard. 

Here’s a list of tips and guiding principles that Directors’ Choice uses to listen to family members and friends of the deceased. We believe these tips will serve you and your grieving clients well as you create a connection with them during a first call or an arrangement conference.

• Silence

Be OK with silence. Don’t be in a rush to fill in the empty spaces while people are giving you their story. Just be patient and listen. Although it may feel like a long awkward pause sometimes, it’s really just a few valuable seconds that allows our minds to process important thoughts.

• Wait

It is often tempting when people are struggling to assimilate new information to rush in to give too much advice too quickly. Allow some space between the giving of advice/information so the family member has a chance to voice their desires and needs. Before moving on to another topic, ask if they have any questions about the last topic.

• Focus on the individual

In today’s world, we are constantly being bombarded with stimulation overload. You might have to consciously remind yourself to put down the pen, fold your hands on your lap, use direct eye contact, and relax for a few moments. Remember, nothing is more salient than a sincere connection between people.

• Use key words

Let the family member know they are heard by saying, “I hear you,”or “What I hear you saying is …,” or “How hard it may be for a while …” You may even want to ask them, “Do you feel like you have been heard?”

• Body language 

A grieving person may not be aware consciously of your body language, but it is conveyed nonetheless. Sitting with your arms crossed, leaning far back in your chair, or having your desk between you and the family member could convey a message of distance. Your body language may be saying that you are not an interested listener.

• Perception 

Since grieving people are extra sensitive, they often can tell if you are actively engaged in listening to them or if you are just being “nice” in order to get them out the door or on to business. When dealing with grieving families, it is always a good idea to check your frame of mind.

The simple act of listening to a grieving person brings much comfort to that person. No one expects you to solve all their problems in your initial call or planning sessions. Or to become their therapist. You can render your client a service by giving them a list of local resources that are specifically geared toward grieving individuals. Local therapists and support groups, or message boards on the Internet, are all sources of talent, wisdom and perspective that are rooted in the concept of listening.

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Once upon a time, Americans had the likes of Emily Post and Miss Manners to gently guide their behavior at solemn events and joyous occasions. Their insights into the proper etiquette for life’s gatherings served as the cornerstone for these rituals.

But times have changed and society has moved on. Gone are the days of strict rules for proper decorum and many individuals and families have opted to modify the traditions of the past to suit their changing world views, belief structures, and personal ideals. 

It’s All About Perspective

Not surprisingly, those changes have impacted the ways in which society mourns the passing of family, friends, and colleagues. Indeed, the view of death as a cause for mourning has changed in and of itself.

Many individuals are treating funerals as a celebration of life, rather than a mourning of death. And with that change, the rules guiding the etiquette of those honoring their dead have shifted as well.

Traditionally, funerals and graveside services were the exclusive domain of somber dignity and sorrow. Those mourning their loss were hushed, weeping and gently murmuring their prayers and condolences for the departed and those left behind. And while those days are not over, the shift away from that ideal is noticeable.

More and more, as death becomes a celebration of life, the weeping and whispers have been replaced with laughter, heartfelt condolences, and shared memories of the life of the departed.

Typically, this is still done with respect and honor toward the deceased and his or her family, but that respect is given freely and not as a result of the expected pallor cast on those in attendance.

Beyond Black

Another aspect of the changes seen in the modern funeral is the shift away from black. Traditionally, attendees would dress for their grief in somber black and dark colors, with many going so far as to remain in mourning dress for up to a month after a loved one’s parting.

While many still respect the traditions of black and semi-formal attire for formal funerals and graveside services, others are casting off the somber colors in favor of bringing a little life to the party.

Increasingly, family and friends of the departed are dressing not in black, but in vibrant colors. Or, at the very least, accenting their traditional garb with a splash of color that is symbolic of the deceased’s favorite color or other nuanced preferences.

Some individuals have gone so far as to include a dress code in their final requests, which may include aloha shirts, western wear , or come-as-you-are casual. Miss Manners might not approve. But, as the wishes of the departed are the ultimate dictate for the event, those requests should be respected.

Memorials Matter

Further considerations in modern funeral etiquette center on the matter of the memorials offered to the deceased and his or her family. Traditionally, sending flowers to the services was an undisputed part of the funeral experience. However, that tradition has all but fallen to the wayside in favor of gifts made to charitable organizations in the deceased’s name, sometimes in lieu of sending live plants. After all, these contributions will thrive long after the casket has closed.

Final Respects

Ultimately, the etiquette of the modern funeral should be determined by the services planned by the deceased or his or her personal representative. As with any ritual of life, the culture and customs of the departed is the ultimate guide to the proper behavior, dress, and mores of the event. With the multiplicity of ideologies guiding contemporary society there is no one-size-fits-all approach to grief and the rites of mourning.

Respecting the wishes of the departed and the life he or she has lived is of the utmost importance. Should questions arise with regard to the proper etiquette, it is always best to defer to the dignity of the event and the respect due the deceased in whatever way his or her culture and customs call for.

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Images: funeral1.jpg, funeral2.jpg

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As  digital media becomes the norm in today’s society, there are many questions surrounding the chain of command when it comes to accessing and inheriting the digital media files that have become part of our identity. For many of us, a large part of that digital identity is our Facebook account. However, few have given consideration to what happens to that part of a person’s estate, and the information it contains, after death. 

Up until just a few years ago people stored their important documents in file cabinets and safety deposit boxes. Typically, gaining access to these records was not difficult for a deceased person’s personal representative, especially if the decedent had left a proper paper trail for the personal representative to follow.

Not surprisingly, things have changed. With the now-widespread use of digital media, much of an individual’s records and documents are stored either on a computer, digital drive, or via Cloud Computing, meaning that they are stored online. These digital assets pose a potential problem to personal representatives, especially if the decedent has not made provisions for access in his or her paper records.

Oddly, and in spite of the vast array of challenges Cloud Computing presents to personal representatives and family members, the real question on the tip of everyone’s tongue is, “what happens to my Facebook account when I die?”

At first glance, the answer to this question is fairly straightforward.

Once Facebook has been notified of an account-holders death (which anyone may report), the account is “memorialized.” This means that the FB Timeline (as it is know at present) becomes a memorial wall to the decedent. Friends and family may still post to the timeline and send messages to the person, making the Timeline something akin to a virtual wake in the memory of the person who has passed away.

The caveat, however, is that once an account as been memorialized, its login credentials are suspended. This means no one can login as the decedent and post on their behalf or manage the account. This can pose a problem if there are posts on the Timeline that, perhaps, should not be memorialized or are insensitive in their nature.

It also means that Facebook retains their rights to the decedent’s information, as outlined in their Terms of Service, which currently grants the company the rights to, “use, copy, publicly display, publicly perform, reformat, excerpt and distribute” any content on an individual’s Timeline as they see fit. Meaning the personal digital effects stored on

Facebook’s Cloud are essentially the private domain of the company.

The other option is having the account deleted. In order to do this, a verified family member or personal representative must petition the company with the appropriate documentation. Once approved, the account and its contents are deleted forever.

Obviously, there are pros and cons to both options. As Facebook has become social networking’s community hub, allowing the account to exist, at least for a time, is a compassionate and logical choice.

Typically, the decedent’s Facebook wall becomes a gathering point for friends, colleagues, and even family to share memories and photographs of their departed friend. But ultimately, it may be wise to take that action eventually, if for no other reason than to protect the personal information stored in the Cloud.

Ultimately, the time has come to begin counseling customers on pre-planning for the management and inheritance of their digital assets. This includes planning for what will happen to their Facebook and other social media accounts, as part of their service arrangements. These plans should include, at the very least, a list of accounts, passwords, and the wishes of the departed.

We encourage you to familiarize yourself with Facebook’s memorialization policies, as well as learn more about dealing with other digital or online assets like videos, documents and more. By doing so, you will remain relevant in the industry and sensitive to your customer’s needs as they plan for what lies ahead. One place to learn more is at Your Digital Afterlife.

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Directors’ Choice has taken those words to another level within our organization. What better way to get to know our staff and to help them, help ourselves, and benefit others. Modeled after the “Make a Wish Foundation”, the Dream on Program was put in place to show our appreciation in a way that is meaningful.

“Dreams” or “Wishes” may be small or large and may be granted at any time without any expectation or timing, which makes the program even more exciting. One never knows when a new announcement will come or what will happen next. The goal of this program is to understand and appreciate each other and to give back to our staff who give us so much of themselves.

Here are snapshots of lives and workplace experiences we hope we have made a little brighter so far.

One employee stated “While I was burning some calories and watching the show called “The Chew”, a contest for audience members came across the screen….Grocery bill payback! What a great idea I thought! Audience members placed their grocery receipts into a bucket for a draw and the lucky winner received a check in the amount of their bill! This is my dream for the wonderful co-workers that surround me every day….”

GRANTED! Quarterly draws for grocery bill payback

Another Employee stated, “I’d like to submit a small dream. As you have undoubtedly heard, we are attempting a weight loss challenge. We have about 20 participants at this point and we were hoping to offer more than just the pot of entry fees as the prize to the winner. I feel like if they take the initiative to lose enough of their body weight percentage to win this (as I know everyone will be working very hard), they deserve to get something that will encourage them to maintain a healthy lifestyle…”

GRANTED! The three top “Losers” receive gift certificates to help buy them the new clothes they will inevitably need.

Another Employee Stated “I have been married for 6 years this upcoming March 9th. When I got married my wife and I had planned on going to Halifax for our honeymoon, and spending our first weekend away from our, at the time 5-month-old, daughter. We had everything all scheduled and booked, and money saved up and a babysitter arranged.

The day before we were to be wed, the motor died in our car. This unfortunately required a replacement motor, which cost us the entire amount we had saved up for our honeymoon and then some. When we woke up the day of our wedding, we had come to realize that the pipes in our apartment had frozen and we had no way to get them thawed out before it was time to leave, so we were both unable to get cleaned up prior to leaving. We managed to get my father to take us to our wedding, and afterwards I went and picked up the motor for our car.

Unfortunately it took a week to get stalled so we were stuck at my parents house for the entire length of our honey moon, which we had both scheduled off from work.

Things have not gotten any better for us since then. With one series of bad luck after another, we still have not been able to get away for our honeymoon let alone a vacation. I believe eventually I may be able to take my wife somewhere, but that will not be any time in the near future. She does so much around here that she deserves to get away from it for a little bit at least.

So ultimately, I guess my Dream would be for my wife and I to be able to go away for a period of time so we can finally get our honeymoon, and I can lift her spirits up again…”.

GRANTED ! An all inclusive honeymoon getaway package including the little things like the cost of passports.

The Dream On program may not be the new lottery, but it’s our attempt to make the lives of our co-workers just a little brighter.

“To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

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What’s the one thing that prevents a funeral home from being the best it can be? 

Being distracted with administrative tasks

We’ve asked this question a lot, and the answer we most often hear is: getting bogged down with emails, forgotten appointments, leaving and retrieving phone messages, chasing down leads, etc. You spend so much time organizing and planning, you often have little time for producing results. And that makes it difficult to run a successful business.

Directors’ Choice wants you to have the most successful funeral home possible. And we know from our 16 years of experience in the funeral home service industry that the public wants, more than anything, “personal touch” from their funeral home representatives. We also know the best times and days to reach your prospective clients. That’s why we’re introducing “Smart Pre-Planner.”

It’s a customized program for your funeral home that leverages our award-winning staff and our innovative technology to help your funeral home provide seamless quality service to what the industry calls “pre-need prospects.” And it’s as easy as 1-2-3.

 Here’s how it works:

Distribute your marketing materials with a local phone number, supplied by us and specific to a particular campaign.

We share an appointment calendar with you, updating in real time to you and your counselors any changes (new appointments, cancellations, etc.)

You meet with your prospective client and close the sale!

Q. Would you rather spend your time counseling and comforting a grieving family so they can plan a beautiful memorial for their loved one … or do you prefer reading through email threads to locate the number of someone who missed an appointment?

Option #1

Contact us today for more information about Smart Pre-Planner. We’re excited about the prospects of this new program because we know it will help you with your prospects!

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Part 2 of 2: Above and Beyond

In our last blog, we explained how prospective clients and customers find businesses in today’s digital world. But once they find you, how can you get them to stick around awhile, or at least make contact with you? The following establishes some best practices for getting folks to do exactly that.

Website, Social Media, and Email

A website is the foundation for the total online marketing plan, but quite frankly, it’s not enough these days to simply offer a static site with prices and hours. Consumers need dynamic, two-way interaction if you expect success in promoting, educating, and branding. Marketing is all about push and pull. Great websites and Facebook business pages pull in the fans. Once you’ve captured those leads, it’s time to push good, meaningful content out so that you build a loyal following and strengthen your brand.

Weekly blogs and monthly eNewsletters are perfect platforms for sharing information about specific grief and loss questions, local news, and advice with current and prospective clients. Industry studies suggest that more than 60% of consumers today get to know companies through their articles, not advertisements, and those consumers are far more likely to have a positive view of a company after reading an informative and educational article.

Since many people operate from their mobile phones, especially if they are away from home to support a friend or family member, it is critical to have your services be mobile friendly too. And since searching a website isn’t very easy from a phone, a mobile site should have a linked phone number so that the search can simply press a button to initiate a call to your business.

Answering Services and Live Chat

When a grieving family is searching for funeral services, they often go with the first funeral home that they talk to who gives them the information and emotional support they need.

Directors’ Choice  provides 24-hour expert answering services, with industry-trained, empathetic customer care representatives ready to answer any and all of your funeral home’s phone calls. Their agents can also provide real-time, online live chat services to answer searchers’ questions and frantic calls for help.

This establishes an immediate connection and allows you to provide information to callers who may be too distraught to search a website for information. A phone number or Web Chat button may be just what you need to capture the business before the searcher moves on to the next funeral home.

A comprehensive and complete online marketing plan doesn’t have to be a headache or a source of stress and panic. There are social media companies, such as Beyond Indigo Funerals, offering a solution for funeral home directors overwhelmed by the concept of online marketing plans. And we’re here to help you make the right answering choices for your customers. Give us a call, and we will be glad to help.

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Part 1 of 2: Searching for Answers 

Online marketing for funeral homes is a must in today’s competitive industry. Online marketing is primarily about getting your business in front of people when they are likely to need you (promoting), giving them the information they are looking for (educating), and building relationships so your name becomes familiar and trusted (branding).

Many funeral homes continue to market themselves with expensive Yellow Page ads and newspaper ads. But so many of today’s consumers do not own a copy of any telephone directories, nor do they read print newspapers.

However, grieving families still rely on the same services you have been providing for years. How, in today’s digital world, are they finding you?

Search

Industry surveys reveal 4 out of 5 funeral service searches begin online. Most searches never go beyond the first page of results, and often not far down that first page. So, being at the top, or near the top, of searches in a multitude of search engines (e.g., Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc.) is crucial for marketing success. How do you do that?

Search engines are looking for specific things when they decide where your business will appear in search results. Here are a few of those:

• Overall Experience. Search engines look at the website content provided by a business and do their best to determine how likely it is that searchers will get what they are seeking. Having the right key words, setting up accurate profiles on review sites, and being connected to social media options make a tremendous impact on your search engine rankings.

• Keywords. Your website content should be original and have many of the words and phrases that are most likely to be used by someone when typing a search.

• Reviews. Reviews are now included in many search results.  Do you know what people are saying about you and what your score is on most review sites? You should search for your business and find out. It is in your best interest to address negative reviews quickly and encourage your most satisfied customers to leave positive reviews. Do you have a system in place that encourages those positive reviews and handles the negative ones?

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I’ve worked in the answering service industry for 14 years. I admit that I was a little skeptical that Directors’ Choice would see much acceptance of our new Live Chat offering that we launched before the holidays. My name is Steven and I am in my mid-forties. I still handwrite personal cards and I walk into a co-workers office when I want to chat. Therefore, I figured that we might see a few people use it to ask for directions or the time of a service, but I didn’t see anyone turning to chat for something important like a first call.

Recently, though, I learned that I can still be surprised. Technology is indeed changing and enhancing the way we communicate with one another, even within the funeral industry. I had an experience that demonstrated clearly just how much communication technology has shifted how we manage our lives.

I visited a cousin at her condo complex during the holidays. When I tried to buzz her, I discovered that the call button didn’t work. A few years ago, I would have either had to stand in front of the building and yell for her to come down or go searching for a pay phone (remember those?).

Now, I simply texted (BBM’d) her to come down and meet me. Once I was inside the lobby, a woman in her 80’s who was getting around with the help of a walker stopped my cousin and asked for help. In the basket of her walker was her iPad and it seems she needed a little help chatting with her grandson!

This lady has probably seen the world go from switchboards with operators, to party lines with rotary dial phones, to push button phones and, now, Smartphones. She has kept up with the world! Wow, that was an AH-HA moment for me!

When I came back to work after the holiday break, I was amazed to see our live chat results. Our agents had handled a number of first calls via live chat and had turned pricing calls into first calls. Who would have thought 14 years ago (or even 5 years ago) that the technology of live chat would allow a grieving family member to feel more comfortable in how they reach out to a funeral home during one of the most difficult times of their lives? Our experience shows that to be the case though.

And the experience is not diminished by being conducted through a live chat window. Our stellar staff is still able to convey the empathy and compassion that Directors’ Choice has become known for since day one of operation.

So, long story short, after seeing how well we are able to look after families on behalf of our funeral home customers through our new Live Chat offering – I am a believer! (Don’t worry, Auntie, I will still write you a letter with pen and paper.)

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Directors’ Choice Answering Service has created another unique service, Web Chat, for your clients’ needs. Our new feature allows your website visitors and families-in-need the convenience of 24-hour real time, instant access to a Director’s Choice, funeral-industry trained operator.

As with our award-winning telephone answering services, skilled Web Chat agents will use their expertise to offer empathetic and compassionate care for your families when they need it, regardless of whether that is in the wee hours of the morning or even during a busy, hectic weekday evening.

In our new service platform, live chat agents will aid the visitor to your website in any of the following situations:

• Service information
• Completing a first call
• Death certificate requests
• Ongoing service arrangements
• Pre-arrangements
• Directions to the location
• Simple questions that may not require lengthy and timely phone calls

With the live chat option available on a website, your potential customers are given as many ways to get in touch with a company as possible. Questions are answered in real time, giving the customer a sense of being taken care of rather than forcing them to pick up the phone, visit the location, or locate the answer themselves on the website–an answer they may never find. Live chat is more effective than email because your clients do not have to wait an uncertain amount of time for a response. Instead, they have a professional, virtual representative assisting them immediately.

As you know in the funeral business, grief stricken, confused family members will often choose a funeral home based on who was able to answer their questions first. Web Chat is another guarantee to your families that you will be there when they need you the most. The instant, real-time service is also a way for your funeral home to gain a competitive edge by offering extra service while simultaneously catering to individuals who may prefer to get questions answered privately while they are at home.

Are you ready to sign your company up for another business advantage? Then call DChoice at 1-888-920-1900 or email us

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