How SRS Helps Families Funeral Plan Online
Apr 14, 2021
Does your firm have all the resources you need to help your client families funeral plan virtually? Tools for selecting funeral arrangement options, paying the expenses, signing documents, and submitting vital information for the obituary are all important parts of the online funeral planning process.
Another important question besides what tools you have is how they work. Do they save you time or create more work? For example, tasks like manually uploading signed documents and re-entering data in multiple places eat up your valuable time.
If you don’t have the tools you need or your current solutions create more work, it may be time for an upgrade. By switching to our platform, all your SRS solutions integrate, so your employees save time while making the process as easy as possible for families.
Below is a brief overview of SRS’ time-saving funeral planning tools.
Online Planner for Starting the Funeral Planning Process Virtually
SRS Websites come with an online planner for families to start the funeral planning process themselves. Whether it’s a preneed or at-need case, they can do it all for the comfort of their own home. They can preplan their own funeral, preplan a loved one’s funeral, plan for a loved one’s expected death, or plan for a death that has already occurred.
With a tool like this, your funeral home already has a clearer picture of what the family wants before you even meet them. But don’t just take our word for it! Below is what Jonathan Holloway, Director of Strategy and Licensed Funeral Director at Holloway Funeral Home, had to say about his SRS Website and its online funeral planning resources. You also can watch his video testimonial here.
“The website also allows for great features for starting plans online, which then deposit those arrangements right into the SRS holding tank. And it’s really been a great way for us to gather the information from families, whether advanced planning, at need, or imminent need, and allows us to then reach out to the family and begin making that relationship from the first step.”
Website Resources for Making Educated Funeral Planning Choices
Along with an online planner, SRS Websites also come with other resources to help families make informed decisions. There’s a webpage that explains why it’s important to funeral plan, as well as a page with a preplanning checklist. This way, families can learn the benefits of planning that they may not have considered. For example, preplanning relieves their loved ones of that burden while grieving.
The checklist helps families learn about the different decisions they need to make for the funeral. Then, they can bring any questions to the arrangement meeting. This saves everyone much-needed time, because you don’t have to start at the beginning. It also means you can focus more time on learning who their loved one was.
Online Payments for Conveniently Paying for the Expenses Electronically
Per Podium’s The State of Local Business Report, 84.4% of consumers chose a business because of their contactless services, like online payments. (Click here to read more statistics about online payments!)
With E-Pay, your funeral home can offer families not just one but several options for online funeral payments. This way, they can avoid making a trip to your funeral home just to pay the expenses. One of the easiest ways for them to pay is directly on your SRS Website. They also can pay through an emailed invoice. The email includes a secure link for making the payment, and the information flows directly into your SRS software. Or if they’re tight on funds, they could use 2-Minute Insurance Assignments to pay for the expenses with a loved one’s life insurance policy.
Electronic Signature Tool for Collecting Signed Forms Virtually
Per Finances Online, it takes about five days to collect client signatures using paper and pen, while it only takes about 37 minutes to do it electronically. (Click here for more e-signature statistics!)
Don’t make families come into your funeral home just to sign documents; it’s a waste of everyone’s time. With E-Signature, they can easily sign them virtually on their own time. Then, the signed forms are automatically stored in VFiles, so you can quickly access them when needed.
Turnkey Tool for Securely Gathering Vital Information Online
Whether it’s a preneed or at-need case, FamilyLink makes it easy to gather information about a family’s loved one. There’s even a checklist for assigning tasks to the family and a chat feature if you or the family have any questions. By collecting this basic information virtually, you don’t have to take up time during the arrangement conference.
See for yourself below what David Lee Hernandez Jr., the CEO and Founder of Jersey Memorial Group, has to say about FamilyLink. You also can watch his video testimonial here.
“[SRS has] a program called FamilyLink where we were able to simply get an email from the next of kin, send them an email, and begin to have this collaborative process with vitals, obtaining the vitals for the death certificate, obituary, providing them up-to-date pricing and quoting.”
Of course, there will always be a place for meeting with the family in-person to hold their hand and learn what made their loved one special. The purpose of online tools like the ones above is to save you time for the important things.
Are you ready to save time with SRS’ virtual funeral planning tools? Book a demo here.
Another important question besides what tools you have is how they work. Do they save you time or create more work? For example, tasks like manually uploading signed documents and re-entering data in multiple places eat up your valuable time.
If you don’t have the tools you need or your current solutions create more work, it may be time for an upgrade. By switching to our platform, all your SRS solutions integrate, so your employees save time while making the process as easy as possible for families.
Below is a brief overview of SRS’ time-saving funeral planning tools.
Online Planner for Starting the Funeral Planning Process Virtually
SRS Websites come with an online planner for families to start the funeral planning process themselves. Whether it’s a preneed or at-need case, they can do it all for the comfort of their own home. They can preplan their own funeral, preplan a loved one’s funeral, plan for a loved one’s expected death, or plan for a death that has already occurred.
With a tool like this, your funeral home already has a clearer picture of what the family wants before you even meet them. But don’t just take our word for it! Below is what Jonathan Holloway, Director of Strategy and Licensed Funeral Director at Holloway Funeral Home, had to say about his SRS Website and its online funeral planning resources. You also can watch his video testimonial here.
“The website also allows for great features for starting plans online, which then deposit those arrangements right into the SRS holding tank. And it’s really been a great way for us to gather the information from families, whether advanced planning, at need, or imminent need, and allows us to then reach out to the family and begin making that relationship from the first step.”
Website Resources for Making Educated Funeral Planning Choices
Along with an online planner, SRS Websites also come with other resources to help families make informed decisions. There’s a webpage that explains why it’s important to funeral plan, as well as a page with a preplanning checklist. This way, families can learn the benefits of planning that they may not have considered. For example, preplanning relieves their loved ones of that burden while grieving.
The checklist helps families learn about the different decisions they need to make for the funeral. Then, they can bring any questions to the arrangement meeting. This saves everyone much-needed time, because you don’t have to start at the beginning. It also means you can focus more time on learning who their loved one was.
Online Payments for Conveniently Paying for the Expenses Electronically
Per Podium’s The State of Local Business Report, 84.4% of consumers chose a business because of their contactless services, like online payments. (Click here to read more statistics about online payments!)
With E-Pay, your funeral home can offer families not just one but several options for online funeral payments. This way, they can avoid making a trip to your funeral home just to pay the expenses. One of the easiest ways for them to pay is directly on your SRS Website. They also can pay through an emailed invoice. The email includes a secure link for making the payment, and the information flows directly into your SRS software. Or if they’re tight on funds, they could use 2-Minute Insurance Assignments to pay for the expenses with a loved one’s life insurance policy.
Electronic Signature Tool for Collecting Signed Forms Virtually
Per Finances Online, it takes about five days to collect client signatures using paper and pen, while it only takes about 37 minutes to do it electronically. (Click here for more e-signature statistics!)
Don’t make families come into your funeral home just to sign documents; it’s a waste of everyone’s time. With E-Signature, they can easily sign them virtually on their own time. Then, the signed forms are automatically stored in VFiles, so you can quickly access them when needed.
Turnkey Tool for Securely Gathering Vital Information Online
Whether it’s a preneed or at-need case, FamilyLink makes it easy to gather information about a family’s loved one. There’s even a checklist for assigning tasks to the family and a chat feature if you or the family have any questions. By collecting this basic information virtually, you don’t have to take up time during the arrangement conference.
See for yourself below what David Lee Hernandez Jr., the CEO and Founder of Jersey Memorial Group, has to say about FamilyLink. You also can watch his video testimonial here.
“[SRS has] a program called FamilyLink where we were able to simply get an email from the next of kin, send them an email, and begin to have this collaborative process with vitals, obtaining the vitals for the death certificate, obituary, providing them up-to-date pricing and quoting.”
Of course, there will always be a place for meeting with the family in-person to hold their hand and learn what made their loved one special. The purpose of online tools like the ones above is to save you time for the important things.
Are you ready to save time with SRS’ virtual funeral planning tools? Book a demo here.
It’s 2022. If you haven’t realized it already, it’s time to understand the importance of your funeral home website for your firm and community. From making funeral plans and paying the expenses to expressing condolences and learning about coping with grief, your website can do it all and so much more. Want to learn how? See how you can take your funeral home website to the next level in 2022 with these 22 must-have features. Create the Ultimate Interactive Obituary Experience . Give your families a space to grieve their loss, show their support, and honor their loved one with interactive memorial walls. With features for expressing condolences, posting photos, and sharing memories, everyone can heal and remember their loved one. Make Ordering Funeral and Sympathy Flowers Easy with an Online Store. By having an online store built directly onto your website, families can conveniently order funeral and sympathy flowers while visiting their loved one’s memorial page. Spread the Word About a Loved One’s Passing Through Social Sharing. With easy social sharing, you can let your families share their loved one’s obituary and condolences on social media to spread the word about their passing. Support Families Through Crowdfunding Campaigns. Another way to let families show their support is to have the option to donate to a funeral crowdfunding campaign directly on their loved one’s memorial wall. Include Your General Price List (GPL) on Your Funeral Home Website. Along with a breakdown of your products and services, you should include your GPL to be transparent with your families and build trusting relationships with them. Let Families Pay Directly on Your Website with an Online Payment Center. Many families want the convenience of online payments, so you can give them this with an online payment center for credit card payments and more . Give Your Families an Easy-to-Navigate Design on Any Device. No one wants to waste time finding what information they need, especially while at-need planning, so make sure your website is easy to navigate of any device. Have Forms for Families to Easily Enter Their Information. Instead of families calling your firm for everything they need, have forms that families can submit for preplanning, downloading resources, and more. Put Your Contact Information in an Easy-to-Locate Spot. If families want to call or visit your firm, don’t make it difficult for them to locate this information. Along with a Contact Us page, you should also include this information on your homepage. Provide Your Community with Grief and Funeral Planning Resources. Your website can be like an online library for families to learn about funeral planning and grief. For example, create a Resources page for your content and link to any other educational resources. Help Families Grieve and Stay Informed Through Email Subscriptions. Without any work required from your employees, let your families sign up for email subscriptions directly on your website, such as for grief support and obituary notifications. Share Frequently Asked Questions with Your Community. Many times, your employees repeatedly answer the same questions from families. To eliminate some of these repetitive questions, have a FAQ section on your website. Post Useful Information on Your Website’s Blog. Your firm’s website should have a blog for regularly sharing content about preplanning, at-need planning, personalizing a funeral, grieving, memorialization, and more. Secure Your Website with a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate. Giving your families a secure connection when entering sensitive information on your website is a must-have. To do this, your website should have an SSL Certificate. Eliminate Spam Through Sophisticated Spam Filters. Eliminate spam comments and messages with sophisticated spam filters. This way, grieving families don’t have the added pain of rude comments. Develop an SEO Strategy to Get Found by More Families Online. Make sure your website gets found by more families online by including things like meta descriptions for your webpages and keywords. Design a Logo that Represents Your Firm’s Brand. Your logo should be visually appealing and reflect your firm’s brand. If it’s been a while since you’ve revisited your logo design, it’s probably time to explore some new ideas. Tell Your Families About Your Firm’s History, Employees, and Mission. Your families want to know the people behind your firm and what you stand for , so make sure to include things like your firm’s mission to serve families, history in your community, and employee bios to help them better understand your goals. Take Professional Pictures of Your Firm and Merchandise. If your website photos are low quality, this can reflect negatively on your business. To prevent this, draw families to your firm by taking professional photos of your facility and merchandise. Showcase Testimonials from Your Firm’s Client Families. Give your community real-life examples of positive experiences families had working with your firm, whether they’re text or video-based testimonials. Route Families to the Funeral Location Through Text Directions. One way to make things easier for families is to have a tool directly on your website for sending directions to the funeral or graveside service right to their phones. Integrate with Your Other Favorite Funeral Technology Solutions. Lastly, your funeral home website should integrate with your other funeral technology solutions to save you time, such as your case management software and marketing automation software. Take your firm to the next level in 2022 by upgrading to an SRS Website. Click h ere to book a free demo .
2021 was a revolutionary year for the funeral industry, but in 2022, it’s time to take it to the NEXT LEVEL. If you haven’t already, now is the time more than ever to embrace the mobile revolution . With a little help from your technology solutions, you can meet your families’ needs anytime, anywhere while creating a faster and simpler process for your firm. For the sake of time, we’ll focus on three important aspects of your firm: Funeral Options Business Management Aftercare 2022 is already here , so there’s no time to waste. Let’s start with funeral options. Take Your Funeral Options to the Next Level: Give Families Online Choices Families want online options. It’s as simple as that. They’re used to it now, so they won’t settle for anything less. The pandemic showed them that a lot of their in-person tasks can be accomplished online in less time, such as: Using an app to place your grocery order ahead of time instead of wandering the store. Scanning your check with your mobile device and depositing it without ever leaving your couch. Or simply entering your credit card number online and pressing submit. Having virtual appointments with your doctor, accountant, and other professionals instead of meeting in person. You can apply these same concepts to the funeral industry. Instead of meeting with families in person for every task, some things can be done virtually, such as selecting their funeral options on your website through a pre-planning form, signing forms, collecting files, making the payment virtually , and meeting through video chat. Of course, this doesn’t replace in-person meetings. The purpose of these features is to take tedious tasks like filling out paperwork and swiping credit cards to a virtual environment. This way, you can save in-person meetings for building more meaningful connections with your families. So going back to the question, how can you take your funeral options to the next level in 2022? Give families more online choices. Instead of driving to your firm to pay for the expenses, sign a form, or give you documents, let them do it virtually in a matter of seconds. Not to mention that this is more secure than documenting things on paper. Take Your Business Management to the Next Level: Say Hello to Case Management Software Do you want to way to offer your families everything we’ve just covered and more all in one place? Say hello to funeral home case management software. As the popular saying goes, behind every successful funeral director is a turnkey case management system. Okay, maybe people don’t go around saying that, but they should because it’s true. Without an organized and easy-to-access system, your firm couldn’t function. But you can’t use just any system. Meet 9Online , the funeral industry’s elite management software. Instead of using third-party integrations that cost you more time and money, it has built-in features for signing forms electronically, collecting the payment virtually, communicating with families in a safe, virtual environment, and so much more . Take Your Aftercare to the Next Level: Focus on Your Marketing and Website Lastly, we can’t forget about aftercare. As you know, a family’s journey with grief is long from over once the funeral takes place. It’s something that they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives. Though this may sound daunting, you can make things much easier for them by focusing on how your website and marketing efforts can help them. By building up your aftercare resources, it could even be the reason someone chooses to work with your firm over another one. For example, these are a few ways your website and marketing can improve your aftercare efforts in 2022 and beyond: Share blog posts, guides, and other resources on your firm’s website . Engage with families on social media through posts and ads. Use email nurturing to further engage with them and provide them with grief resources. We know this sounds like a lot, so that’s why we partnered with Growth Engine. It’s the first marketing automation software designed specifically for the funeral industry and you and your families’ needs. How cool is that? Click here to learn more about this platform. Book a free SRS demo to learn even more ways to boost your business performance and better serve your families.
We want to give a shout out to our incredible clients and their brand-new SRS Websites! Thank you for trusting SRS with your funeral home's website . We’re proud of every design and make sure they accurately represent your firm and provide you with the tools you need for success. Below are just a few of our favorite SRS Website designs from this fall. Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation Owner and Manager Tate C. Goodwin opened Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation in 2013. Today, they have several Michigan locations. On their new SRS Website, families can use E-Pay to make an online payment for their loved one’s funeral service expenses.